Elena Verdu appointed director of Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute

Elena Verdu, professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, has been appointed director of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, effective July 1, 2024.

Verdu will be responsible for setting the research and academic direction of the institute in consultation with the Governing Board and the Scientific Advisory Board, creating and operationalizing the institute’s business plan and reporting annually to the Governing Board.

“Congratulations to Dr. Verdu on her appointment. Elena is armed with a deep understanding of the Farncombe Institute’s mission and values, having been associate director of the Institute since 2021. Her experience in managing the Institute’s activities, strategic planning, and engagement with donors positions her well to lead the Institute into the future,” says Jonathan Bramson, vice-dean, Research, Faculty of Health Sciences.

Verdu holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Microbial Therapeutics and Nutrition in Gastroenterology. She completed her MD and training in Internal Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, followed by training in Gastroenterology and Clinical Research at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. She earned a PhD at the Institute of Microbiology and Gnotobiology of the Czech Academy of Science in Prague, and completed her postdoctoral training at McMaster under the supervision of her long‐term mentor and the outgoing Farncombe director, Stephen Collins.

Verdu’s research focuses on the complexities of the gut microbiota and its impact on gastrointestinal health. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of microbes and diet as they directly apply to chronic intestinal conditions such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Her objective is to improve diagnosis and develop new interventions to prevent or treat gastrointestinal diseases, which directly aligns with the Institute’s mission.

Prior to her recent appointment, Verdu was director of the Farncombe Family Axenic Gnotobiotic Unit, a state‐of‐the‐art facility that provides a controlled, germ‐free environment in which to study host‐microbial interactions.

“Being appointed as Director of the Farncombe Institute is an honour and an incredible opportunity to advance the vision of the Institute and to facilitate application of discoveries from the laboratory to clinical care. Equally important to me is the mentorship of the next generation of scientists, healthcare providers, policy makers, and industry leaders in this field. I hope our vision will encourage a network of like-minded centers across Canada. I am fortunate to build upon the outstanding trajectory of this Institute and the vision of Dr. Stephen Collins and the dedicated faculty whose expertise have already set a high benchmark for excellence,” says Verdu.

The Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute was established in 2008 with a vision to better understand, treat, and ultimately cure, the most common categories of intestinal illness that burden our society. The Institute pursues its vision by adopting a multidisciplinary, bench-to-bedside approach that integrates research into the microbiome, diet and nutrition through close collaborations between clinicians, clinician-scientists and basic scientists to improve the wellbeing of all who suffer from digestive diseases, such as inflammatory and functional disorders.

“I am delighted that Elena has been selected as the director of the Farncombe Institute. There is no doubt that she has the intellect, international stature, energy and personality to take the Institute to the next level. These sentiments were echoed by members of our Scientific Advisory Board last week, that included scientists from Harvard, Baylor, Europe and Canada. Much is expected and Elena will deliver in spades,” says Collins, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Medicine.