Dr. Dylan Pillai appointed academic head of Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director, South Sector, Alberta Precision Laboratories

The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dylan Pillai, MD, PhD, to academic head, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine and Medical Director, South Sector, Alberta Precision Laboratories. The appointment takes effect May 1, 2021.

He takes over for Dr. Hallgrimur Benediktsson, MD, who returns to his previous academic and clinical role in Pathology & Laboratory Medicine after leading the department for a third time in his outstanding career.

Dylan has been an academic researcher at the CSM since 2011, serving as associate professor and professor. He has also practiced in medical microbiology for Alberta Precision Laboratories leading initiatives in enteric and parasite testing over the last decade. His career began as an assistant professor at the University of Toronto in 2008. 

Dylan currently serves on many local, provincial and international committees, including the College of American Pathology Microbiology Committee, and sits on several editorial boards in microbiology and infectious diseases.

He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, obtained over $5 million in direct peer-reviewed funding as a principal investigator over the last 10 years from Tri-Council and other sources, and trained over 30 undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral scientists as well as clinical trainees in his laboratory. He was recently named 2021 Peak Scholar at the University of Calgary.

He holds appointments in the departments of Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases and is a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.

Please join us in welcoming Dylan to his new role.

Sincerely,

Jon Meddings, MD, FRCPC 
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine

Carolyn O’Hara, MD, FRCPC 
Interim Chief Medical Laboratory Officer, APL

Sid Viner, MD, FRCPC 
Zone Medical Director, Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone