Canada Research Chair in Tissue Specific Immunity
Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology
“Doing science with care and humility is a powerful act of reciprocity with the more-than-human-world.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Reciprocity… That is the word I would use to describe this fantastic new issue of IMMPress dedicated to Global Science. In Kitty Liu’s review of Braiding Sweetgrass by indigenous writer Robin Wall Kimmerer, we learn that reciprocity is about beneficial relationships between us and the world we live in.For us Immunologists, reciprocity can and should also be about our relationships between scientists from different parts of our world – and not just the parts with the most resources. There are beautiful and inspiring examples of reciprocity throughout this issue. Read Boyan Tsankov’s article on the eradication of smallpox, an endeavour that succeeded despite the barriers of the Cold War, or Boyd Johnson’s article about our very own Dr. Rae Yeung who has been busy swapping notes with colleagues around the world so that we may better treat rare diseases in children.
Reciprocal training: For this kind of reciprocal global science to succeed, it must begin at the training stage. Mira Ishak outlines the provocative idea of stemming the tide of “brain drain” by converting it to “brain circulation” through trainee exchanges. This is the mission of Associate Chair in International Collaborations and Initiatives Dr. Eleanor Fish who spearheaded the wildly successful Beyond Science Initiative, a not-for-profit consortium comprised of scholars from around the globe that bring science to trainees no matter where they live. And let’s not forget the hard work of our own Dr. Michelle Letarte who has been supporting trainees in their home countries through her role at the IUIS, as delightfully told in this fun tribute. Lastly, heartfelt testimonies from two Immunology international students helped me to better understand their newcomer experience.
Reciprocal health: While global science is clearly important for our collective health and prosperity, it is not a walk (or airplane ride) in the proverbial international park. As Irene Fang and Daniah Alkassab remind us, conducting research in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) should be pursued with great care, being ever mindful of what is ethical, what is sustainable, and the ethos of co-discovery. However when done mindfully, such research is very rewarding – “Health For All”, as described by Nasana Vaidya, is a research approach that sits at the intersection of biomedical sciences, epidemiology and public health with the goal of not only disease prevention/treatment but rectifying systemic inequities that create health risks for vulnerable communities. A great example of the challenges and rewards of “Health For All” is depicted in Jinny Tsang’s interview with James Nnamutete, a study coordinator at the Rakai Health Sciences program (RHSP) situated in Kalisizo, Uganda.
Reciprocal data: Of course, a key player in global science is WHO. In Jennifer Ahn’s article “Who’s WHO?” I couldn’t help but be reminded of one of Toronto’s previous mayors who, during the SARS pandemic of 2003, infamously stated “Who are these WHO people?” It was a dark time for Toronto, but of course nothing compared to the COVID-19 pandemic which followed and revealed stark global inequities as outlined by Matthew Bianca. Understanding these inequities will not only require team science to work together, but as Ziyan Chen writes, electronic health data can be a major arrow in our quiver. Imagine a future of secure and ethical health data reciprocity that accelerates co-creation of medical interventions among international colleagues. This is not only important for fighting communicable diseases, but also for dealing with the health consequences of global climate change and pollution, as enumerated by Sila Usta. And as a nod to the earth, with the exception of a small paper run, IMMPress Magazine is now totally digital!
Reciprocal care: Last, but certainly not least, hearing about Dr. Nathália Batista’s efforts as co-chair of the Toronto chapter of the International Women in Science network was very inspiring. I think of all the times I passed Nathália, a scientist from Brazil and true citizen of the world, in the hallway at the MSB and had no idea she was doing this kind of important work. I also think of the female post-docs who have come through my own lab as immigrant scientists – Drs. Olga Rojas, Georgina Galicia-Rosas, Valeria Ramaglia and Ikbel Naouar spring to mind. Sunday February 11th is the 9th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Enacted annually by UNESCO in collaboration with UN Women, this is a great chance to reach out to women scientists, particularly those who have immigrated to train here in Toronto. These women face more challenges than we realize.
It is a massive honour to write my first Letter from the Chair for IMMPress Magazine. I am exceedingly proud of this student-run publication.
Jennifer Gommerman
Latest posts by Jennifer Gommerman (see all)
- Letter from the Chair, Dr. Jennifer Gommerman – Volume 12 Issue 2, 2024 - October 4, 2024
- Letter from the Chair, Dr. Jennifer Gommerman – Volume 12 Issue 1, 2024 - June 5, 2024
- Letter from the Chair, Dr. Jennifer Gommerman – Volume 11 Issue 3, 2024 - January 30, 2024
