New Director and Co-Director appointed to CHILD Study

On July 1, 2017, Dr. Padmaja Subbarao became the Director of the CHILD Study and Dr. Stuart Turvey the Study’s Co-Director.

Dr. Subbarao takes over the position from the Study’s Founding Director, Dr. Malcolm Sears.

“Without Malcolm, there would be no CHILD Study,” comments Dr. Subbarao.

“It was Malcolm’s vision that led to the creation of CHILD. It was his strong sense of collaboration and unity that brought together a diverse group of scientists across the country to work towards a common goal of exploring the root origins of asthma, forming a strong base upon which to build our understanding of the developmental origins of chronic diseases.

“Those concerned with children’s health in Canada owe him a debt of gratitude, and I am deeply honoured to follow in his footsteps.”

Dr. Sears brought to CHILD decades of experience investigating the epidemiology
and natural history of asthma, including his involvement for more than 30 years in the
celebrated Dunedin Study in New Zealand.

He led the planning for the CHILD Study from initial discussions in 2004 and served as its Director from its inception in 2007. He remains involved in the CHILD Study, especially in the reviewing and editing of publications, and maintains an advisory role as a member of the Executive Committee.

Dr. Subbarao, a paediatric respirologist and an associate professor at The Hospital for Sick Children, McMaster University and the University of Toronto, is the Toronto site leader of the Study and was previously the CHILD Study’s Co-Director.

Dr. Turvey, a pediatric immunologist at BC Children’s Hospital and a professor at The University of British Columbia, is the Study’s Vancouver site leader.