Bio
Dawn Bowdish is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University. Motivated to keep her children’s grandparents healthy, Dawn started to look at how streptococcus pneumonia affects older adults. Hospitalizations and deaths due to pneumonia are unacceptably high in the elderly. Dawn’s research focuses on developing a better understanding of how the immune system fights this infection in older adults. Her research question asks why older adults are particularly susceptible, and her research lab explores ways in which age-related changes in immune response contribute to increased susceptibility to infection and diseases. Dawn strives to extend lives by developing new therapies that bolster the body’s own natural defence mechanisms.