Distinguished alumnus would love to find a cure
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June 24, 2009
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| Dr. Brad Nelson & Dr. Liz Ashton |
Dr. Brad Nelson is a 1983 University Transfer graduate and this year’s Camosun College Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Now 46, his fondest Camosun memories are of going out on biology field trips, a camping venture to Botanical Beach and science instructors Mike Corry and Ruby Littlepage.
Brad left Camosun with an interest in biology and today he is the Director and Senior Scientist for the BC Cancer Agency’s Deeley Research Centre in Victoria.
“Camosun is where I found out how much I love biology and science in general,” says Brad. “I was led to cancer research because of my mother-in-law’s experience with ovarian cancer. I quickly realized we need better early detection and treatment for this disease.”
Brad went on to complete his undergrad degree with honours at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia. From there, he pursued a Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. He has held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre (FHCRC) in Seattle and faculty appointments at FHCRC, the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington and the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, all in Seattle.
In 2003 he was recruited by the BC Cancer Agency to serve as founding Director of the Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre. He now oversees more than 40 staff and his research focuses mainly on understanding the immune response to cancer. His work has put Victoria on the map as an international centre for leading-edge cancer research.
“This award is a huge honour to me, given that my career path started at Camosun,” says Brad. “I can’t think of a better place to start your undergrad studies or complete a diploma program.”
Camosun congratulates Dr. Brad Nelson as an outstanding 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
Last updated: January 24, 2011 11:01 am
