Vlog: Dr. Karen Gelmon Visits IMRIC

By: 

Molly Livingstone

Molly Livingstone never did well at science, but that hasn’t stopped her from appreciating it. Here at the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) she is able to witness first-hand, the innovative breakthroughs changing the face of medicine, on a daily basis. Living in Israel, Molly has the opportunity of visiting the IMRIC labs, talking with the students and faculty about their latest research, and getting to know the people behind these great minds.

This past week the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) had a very special visit from Dr. Karen Gelmon. You might recognize her from her avatar runner in our recent Virtual Marathon for Medical Research, in which she ran for Breast Cancer Research.  Well this week she was busy running around the Hebrew University's campuses during her trip in Israel. 

I had the pleasure of meeting her during her tour at IMRIC in Jerusalem. While her schedule had her bouncing from one lab to another, I was able to squeeze in just enough time with her to get a quick recap of her trip. You can watch her video to hear what she had to say first-hand about IMRIC, breast cancer research and a hopeful beginning to a beautiful collaboration. 

Dr. Gelmon is an outstanding medical oncologist and a part of the Head Investigational Drug Program, Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medical Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency as well as a Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Currently part of her research focuses on developing new and improved treatment options for persons with Breast Cancer.

Although the visit was short, Dr. Gelmon not only toured the facilities but also gave a lecture to students about her investigations. The room was packed with eager young researchers hoping to soak in some of the brilliant investigative concepts that Gelmon touched upon. Students told me they are already looking forward to her next lecture, which they hope will be sometime in the near future.

Also hoping for another visit, are the researchers that Dr. Gelmon met with. Dr. Ittai Ben-Porath, Dr. Rami Aqeilan and Prof. Howard Cedar all hosted Dr. Gelmon in their labs and discussed their research and the possibility of a future collaboration. Watch the video below to hear more from the researchers themselves!

Thank you Dr. Gelmon for your continued support. I too look forward to a potential collaboration, bringing together great minds for a greater purpose: breast cancer research.