Dr Michael J. Strong

Dr Michael J. Strong has been appointed the new president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) effective October 1. The appointment concludes a period of nearly one and a half years since the departure of Dr Alain Beaudet, during which time the granting council has headed by Dr Roderick McInnes. McInnes has been serving in an acting capacity and will stay on until the end of June. He will then be replaced by Michel Perron, executive VP of CIHR who will serve until the fall and Strong’s arrival. Strong is internationally recognized for his work in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since 2010, Strong has been dean of Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and holds the Arthur J. Hudson Chair in ALS Research. In 2009, he was awarded the status of Distinguished University Professor. His research focuses on understanding the cellular biology of ALS.