On the recommendation of Dean Jane Philpott, Mark Green, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen’s University, has appointed Dr. Andrew Craig as Director, Queen’s Cancer Research Institute (QCRI). His five-year term began on January 1st, 2022.
Dean Philpott extends her appreciation to Dr. David Berman, who vacated the position earlier this year to become Head of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. Under Dr. Berman’s leadership, QCRI attracted distinguished investigators and dramatically improved collaboration across translational research teams. His expertise and dedication to innovation will certainly continue to augment Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) in his new role.
Dr. Craig earned his B.Sc. Honour’s in Biochemistry at Queen's University and his PhD at McGill University where he studied regulation of mRNA translation. He returned to Queen’s for a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Peter Greer in the Cancer Research Labs, where Dr. Craig developed novel mouse models of inflammation and cancer as a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Senior Research Fellow.
Dr. Craig joined Queen’s Department of Biochemistry in 2002 where he earned the CIHR New Investigator award, and also joined the QCRI Cancer Biology & Genetics Division in 2007. His successes include mentoring 20 trainees, attracting 30 grants and contracts totaling over $8 million, publishing 63 highly cited research papers, and being awarded the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) Young Investigator award in 2011. His collaborative research program includes several projects related to molecular mechanisms of cancer progression, immune suppression, cancer immunotherapy, and cancer metastasis.
Dr. Craig is highly respected in the Canadian cancer research community having served as chair, scientific officer, or reviewer on grant panels for the National Cancer Institute of Canada, CCS, Cancer Research Society, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and CIHR. He has also served on editorial boards of well-respected international journals, including Journal of Immunology, Scientific Reports, and Frontiers in Immunology.
Locally, Dr. Craig has made extensive contributions to QHS administration, most recently as part of the Dean’s Research Action Table (Infrastructure Subcommittee) where his leadership and experience helped develop a vision of our future research capabilities at QHS. He also has also made strong contributions to the educational missions at QHS, in the Departments of Biochemistry and Biomedical and Molecular Sciences.
Dr Craig’s vision for a more collaborative and inclusive QCRI aligns with the new QHS strategic plan, Radical Collaboration, and will undoubtedly lead QCRI and collaborators to enhance their global reach while integrating equity, diversity and inclusion best practices. His track record for collaboration is exemplified in his co-discovery of a potential cancer-fighting toxin in sponge compounds, which earned him a public spotlight in 2019. He will encourage all within QCRI to embrace multidisciplinary and translational research that includes patient advocates and survivors amongst other initiatives.
Please join Dean Philpott in congratulating Dr. Andrew Craig on his appointment.