Deb has been a long standing member of AMMI Canada. She served as a Member of Council from 2013-2017 and then again starting in 2020. In her role of Secretary, she helped expand the categories of membership. She has been involved in the Sponsorship Committee, Research and Fellowship Grant Committee and the Central Planning Committee.

Deb obtained a degree in paleontology at the University of Toronto, specializing in fossil pollen. She completed her medical training at Queen’s University and at McMaster University, completed her residency in internal medicine, infectious diseases and medical microbiology. Deb recently was the Interim discipline director for the microbiology department at the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program based at the Hamilton General Hospital Site. She was Chair of the Royal College Medical Microbiology Examination Board from 2016-2022. She is a member of the Accreditation Canada Diagnostics (formerly Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare) Advisory Panel Council helping provide expertise in laboratory accreditation.

Deb enjoys being involved in the residency training program teaching mycology, bacterial diagnostics and quality management to residents and undergraduate students. Her research includes evaluation of new diagnostics, fungal resistance and epidemiology. Since COVID-19, her research interests have expanded to include development and evaluation of novel aptamer based platforms for rapid POC for COVID-19.

Deb wishes she had more time to focus on improving her tennis skills. When she isn’t working, she can be found either on the tennis court or road cycling with her partner John. She enjoys and appreciates the time spent with her two children Keiko and Kenji, her Westie Lucy, and 3 guinea pigs.