Special Science

To our readers,

This edition of Lawson Link was written in early 2020, before COVID-19 began to impact our community. The stories in our magazine showcase the innovation and impact of Lawson research across many different areas. Normally released in the spring, we chose to hold distribution as our focus quickly shifted to keeping everyone safe.

During the initial wave of the pandemic, our hospital-based research activity was drastically reduced to essential studies only. I want to acknowledge the tremendous effort and support of our staff, researchers and learners through this unprecedented challenge. The character and quality of our team here at Lawson is second to none.

It became evident early on as the pandemic unfolded that urgent research related to COVID-19 was needed. Several research groups here in London quickly mobilized, seeking to better understand the SARS-CoV-2 virus and investigate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the resulting disease. Several studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the pandemic are also underway. You will find some examples of our research here.

Lawson excels in rapid response research, and our researchers have always focused their efforts on the most pressing needs in health care.

I would like to thank our community who continue to help flatten the curve, and also contribute to research through the COVID-19 response funds of London Health Sciences Foundation, Children’s Health Foundation and St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation.

Sincerely,
Dr. David Hill, Scientific Director