McMaster University scientist Marek Smieja has been awarded the 2026 John G. FitzGerald Award by the Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (CACMID).
The award, which recognizes technical, scientific and medical leaders who have made significant and sustained contributions to the field of medical microbiology, is CACMID’s highest honour, and grants recipients a lifetime membership to the association.
Smieja, a professor in McMaster’s Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and a member of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR), has been recognized for advancing the diagnosis and epidemiology of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2, influenza, rhinovirus, and C. difficile.
“There is a gap between what we can do in microbiology research and what we can do in the clinical lab,” says Smieja, who is also the medical co-director for infection prevention and control at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
“My group has been focused on bridging that gap, translating important research findings into impactful, timely, and cost-effective clinical tests that benefit patients.”
Smieja’s expertise in infectious disease diagnostics positioned him at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which his team conducted critical real-time studies on airline passengers and in homeless shelters. His team was also involved in the development and evaluation of various respiratory diagnostic tests for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic.
Today, Smieja is building upon that work by exploring new interventions for respiratory and sexually transmitted infections among people with limited access to diagnosis and treatment.
He is also investigating how sequencing and detecting antimicrobial resistance genes in bacteria can improve infection control efforts, and is leading a national working group that aims to make phage therapy a more widely available treatment option for infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Smieja, who holds a cross-appointment in McMaster’s Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, says that the success of his research program has been driven by a strong network of collaborators and colleagues.
“Collaboration has been the hallmark of many of my clinical, epidemiological, and lab-based studies,” he says. “Across Hamilton, across Canada, and across the world; across the lab and the clinic; and with students, residents, and other faculty. So many talented and energetic researchers have contributed to my work over the years.”
Smieja is now the second McMaster professor to receive the Fitzgerald Award, after fellow IIDR member Lori Burrows in 2023. Smieja received his award earlier this month at CACMID’s annual conference, held in St. John’s, Nfld.