Thomas J. Marrie became the twelfth Dean of Medicine at Dalhousie University on September 1, 2009. In 1999, Dr. Marrie was recruited to the University of Alberta to head the Department of Medicine. In 2004, he was appointed Dean of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. Under his leadership, the Faculty engaged in a major capital expansion with the construction of two health research buildings. He also developed an alternative funding plan that offered a new method to support faculty, enabling greater academic activity and more innovative patient care.

Well known across the country as a leading infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Marrie has maintained an active research program focusing on community-acquired pneumonia. Through his research, numerous publications and frequent lectures, he has contributed significantly to knowledge about this kind of pneumonia, particularly in the areas of outcomes and health services.

His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Excellence in Leadership Award (University of Alberta), a Master Clinician Lecturer Award (Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University), a Lifetime Achievement Award (Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of Canada), and an honourary doctorate (University of Mediterranean, Marseille, France). The University of Alberta has named a lectureship in global health and infectious diseases and two awards, one in dental hygiene and the other in dentistry, in Dr. Marrie’s honour.