Dr. Jacqueline Quandt (pictured) has been appointed to the role of Academic Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), Medical Animal Facilities (MAF), Preclinical Discovery Centre/Animal Resource Unit. This announcement was made by Dr. David Granville, Associate Director of VCHRI and Dr. Robert McMaster, Executive Director of VCHRI.
In this role, Dr. Quandt will facilitate and represent investigators’ interests with respect to research approved by the UBC Animal Care Committee within the VCHRI MAF facilities.
“Appropriately translating findings from more basic science settings to human biology and disorders—and vice versa—is a key priority in advancing our understanding of brain health,” says Dr. Quandt. “The PDC will be the flagship research unit for preclinical neurological research on the UBC campus and I am excited to bring my experience in preclinical modelling, experimentation and ethical/regulatory issues to further the impact of the research performed here”.
In addition to her new role, Dr. Quandt is the Associate Director of the UBC Multiple Sclerosis Research Group at UBC and is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC. She leads the Neuroinflammation Research Lab at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, where her team focuses on understanding the role of the immune system in the balance between damage and repair in neurodegenerative diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She uses cell-based approaches as well as more complex disease models to study the relationship between inflammation and neurodegeneration.
Dr. Quandt is the recipient of the MS Society of Canada Donald Paty Career Development Award and continues to advance the field of MS research. Please join us in welcoming her to this new role, where she will bring years of experience in research excellence and leadership.
