by Dr. Mingyao Liu

Welcome back to our IMS community from another festive holiday season. On behalf of the IMS leadership team, we hope you all had a joyous break filled with companionship, happiness, and relaxation. Between the food, celebrations, and decor, the holidays are a magical way to bring some light into an otherwise long and dark Canadian winter, providing a feeling of warmth and optimism for the months ahead. Therefore, it’s only fitting for the Winter 2025 issue of the IMS Magazine to focus on Precision Medicine, as its advancements in patient care have brought light and hope to many people around the world facing otherwise challenging health conditions.

This issue features faculty that are exploring personalized therapies for patients with a wide range of diseases to improve both their duration and quality of life. Dr. Daniel Felsky is investigating how to create personalized mental health treatment regimens using Whole Person Modeling, while Dr. Carmela Tartaglia is studying precision medicine’s role in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos is researching both the screening and treatment of BRCA-mutated cancers so both those at risk of and living with cancer have the best options available to them. Lastly, Dr. Sun-Ho Lee is pioneering how to design personalized approaches to treat irritable bowel disease (IBD), which is currently quite difficult to manage with existing treatments. These IMS faculty members are conducting complex and meaningful research into a wide range of conditions, and it is an honour to be featuring them in the Winter 2025 issue of the IMS Magazine. 

We are also thrilled to be putting the spotlight on some influential members of our IMS community. Dr. Sandy Lee, a recent IMS alum, was an exceptional student leader during her graduate studies with us and is continuing her incredible work at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Pamela Plant has tirelessly designed courses and programs focused on professional and career development so students can prepare for success after their time at IMS. Lastly, current student Sajeevan Sujanthan, shares how his numerous research experiences have taught him what’s truly meaningful when figuring out what’s next for a soon-to-be PhD graduate. We also welcomed our new IMS students this Fall at our Orientation, and this issue shares the highlights of the event. 

I would like to thank the IMS Magazine’s Editors-in-Chief, Kyla, Kristen, and Suraiya, for their work in directing this issue. As always, I also extend my sincere appreciation to the journalists, editors, photographers, and design team for their contributions to this Winter 2025 issue. I hope you enjoy reading about the exciting advancements in precision medicine, and the optimism for the field brings you a sense of warmth to start the New Year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mingyao Liu

Director, Institute of Medical Science