Dr. Justin A. MacDonald appointed interim head, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Justin A. MacDonald, PhD, as the interim head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The appointment took effect Jan. 1, 2025. 

Dr. MacDonald is a professor with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology whose research focuses on the investigation of smooth muscle biology in health and disease. His research program spans a wide range of approaches from contractile studies of vascular smooth muscle tissues to high-resolution protein structure determination and drug discovery initiatives. He takes over the role while Dr. Sarah Childs, PhD, is on administrative leave.

Dr. MacDonald obtained a PhD in biology and comparative biochemistry from Carleton University, Ottawa, ON. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one at the University of Virginia, Department of Pharmacology, Charlottesville, VA, and the other at Duke University, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Durham, NC.

Dr. MacDonald co-founded Arch Biotechnology Inc. in 2006 with other colleagues from the University of Calgary and currently contributes to translational research activities as a principal scientist with Arch Biopartners Inc. He was named a Canada Research Chair, Tier 2, in 2004 with renewal in 2009. He has received many honours and awards including the Van de Sande Award for Leadership and Service and the Schultz Award for General Excellence from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was named a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellow in 2014 by the European Commission and received the Senior Scholar Award from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. He also held the Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence (PENCE) Research Chair.

Dr. MacDonald has held numerous national and international leadership and advisory roles. He is a current member of the international advisory group, Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence at Aston University, Birmingham, UK, and the European Science Foundation, College of Expert Reviewers. In his new CSM leadership position, he plans to continue to enable the innovative research and teaching activities of current department members as well as provide academic and administrative mentorship to an exciting group of new faculty recruits.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. MacDonald on his new appointment with the CSM.

Sincerely,

Todd Anderson, MD
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary