Message from Mary Jung, INMD Scientific Director
February 2026
February 11th marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Women continue to represent less than one third of the world's researchers (UNESCO factsheet). Ensuring that women are not only present but fully supported in all scientific fields is essential for driving discovery and innovation. When women participate and lead in science, we gain new perspectives, more equitable research priorities, and solutions that better serve diverse communities. Closing the gender gap matters for the quality, relevance and impact of science, technology and innovation.
Since beginning my new role as Scientific Director, I have had the privilege to participate in a number of meetings that have highlighted the work of INMD-affiliated researchers. The first of these meetings was the Canadian Microbiome Initiative 2 (CMI2) end-of-grant knowledge mobilization event. This virtual meeting was led by colleagues at the Institute of Infection and Immunity, and INMD was a co-lead institute in developing this initiative. I was very impressed by the calibre of the research presented at this meeting, particularly by the leadership of Dr. Kathy McCoy and her team. Dr. McCoy leads the IMPACTT (Integrated Microbiome Platforms for Advancing Causation Testing and Translation) microbiome core, designed to build Canada’s microbiome research community and strengthen Canada’s position as an international leader in microbiome research. They provide support, expertise, and leadership to microbiome researchers across Canada. Congratulations to Dr. McCoy and her IMPACTT team, and to the funded research teams working to translate discoveries into therapeutic outcomes.
I was also pleased to participate in a recent meeting of the CIHR-funded Network Environments in Indigenous Health Research (NEIHRs), organized by the NEIHR National Coordinating Centre. It was a privilege to learn about the NEIHRs and to discuss how CIHR institutes can collaborate with the NEIHRS in meaningful and impactful ways to advance Indigenous Health Research in Canada.
I wish to sincerely thank my colleagues, Dr. Charu Kashic, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity, and Dr. Chelsea Gabel, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, for their scientific leadership and for welcoming me to these meetings.
Mary Jung, PhD
Scientific Director,
Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
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