Infectious Diseases Residency Program
Faculty Members
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
McMaster University
Dr. Philippe El-Helou
Dr. El-Helou MD FRCPC is an Associate Professor at
McMaster University, based at St. Joseph's Hospital. A valued teacher
of both infectious diseases and general internal medicine, Dr. El-Helou
completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Ottawa,
followed by training in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto
(where he was awarded Chief Medical Resident at Sunnybrook Hospital).
He went on to complete fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at
the Albert Einstein University (Beth Israel Medical Centre) in New
York, where he remained as staff physician for a few years. Dr. El-Helou's
main clinical interests are HIV/AIDS and TB, and he is currently
Co-Director of the SIS/HIV Clinic. Dr. El-Helou is also the programme
director for Infectious Diseases at McMaster and has an active role
in education both at the undergraduate and residency level.
Dr. Shariq Haider
Dr. Haider MD FRCPC ABIM DTMH CCST (Internal Medicine, UK) is an Associate
Professor at McMaster University, based at Hamilton Health Sciences – McMaster
University Medical Centre. Dr. Haider is the Service Chief of infectious
diseases at Hamilton Health Sciences(3 sites). Dr. Haider trained in
Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto, before sub-specializing
in Infectious Diseases at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
He also completed additional training in Tropical Medicine at the prestigious
London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in the United Kingdom.
He is Director of the International Health and Tropical Diseases Clinic
at Hamilton Health Sciences. In addition to tropical and travel medicine,
Dr. Haider's clinical and research interests include infections in
the immunocompromised host(focus on antifungal therapeutics), hepatitis
C, and HIV. Dr. Haider is recognized throughout the Faculty of Health
Sciences as an outstanding and enthusiastic teacher. He has a lead
role in education in the Internal Medicine Training Program serving
as the Research Director of the IM training program.
Dr. Jennifer Johnstone
Dr. Johnstone, MD FRCPC received her Infectious Disease training at
the University of Alberta. Following her residency she completed a
clinical research fellowship with Dr. Tom Marrie. She is currently
a Clinical Scholar at McMaster University, where she is finishing a
Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. Her research interests
include community acquired pneumonia and vaccines in the elderly.
Dr.
Christine Lee
Dr. Lee MD FRCPC ABIM is an Associate Professor at McMaster University,
with appointments in the Divisions of Medical Microbiology (Department
of Pathology and Molecular Medicine) and Infectious Diseases (Department
of Medicine), based at St. Joseph's Hospital. Dr. Lee completed her
undergraduate medical education at the University of Toronto, where
she later completed training in Internal Medicine, Medical Microbiology,
and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Lee's academic involvement in Infectious
Diseases spans research, education, and teaching in addition to direct
patient care. Current research interests include optimal laboratory
methods of diagnosis and treatment of C. difficile-associated diarrhea
and diagnosis and management of nosocomial infections. She is also
the director of Microbiology Laboratory at Hamilton Health Sciences
and St. Joseph's Healthcare and is also a member of the Hamilton Infection
Control committee, and Infections Research Group at St. Joseph's Healthcare.
Dr.
Mark Loeb
Dr. Loeb MD MSc FRCPC is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine,
Pathology & Molecular Medicine, and Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
at McMaster University. He completed a Bachelor of Science and MD degree
at McGill University followed by a residency in internal medicine at
the University of Toronto. After completing combined Infectious Diseases
and Medical Microbiology specialty training at McMaster, Dr. Loeb did
a research fellowship at the University of Toronto and completed an
MSc in Health Research Methodology at McMaster. His research interests
include epidemiologic and genomic population-based studies on viral
infectious including influenza, West Nile, and dengue. Current projects
include an NIH population genetics research program on West Nile virus,
a CIHR and NIH funded cluster randomized controlled trial to reduce
spread of influenza by immunizing children in Hutterite colonies, and
a CIHR funded influenza pandemic team grant to establish natural history
as well as immunologic and genetic determinants of influenza infection.
Dr. Loeb has authored 129 peer-reviewed publications and ten book chapters
and has served on numerous national and international advisory and
research committees. Recent honors include the Gold Medal in Medicine
from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Cheryl Main
Dr. Cheryl Main MD FRCPC is an Assistant Professor
at McMaster University, with appointments in the Divisions of Medical
Microbiology (Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine) and Infectious
Diseases (Department of Medicine), based at HGH. Dr. Main completed
her medical education, and subspecialty training in Internal Medicine,
Infectious Disease and Medical Microbiology at McMaster University.
Dr. Main is the program director for the Medical Microbiology residency
training program. She is actively involved in education, research and
patient care. Current research interests include screening for STDs,
and the detection of antibiotic resistant organisms, including MRSA.
Dr. Main is additionally involved in faculty education.
Dr. Lionel
Mandell
Dr. Mandell MD FRCPC FRCP (LOND) is currently Professor Emeritus of Medicine,
Division of Infectious Disease at McMaster University, based at Hamilton
Health Sciences - Henderson Site. His medical school and postgraduate
medical training were at the University of Toronto and Harvard Medical
School. He currently sits on the Practice Guidelines Committee of the
IDSA and co-chairs the Community Acquired Pneumonia Guidelines Committee
of the IDSA and American Thoracic Society. Dr. Mandell has authored
over 190 scientific papers and numerous book chapters dealing with
various aspects of infectious disease including chapters in Cecil and
Harrison's Textbooks of Medicine on pneumonia. He sits on the Editorial
Board of 13 medical journals and is a past president of the Canadian
Infectious Disease Society and of the Canadian Foundation for Infectious
Diseases. He has been invited to 58 countries around the world as a
visiting professor, guest lecturer and consultant. Dr. Mandell's main
academic interests are in studies of pneumonia and antibiotics. He
has won a number of prestigious national and international awards and
honors and was recently made a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
in London England for his work on pneumonia.
Dr. Atreyi Mukherji
Dr. Mukherji obtained her medical degree from Dalhousie University,
followed by internal medicine residency at McMaster University. She
then went on to complete an infectious diseases fellowship at The Cleveland
Clinic, USA. Dr. Mukherji also has a Masters in Public Health from
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Mukherji has worked
in India, Zimbabwe and Lesotho on Tuberculosis and HIV, and had the
fortune to mentor and train physicians in treating HIV, in Lesotho.
Dr Mukherji’s research interest involves the social determinants
of health in marginalized populations, affected by HIV and injection
drug use.
Dr. Nishma Singhal
Dr. Nishma Singhal, MD, FRCPC is an assistant professor
at McMaster University, based at Hamilton Health Sciences. After completing
her undergraduate medical education at McMaster University, she went
on to internal medicine residency at Dalhousie University followed
by specialty training in Infectious Diseases at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Singhal has a broad range of interests in infectious diseases with
a varied in and out patient clinical practice. Additionally, she serves
as an attending on the internal medicine clinical teaching units. She
is an enthusiastic teacher, being involved with both undergraduate
and postgraduate educational activities. She is the planner for the
undergraduate Infectious Diseases curriculum and coordinator of the
Infectious Diseases clinical rotations at the Henderson and Hamilton
General sites.
Dr. Fiona Smaill
Dr. Fiona Smaill MB ChB (New
Zealand) MSc (Epi.) is a Medical Microbiologist
with the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program and Infectious
Diseases Consultant, Hamilton Health Sciences, based at the MUMC site.
She is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology & Molecular
Medicine with an associate appointment in the Department of Medicine
at McMaster University.
She graduated with her MB ChB from the University of Otago, Dunedin,
New Zealand in 1978. After training in General Medicine in New Zealand,
she came to McMaster University in 1984 for further training and has
been on Faculty since 1989. She has her Australasian Fellowship in
General Medicine and her Canadian Fellowships in Internal Medicine,
Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Smaill also has her
Masters in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University. She
is co-director of the Special Immunology Services (HIV) clinic at MUMC
and actively involved in HIV clinical trials. She is an Associate Editor
of "ACP Journal Club" and chair of the Royal College Specialty
Committee In Medical Microbiology. She is a reviewer for the Cochrane
Library with a special interest in infections in pregnancy.
Dr. Marek Smieja
Dr. Smieja, MD PhD FRCPC DTM&H is an Associate Professor in Pathology
and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University, and associate member
of the Dept. of Medicine, and the Dept. of Clinical Epidemiology and
Biostatistics. Based at St. Joseph's Hospital, Dr. Smieja is a consultant
in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at both St. Joseph's Hospital
and Hamilton Health Sciences, and an HIV consultant in the SIS clinic
at the McMaster site, HHS. In addition to teaching clinical infectious
diseases and microbiology, he teaches a graduate course in observational
research methods and is a research supervisor and mentor to residents,
ID/microbiology fellows, and to graduate students in Health Research
Methodology. He is a member of the Infections Research Group at St.
Joseph's Hospital and a founding member of the Ontario Rapid Testing
of Emerging Infectious Diseases (RT-EID) Laboratory Network. His major
research interests are in the interaction between infections and respiratory
and cardiovascular diseases. He holds CIHR grants to examine the development
of cardiovascular disease in HIV patients, and to improve influenza
diagnostic testing. Dr. Smieja employs a combination of molecular techniques
(e.g. PCR) and clinical epidemiology (e.g. case-control, cohort, and
RCTs) in his research.
