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Humans & the Microbiome

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How do microbes that live in and on us affect our health, development and even behaviour?

Micro-organisms cover our skin and fill our guts. These bacteria, viruses, and fungi — collectively called the human microbiome — have significant impact on human health. This program brings together anthropologists, biologists, and other scholars to address questions about the microbiome’s impact on human health and development, and how it is affected by individual and societal behaviour.


IMPACT CLUSTERS

The Humans & the Microbiome program is part of the following CIFAR Impact Clusters: Nurturing a Resilient Earth and Shaping the Future of Human Health . CIFAR’s research programs are organized into 5 distinct Impact Clusters that address significant global issues and are committed to fostering an environment in which breakthroughs emerge.


RESEARCH AND SOCIETAL IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

Tracking perception of the human microbiome 
Through ethnographic and semi-structured interviews with adults in the United States,
CIFAR program Fellow Melissa Melby (University of Delaware) and Advisor Mark Nichter (University of Arizona) found public perception of the human microbiome centres on gut microbiome only, whereas the microbial populations of the skin, lungs and many other areas are also critically important. These findings will help inform how best to shape information about the microbiome for the public, and identify areas of further research needed.

UNDERSTANDING MILK MICROBIOME VARIATION IN BREASTMILK
Through a CIFAR Catalyst Fund project, Fellows Meghan Azad (University of Manitoba, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba) and Naama Geva-Zatorsky (Technion - Israel University of Technology) are discovering how indoor and outdoor environmental factors affect the composition of the milk microbiome. The outcomes of this project could have far-reaching implications on the habits and recommended behaviour of families, especially before delivery, and during the first months of infants’ lives as mothers’ milk affects their infants’ gut.

Path to Societal Impact

We invite experts in industry, civil society, healthcare and government to join fellows in our Humans & the Microbiome program for in-depth, cross-sectoral conversations that drive change and innovation.

Leaders from public health schools and CIFAR fellows in the Humans & the Microbiome program are working together to develop new public health curricula.

Areas of focus:

  • Integrating emerging evidence from microbiome research into health systems
  • Developing microbiome-based public health curriculum materials that enhance public health messages

 

Founded

2014

Renewal Dates

2020

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Microbiology
Developmental, evolutionary and stem cell biology
Bacteriology
Immunology
Anthropology
Biochemistry
Public Health
History
Neuroscience
Philosophy

CIFAR Contact

Evelyn Asiedu

Fellows & Advisors

Program Directors

Karen Guillemin

Karen Guillemin

Program Co-Director

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Oregon
United States
Jamie Lorimer

Jamie Lorimer

Program Co-Director

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Oxford
United Kingdom

Fellows

Katherine R. Amato

Katherine R. Amato

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
Northwestern University
United States
Meghan Azad

Meghan Azad

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Manitoba & Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba
Canada
Thomas Bosch

Thomas Bosch

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Kiel
Germany
Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Rutgers University
United States
Eran Elinav

Eran Elinav

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel
B. Brett Finlay

B. Brett Finlay

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Technion
Israel
Tamara Giles-Vernick

Tamara Giles-Vernick

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Institut Pasteur
France
Philippe Gros

Philippe Gros

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
McGill University
Canada
Louis-Patrick Haraoui

Louis-Patrick Haraoui

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Université de Sherbrooke
Canada
Frédéric Keck

Frédéric Keck

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Musée du quai Branly
France
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Associate Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Hawaii at Manoa
United States
Melissa Melby

Melissa Melby

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Delaware
United States
Sven Pettersson

Sven Pettersson

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Philippe J. Sansonetti

Philippe J. Sansonetti

Associate Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Institut Pasteur Collège de France
France
Carolina Tropini

Carolina Tropini

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Alan Bernstein Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Liping Zhao

Liping Zhao

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Rutgers University
United States

Advisors

Martin Blaser

Martin Blaser

Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Humans & the Microbiome
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine
United States
Kate Brown

Kate Brown

Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Humans & the Microbiome
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
United States
Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich

Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich

Advisor

Humans & the Microbiome
University College London
United Kingdom

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars

Katherine R. Amato

Katherine R. Amato

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
Northwestern University
United States
Hiutung Chu

Hiutung Chu

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of California San Diego
United States
Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Technion
Israel
Louis-Patrick Haraoui

Louis-Patrick Haraoui

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Université de Sherbrooke
Canada
Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Cornell University
United States
Jean-Philippe Julien

Jean-Philippe Julien

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Hospital for Sick Children
Canada
Tal Korem

Tal Korem

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Columbia University
United States
Alexander Kwarteng

Alexander Kwarteng

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2017-2019

Humans & the Microbiome
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Ghana
Corinne Maurice

Corinne Maurice

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
McGill University
Canada
Jessica L. Metcalf

Jessica L. Metcalf

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Colorado State University
United States
Carolina Tropini

Carolina Tropini

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Alan Bernstein Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Eduardo A. Undurraga

Eduardo A. Undurraga

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Chile
Jennifer Zenker

Jennifer Zenker

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Monash University
Australia
Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Guelph
Canada

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