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Announcement: Jimmy Dikeakos, PhD, appointed Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Office of the Dean
I am pleased to announce that Jimmy Dikeakos, PhD, has been appointed as Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2031.
Dr. Dikeakos is Past-President of the Canadian Society for Virology. He obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Montreal and received postdoctoral training in HIV Pathogenesis at the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. In 2012, he joined Schulich Medicine & Dentistry where he directs a laboratory focused on diverse membrane trafficking pathways in both infected and non-infected cells. His research program is primarily focused on the HIV-1 accessory proteins Nef and Vpu. In the last two years, Dr. Dikeakos has shifted his research interests to study SARS-CoV-2 and highly pathogenic avian influenza.
In 2019, Dr. Dikeakos received the Dean’s Award of Excellence from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for his achievements and was designated a Faculty Scholar at Western in 2022. He has served as the Graduate Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology since 2021.
We thank Gregory Dekaban, PhD, for his time and service as Acting Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology from 2019 to 2020 and his 5-year term as Chair ending on January 31, 2026.
As the new Chair, Dr. Dikeakos looks forward to building and setting the Department of Microbiology and Immunology for success in its nineties as it approaches its 100-year anniversary in 2039. He hopes to continue recruiting the best and brightest researchers within the fields of Infection and Immunity as he believes that successful undergraduate and graduate students become outstanding alumni whose talents and capabilities enable Western to shine globally. By fostering active participation in decision-making processes, providing access to world-class facilities and supporting researchers to pursue diverse funding portfolios, he envisions a successful Department that is integrated within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and Western.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Dikeakos on his appointment.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University