Dr Dawn Bowdish, PhD (Department of Medicine, McMaster University) is the Executive Director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, which is one of Canada’s largest respirology research institutes. In her role as Executive Director, she supports the Firestone’s mission to improve the lives of those living with chronic lung disease through research, education and clinical service. Her research interests include understanding how the aging immune system contributes to risk of respiratory infections, interacts with the microbiome and alters vaccine responses. During the COVID-19 pandemic she has co-led Canada’s largest study of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations in older adults living in long-term care and retirement communities and her team’s research findings have helped shape Ontario’s vaccination policies. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Lung Health Foundation, she advocates for increased research into lung health and advocates for increased vaccination against respiratory infections especially in older adults and those living with chronic lung disease.
