2025 Trottier Public Science Symposium

Vaccination has perhaps been the most significant advance in the history of medicine. Smallpox, a deadly disease, has been totally eradicated, while polio, mumps, measles and rubella have been effectively curbed. The development of vaccines makes for a fascinating story exemplified by the path that led to the introduction of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine. As is often the case with research, serendipity, rejection, grit and determination all played a role in forging that path culminating in the awarding of a Nobel Prize to Dr. Drew Weissman and colleague Dr. Katalin Kariko.

Info: The path to success is never a straight shot—it’s paved with occasional potholes and many unexpected detours. The trick is to not allow the “bumps” along the way to stifle one's curiosity or extinguish one's passion. Even perceived failures inform next steps and every now and then the road offers up something magical and unexpected. Dr. Weissman's story began with a fiercely innate curiosity about the world in which he was surrounded. This curiosity fuelled his interest in science and he spent decades in obscurity, toiling away at a lab bench. What put Dr. Weissman on the road to the formulation of a world-wide life-saving vaccine and the Nobel? Luck? Grit? Or a little of both?

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

McGill University - Leacock Building, 855 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, Canada