It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Dr. Madhukar Pai as Director, Global Health Programs, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, effective September 1, 2014. Dr. Pai succeeds Dr. Dan Deckelbaum, who has held the position as Interim Director since March 2013. During Dan’s tenure, McGill’s Global Health Programs increased in visibility both inside and outside of the University. Individuals and units committed to global health research and teaching at McGill were rallied together on a number of occasions, many partnerships were facilitated and valuable funds were raised to give impetus to new student opportunities. We thank Dr. Deckelbaum for his leadership during the transition period, and we wish him ongoing success.
Dr. Madhukar (Madhu) Pai completed his medical training and community medicine residency in Vellore, India. He earned his PhD in epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill and Associate Director of the McGill International TB Centre. He serves as a consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva. Madhu has previously served as co-chair of the Stop TB Partnership’s Working Group on New Diagnostics. He is on the editorial boards of Lancet Infectious Diseases, PLoS Medicine and the International Journal of TB and Lung Disease, among others. He provides technical assistance to several agencies, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNITAID and WHO. He also holds honorary professorship appointments at universities in India and South Africa.
Madhu’s research is mainly focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in high-burden countries like India and South Africa. His research is supported by grant funding from the Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. In addition to several teaching awards, he is recipient of the Union Scientific Prize, Chanchlani Global Health Research Award and Stars in Global Health award from Grand Challenges Canada.
As Director of Global Health Programs, Madhu will ensure the continued excellence and growth in program development, while establishing new directions related to global health on both the educational and research fronts. He will also be responsible for student outcomes, preparing McGill students to become Canada’s future global health leaders and establishing a greater presence and increased collaboration between the clinical, research and teaching communities within the Faculty of Medicine and the University.
Madhu’s expertise, experience and vision position him well to ensure McGill’s Global Health Programs are at the forefront as a University priority and recognized as a major contributor to global health locally, nationally and internationally. Please join us in wishing him a warm congratulations and much success in this role.
David Eidelman, MDCM
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs