Biography

Dr. Olivia Mekhael is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories/Toronto Lung Transplant Program, University Health Network (UHN), Canada. She obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences at McMaster University, Canada. In addition, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences in the field of respiratory and immunology at McMaster University, Canada. She has been awarded the University of Toronto’s CME Fellowship in Respiratory Medicine and the UHN-SHS Fellowship in Respiratory Medicine. Dr. Olivia Mekhael is also a professional development representative at the UHN Postdoc Association Leadership Committee.


Research Interest

Dr. Olivia Mekhael’s research interests: lung transplantation, transplantation immunology, immunopathology, chronic lung allograft dysfunction, lung fibrosis, flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, T cells, macrophages, airway epithelial cell injury and death, apoptosis, and cigarette smoke-mediated inflammation. Dr. Olivia Mekhael is currently investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving rejection in lung transplants.