Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
University of Calgary
About Us
The University of Calgary, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a co-educational, non-denominational government supported institution with over 21,200 students and approximately 2700 graduate students. The city is a petroleum, agriculture and financial centre with a population of about 908,000. It is situated at an elevation of 1,048 meters on the banks of the Bow River where the prairies meet the foothills of the majestic Canadian Rockies. Calgary is the sunniest and the driest Canadian city. The summers are delightful with long evenings. Winter months can be occasionally cold but snowfall is light in the city and warm, westerly winds known as "chinooks" often melt it quickly. 
Rocky Mountains
The Faculty of Medicine employs a multidisciplinary approach to medical research, education and medical care. This is made possible by Research groups which blend basic and clinical research and provide the Faculty with an excellent opportunity for transferring knowledge from the laboratory to the bedside and the community providing a unique training and mentoring environment for students, postdoctoral associates and faculty.
Researchers in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases (MIID) perform research on microbial pathogenesis, epidemiology, host response, diagnosis, therapy and prophylaxis of microbial infections.
The Department consists of members of the:
Infectious Diseases Research Group
Gastrointestinal Research Group
All areas of microbial pathogenesis are represented including:
- molecular analysis of pathogenic mechanisms
- mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and persistence in cells
- host response to parasitic and fungal infections.
Therapeutic strategies being investigated to prevent infections include:
- studies into bacteria and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
- therapeutic measures to control expression of bacterial resistance
- therapeutic measures to control expression of bacterial virulence factors
- analysis of specific antigens as vaccine targets
Clinical trials to evaluate antimicrobial therapy are being conducted in a variety of different patient populations.
Excellent research facilities in the Health Sciences Centre, Heritage Medical Research Building, and the Health Research Innovation Centre allow for the exploration of all aspects of medical microbiology including access to patient material in collaboration with practicing infectious disease clinicians. The Health Sciences Centre contains more than 27,870 net square meters of teaching and research space including multidisciplinary laboratories. The Heritage Medical Research Building, funded by the Alberta Heritage Foundation, provides an additional 20,744 square meters of space. The design of this building is also based on multidisciplinary laboratories.
This graduate program provides educational opportunities in microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases with emphasis on molecular approaches to microbial pathogenesis, diagonsis, therapy and prophylaxis. MID offers programs of study leading to MSc and PhD degrees.