Appointment of Professor Minna Woo as Director, Banting and Best Diabetes Centre

August 3, 2022

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Minna Woo as Director of the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC) for a five-year term, effective August 1, 2022.

Minna Woo is a Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine at Temerty Medicine, and holds appointments in the Departments of Immunology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and the Institute of Medical Science. She is currently the Division Director of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University Health Network/Mount Sinai Hospital and the Metabolism Group Lead at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Woo is a clinician scientist whose laboratory focuses on molecular mechanisms that determine the pathogenesis of diabetes, and their associated cardiovascular diseases and cancer, focusing on major signaling pathways including JAK-STAT and PTEN. She has published over 100 research articles, many in high impact journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, JCI Insight, and Diabetes. She holds the Soham and Shaila Ajmera Family Chair in Molecular Diabetes Research, and the Canada Research Chair in Diabetes Signal Transduction. Dr. Woo’s research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Canadian Liver Foundation. She has had many national distinctions including Physician Scientist Award from the Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis, and Young Scientist Awards from the Canadian Diabetes Association (now Diabetes Canada) and Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Her research is internationally recognized as a member elect of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Woo on her appointment. I would also like to extend my thanks to Professor Gary Lewis for his excellent leadership as Director of the BBDC since 2011.

Trevor Young, MD PhD FRCPC
Dean
Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions