Six Canadian medical heroes are inducted annually to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Their work may be a single meritorious contribution or a lifetime of superior accomplishments. Pioneers in their field, they are role models of excellence in health in Canada and the world.
The 2020 inductees, announced by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, include Professor Marco Marra, Head of UBC's Department of Medical Genetics and Director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Science Centre (GSC) at BC Cancer.
The massive and unprecedented scale of genomic data provided by the Human Genome Project between 1990 and 2003 revolutionized our understanding of disease biology. Among the project’s participants was distinguished Canadian scientist Marco Marra PhD, now Head of the Department of Medical Genetics at The University of British Columbia and Director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Science Centre (GSC) at BC Cancer. Under Dr. Marra’s leadership, the Personalized Oncogenomics (POG) project at BC Cancer, represents one of the first applications of whole genome sequencing in a clinical setting, using information derived from thousands of individual cancer genomes and transcriptomes to identify promising therapeutic targets in individual patients. Dr. Marra is one of the world’s most cited scientists in his field with more than 400 scientific publications. The hand-picked successor of his great mentor Nobel and CMHF Laureate Dr. Michael Smith, Dr. Marra has since mentored many graduate students who are now providing the expertise and insight needed to fulfill the promise of the genomic revolution. Recipient of numerous awards, mentor, lecturer, and administrator, Dr. Marra will continue to extend the reach of the genome sciences in studying, managing, and eradicating disease.
https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/marco-marra-inducted-into-the-2020-canadian-medical…