Dr. Larissa Matukas
President, Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Support for the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases helps to improve the health of Canadians and people worldwide.
Infectious diseases impact us all, from longstanding challenges from waterborne and foodborne illnesses, to emerging global outbreaks like the global Mpox or the Zika virus, to completely new highly communicable diseases like COVID-19. Pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi are continually spreading around the world, wreaking havoc on human health. Many Canadians may be shocked to learn that infectious diseases remain a leading cause of death worldwide.
“We continue to see infectious diseases taking a forefront on a global level,” says Dr. Larissa Matukas, President of the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases (CFID). “We need to continue to be vigilant around understanding disease transmission, how to prevent it, how to diagnose it, and how to treat it.”
This is the mission of the CFID, a charitable organization aimed at promoting essential research in infectious diseases and medical microbiology. To promote this research, the CFID works in close collaboration with medical specialists, strategic partners, and supporters. It also supports students and trainees through grants and awards, facilitates knowledge dissemination through webinars and events, and engages with the public through education and advocacy.
Stronger together
“Receiving a CFID award really helped solidify my interest in gut microbiome research,” shares medical trainee award recipient, Dr. Emma Finlayson-Trick. “It also gave me the chance to work with two amazing researchers who are very passionate about this subject and who ultimately inspired me to continue with this important work in my career.”
Fundraising is vital to support CFID’s mission and goals. “As a not-for-profit organization, our board of director members are volunteers,” says Dr. Matukas. “Our main goal is to raise funds to support our awards and grants, to make them more impactful on the research that can be performed by new investigators in the field.” Donations also support the CFID’s educational initiatives including workshops and webinars.
The CFID is encouraging donations and participants for its chief fundraising event, the 10th annual Bug Run. This year’s Bug Run will be held in multiple cities across Canada in April 2024 with options for both running and walking routes to ensure inclusivity.
Visit researchid.com/support-us/donate-now to contribute.
