Meet the Committee

Congress Chairs

Martin Olivier

McGill University, Canada

Martin Olivier

McGill University, Canada

Dr Martin Olivier is Professor at McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. His research focuses on host-parasite interaction, and, in particular, on the role of Leishmania extracellular vesicles in the infectious and pathological process.

Momar Ndao

McGill University, Canada

Momar Ndao

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Momar Ndao is a Professor at McGill University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and a Principal Investigator at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. His research focuses on diagnostics, drug screening, proteomics for biomarker discovery, and vaccines for parasitic diseases.

Local Organizing Committee

Albert Descoteaux

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Albert Descoteaux

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Dr. Albert Descoteaux is Professor at the Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie of INRS. His research focuses on the cell biology of Leishmania-harboring parasitophorous vacuoles and their interactions with host cell organelles.

Tim Geary

McGill University, Canada

Tim Geary

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Tim Geary is Professor at the Institute of Parasitology of McGill University where he served as Director from 2007-2019. He is also a professor (20 % appointment) in the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University – Belfast. His work over the past 40+ years has focused on the discovery and development of antiparasitic drugs, on the pharmacology of these drugs and resistance to them, and on the molecular language of the host-parasite interface.

Irah King

McGill University, Canada

Irah King

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Irah King is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University in Montréal, Québec. A major interest of Dr. King’s research program is to unravel mechanisms of host defense against intestinal helminths, with a particular interest in immune-epithelial-parasite interactions.

Thavy Long

McGill University, Canada

Thavy Long

McGill University, Canada

Her research focuses on advancing our understanding of immune evasion, development, metabolism, and drug resistance in helminths such as Schistosoma mansoni and Dirofilaria immitis with a focus on the role of nuclear receptors and extracellular vesicles. With the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets and developing tools to monitor resistance spread, her team aims to drive forward innovative interventions against helminths.

Melisa Gualdrón López

McGill University, Canada

Melisa Gualdrón López

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Gualdrón López studies host-parasite interactions, focusing on extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators of pathogenesis and immune modulation. She investigates the role of EVs in malaria and Chagas disease during pregnancy, aiming to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve maternal and fetal health.

Louis-Philippe Leroux

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Louis-Philippe Leroux

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Dr. Louis-Philippe Leroux is the co-founder of the Canadian Parasitology Network (CPN) and research associate at INRS-CAFSB in Dr. Maritza Jaramillo laboratory. His interest concern the study of host translational control following infection by protozoan parasites (T. gondii and Leishmania spp.).

Carl Lowenberger

Simon Fraser University, Canada

Carl Lowenberger

Simon Fraser University, Canada

Dr. Carl Lowenberger is a Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby BC. His research focuses on the transmission parasites and pathogens by insect vectors. More specifically, the research looks at the insect innate immune response to these parasites that determines if an insect will transmit or kill the parasites. This research focuses on mosquitoes that transmit malaria and Dengue, and kissing bugs that transmit Chagas disease.

Barbara Papadopoulou

University Laval, Canada

Barbara Papadopoulou

University Laval, Canada

Dr. Barbara Papadopoulou is a full professor in the Department of Microbiology-Infectious disease and Immunology at the Faculty of medicine of University Laval. She is a world-renowned leader in the field of molecular parasitology with broad expertise in the areas of Neglected Tropical Diseases, post-transcriptional regulation, Leishmania pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, and vaccine development.

Nathan Peters

University of Calgary, Canada

Nathan Peters

University of Calgary, Canada

Dr. Nathan Peters is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases at the University of Calgary, Canada. The Peters Lab employs the Leishmania parasite as a model of chronic intracellular infection and aims to expand our understanding of vaccine efficacy and the role of insect vectors in vector transmitted infections.

Christopher Fernandez Prada

Université de Montréal, Canada

Christopher Fernandez Prada

Université de Montréal, Canada

Dr. Christopher Fernandez Prada is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Université de Montréal). Specializing in drug resistance of leishmaniasis, host-parasite interactions, and extracellular vesicles with a One Health focus.

Roger Prichard

McGill University, Canada

Roger Prichard

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Roger Prichard, currently Distinguished James McGill Emeritus Professor, McGill University, was a Professor at the Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada for over 40 years. His research has focussed on nematode and trematode parasites of animals and humans, the treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases and drug resistance.

Dave Richard

University Laval, Canada

Dave Richard

University Laval, Canada

Dr. Dave Richard is a professor at the Department of Microbiology-Infectious Diseases and Immunology of Laval University’s Faculty of Medicine and Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Laval University. His laboratory focusses on the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and more specifically on trying to understand how the parasite directs proteins to the different structures of the apical complex, a structure that is essential for the invasion of the red blood cell.

Petra Rohrbach

McGill University, Canada

Petra Rohrbach

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Petra Rohrbach is Associate Professor at the Institute of Parasitology and Associate Vice President of the Macdonald Campus at McGill University. She is an expert in extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, focusing on EVs released by the blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum and their roles in parasite communication and development, as well as to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying malaria pathogenesis and drug resistance.

Tatiana Scorza

Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

Tatiana Scorza

Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

Dr. Tatiana Scorza is immunoparasitologist and Full Professor at the UQAM (Montréal). Her work focuses on hemolysis, free heme and its impact on bone remodeling, erythropoiesis and myeloid cell functions in the bone marrow during malaria.

Simona Stäger

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Simona Stäger

INRS-Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre, Canada

Dr. Simona Stäger is an immunoparasitologist and Full Professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie. Her laboratory has focused on understanding how pathogens manipulate the adaptive immune response to establish persistent infection, using the experimental model of visceral leishmaniasis.

Mary M. Stevenson

McGill University, Canada

Mary M. Stevenson

McGill University, Canada

Dr. Mary M. Stevenson is a Professor in the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Medicine at McGill University in Montréal, Québec. She has expertise in host-parasite interactions and immunoparasitology. Her research has focused on the genetics of susceptibility to blood stage malaria, the immunology of blood stage malaria, and vaccines.

Lucienne Tritten

McGill University, Canada

Lucienne Tritten

McGill University, Canada

Dr Tritten's research focuses on how extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate communication between helminth parasites, hosts, and gut bacteria. She explores how these EVs can be harnessed for diagnostics and treatments, including engineering gut bacteria to produce anti-parasitic molecules. Ultimately, she aims to advance fundamental understanding of host-pathogen interactions and support innovative approaches to global health challenges.

Jude Uzonna

University of Manitoba, Canada

Jude Uzonna

University of Manitoba, Canada

Dr. Jude Uzonna is Professor, and the Vice Dean Research at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada. His research program focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate immunity to protozoan parasites. He is particularly interested in unravelling host and parasite factors that regulate induction, maintenance, and loss of protective immunity in infected host.

Congress Chairs

Martin Olivier

Momar Ndao

Local Organizing Committee

Albert Descoteaux

Tim Geary

Irah King

Thavy Long

Melisa Gualdrón López

Louis-Philippe Leroux

Carl Lowenberger

Barbara Papadopoulou

Nathan Peters

Christopher Fernandez Prada

Roger Prichard

Dave Richard

Petra Rohrbach

Tatiana Scorza

Simona Stäger

Mary M. Stevenson

Lucienne Tritten

Jude Uzonna

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Congress Chairs

Local Organizing Committee

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