Alison Allan Appointed Associate Vice-President (Research)
Please join me in congratulating Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Alison Allan, who has been appointed to a five-year term as Associate Vice-President (Research). I am absolutely delighted to have Alison join our senior leadership team on October 1, 2024.
While each Associate Vice-President (Research) plays a broad leadership role in advancing research, scholarship and creative activity across disciplines, Alison will focus primarily on supporting and expanding research in the medical and health sciences.
These efforts will include strengthening relationships with regional hospitals and health research institutes, driving strategies for health research funding and supporting the Western Institute for Neuroscience and Bone and Joint Institute. She will also work closely with Animal Care & Veterinary Services to provide strategic oversight for research involving animals.
Alison will be familiar to many of you. She is jointly appointed to the departments of oncology and anatomy & cell biology, where she is currently the chair. She is also a Distinguished Oncology Scientist at London Health Sciences Centre, where she leads the Breast Cancer Canada Translational Research Unit.
A leading cancer researcher, Alison is focused on understanding the biology of metastasis to identify new therapies, and on validating biomarkers to monitor disease progression and responses to therapies. Her work spans pre-clinical molecular, cellular and animal studies, translational studies and clinical trials.
I am grateful to members of the selection committee for their time, insight and collegiality. Please join me in thanking Miriam Capretz, Isaac Luginaah, Kevin Moore, Bryan Neff, Angela Roberts and Shawn Whitehead for their commitment to identifying a very strong leader for this important role.
I look forward to working more closely with Alison this fall to support efforts to strengthen health research in London and help create a healthier future for all.
Sincerely,
Penny Pexman, PhD
Vice-President (Research)