====== Samira Mubareka ======

{{ ::dr-samira-mubareka.jpeg?200|}}

Dr. **Samira Mubareka**, MD, FRCPC is a Canadian [[microbiology|microbiologist]] based in [[canada:ontario:Toronto]], [[canada:Ontario]]. She is a clinical scientist at the [[Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre]], and professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology at the [[University of Toronto]].((//Samira Mubareka.// University of Toronto. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910175055/https://lmp.utoronto.ca/faculty/samira-mubareka)) She works as the Infectious Diseases Lead at the [[Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Diseases]].((//Dr. Samira Mubareka.// Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Diseases. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910194545/https://creod.on.ca/aboutcreod/dr-samira-mubareka/))

She serves as chair of the [[Royal Society of Canada]]'s Working Group on [[One Health]].((//One Health.// The Royal Society of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220107001421/https://rsc-src.ca/en/themes/one-health))

===== History =====

Mubareka was born in Gottingen, [[Germany]], and her family immigrated to a small town in northwestern [[canada:New Brunswick]] when she was two.((Hiebert, R. (2021, August 3). //Humans of LMP: Samira Mubareka.// University of Toronto. https://lmp.utoronto.ca/news/humans-lmp-samira-mubareka))

==== Education ====

Mubareka received her undergraduate degree from the [[University of New Brunswick]].((//Women of COVID.// Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910221841/https://womeninstem.ingeniumcanada.org/portfolio-item/women-of-covid/#tab-id-9)) She completed her MD at [[Dalhousie University]] in 1999 and Internal Medicine training in 2002 at [[McGill University]] in [[Canada]]. She specialized in infectious diseases and medical microbiology at the [[University of Manitoba]], graduating in 2005.

She went on to a research fellowship at the [[Mount Sinai School of Medicine]], [[united_states:New_York:New York City]], in the laboratory of Dr. [[Peter Palese]] in the Department of Microbiology, finishing in 2009. While there, she focused on the development of a novel animal model for the transmission of [[influenza]] virus, developing an interest around the aerobiology of virus transmission, which remains a focus of her work.  

==== COVID-19 ====

In March 2020, the [[University of Toronto]] announced that Mubareka had isolated the [[SARS-CoV-2]] virus along with teammate [[Robert Kozak]] and [[McMaster University]] researcher [[Arinjay Banerjee]].((Vendeville, G. (2020, March 13). //U of T and McMaster researchers at Sunnybrook Hospital isolate virus behind COVID-19.// University of Toronto. https://web.archive.org/web/20220419170812/https://lmp.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-and-mcmaster-researchers-sunnybrook-hospital-isolate-virus-behind-covid-19)) According to the press release, the team had "culture[d] the virus from two clinical specimens in a level three containment facility." Allegedly, "Mubareka and Kozak collected specimens of the [[coronavirus]] from the first confirmed case in Canada, an adult male who was treated and eventually discharged from Sunnybrook after returning from [[china:wuhan|Wuhan, China]] – the epicentre of the outbreak."((Vendeville, G. (2022, February 19). //U of T and Sunnybrook virologists work on tools to combat coronavirus outbreak.// University of Toronto News. https://archive.ph/X8eWZ)) They collaborated with [[Allison McGeer]] from the [[Dalla Lana School of Public Health]] in order to develop testing capabilities for the virus.

On March 10, 2020, Mubareka participated in the convening of the [[Chief Science Advisor of Canada's COVID-19 Expert Panel]].((//COVID-19 Expert Panel.// Government of Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200620110333/https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_98013.html)) ((//Evidence - INDU (43-2) - No. 20.// (2021, February 25). House of Commons of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20220910201916/https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/INDU/meeting-20/evidence))

In April 2020, [[Genome Canada]] announced the formation of the [[Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network]] (CanCOGen).((//Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network.// Genome Prairie. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910202510/https://www.genomeprairie.ca/project/current/canadian-covid-19-genomics-network-cancogen/)) Mubareka serves on the project's Coordinating Committee, and on the Implementation Committee for CanCOGen's [[VirusSeq]] (Virus Sequencing Project).((//Governance.// Canadian COVID Genomics Network - VirusSeq. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://archive.ph/TQw1P)) Following a $1 million donation from [[medivolve|QuestCap]], Mubareka formed the [[Sunnybrook Translational Research Program for Emerging and Respiratory Viruses]] (SERV) to focus on [[viral genomics]], transmission and the development of [[medical countermeasures]].((Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. (2020, April 1). //QuestCap Inc. makes timely $1-million investment in Sunnybrook to establish research group dedicated to fighting COVID-19.// Cision. https://web.archive.org/web/20220620155443/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/questcap-inc-makes-timely-1-million-investment-in-sunnybrook-to-establish-research-group-dedicated-to-fighting-covid-19-857797510.html)) ((//Congratulations Dr. Samira Mubareka.// (2020, May 20). Sunnybrook Hospital. https://web.archive.org/web/20200616022303/https://sunnybrook.ca/media/item.asp?page=38&i=2116))

In May 2020, Mubareka was included on a poster featuring "Women of COVID" alongside [[Janice Fitzgerald]], [[Theresa Tam]], [[Heather Morrison]], [[Bonnie Henry]], [[Barbara Yaffe]], [[Jennifer Russell]], [[Shelby Yamamoto]], and [[Deena Hinshaw]].((//Women of COVID.// Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910221841/https://womeninstem.ingeniumcanada.org/portfolio-item/women-of-covid/#tab-id-9)) This and a second poster in 2021 were produced by the [[Canadian Science and Technology Museum]] through their [[Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics]] initiative.((//Samira Mubareka.// Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910203059/https://womeninstem.ingeniumcanada.org/portfolio-item/samira-mubareka/#toggle-id-2))

Mubareka served as a founding member of the [[Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table]] upon its creation in July 2020 until its dissolution in September 2022.((//About Us.// (2020, November 1). Wayback Machine; Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. https://archive.ph/1iN8h)) ((//Samira Mubareka.// Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910203059/https://womeninstem.ingeniumcanada.org/portfolio-item/samira-mubareka/#toggle-id-2)) She is also a member of the steering committee for the [[Ontario’s COVID-19 Genomics Rapid Response Coalition]] (ONCoV) under [[Ontario Genomics]].((//Home.// ONCoV. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910203044/https://www.oncov.ca/)) ((//Dr. Samira Mubareka.// Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Diseases. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910194545/https://creod.on.ca/aboutcreod/dr-samira-mubareka/))

She serves as Chair of the Ontario Academic Health Sciences SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing Network (ONS2).

===== Research =====

Mubareka's research interests lie in [[infectious diseases]] & [[immunopathology]].((//Samira Mubareka.// University of Toronto. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910175055/https://lmp.utoronto.ca/faculty/samira-mubareka)) She has worked closely with animal health colleagues at the [[University of Guelph]] and the [[National Centre for Animal Diseases]] (NCFAD).((//Dr. Samira Mubareka.// Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Diseases. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910194545/https://creod.on.ca/aboutcreod/dr-samira-mubareka/)) She also received funding for arthropod vector-borne work in collaboration with the [[National Microbiology Laboratory]] (NML) and the [[Public Health Agency of Canada]] (PHAC) by PHAC’s Infectious Diseases and Climate Change fund, and to examine coronavirus transmission among Canadian bats ([[Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council]]), incorporating behavioural, biological, ecological and epidemiological considerations.

She has received funding from PHAC for [[orthobunyavirus]] research related to [[climate change]] and [[infectious diseases]].((Mubareka, S. (2020). //Declaration of Interest.// Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. https://web.archive.org/web/20220901225837/https://covid19-sciencetable.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Declaration-of-Interest_Science-Table_Samira-Mubareka.pdf))
==== COVID-19 ====

The viral sequence allegedly isolated by Mubareka and colleagues is now the principle source of [[SARS-CoV-2]] to most academic CL3 laboratories across the country.((//Dr. Samira Mubareka.// Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Diseases. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220910194545/https://creod.on.ca/aboutcreod/dr-samira-mubareka/))

Mubareka participated in two [[World Health Organization]]-commissioned reviews to inform use of [[high-flow nasal cannula]] (HFNC) in patients with [[COVID-19]]. The work was funded by the WHO and organized through the [[MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation]].((Agarwal, A., Basmaji, J., Muttalib, F., Granton, D., Chaudhuri, D., Chetan, D., Hu, M., Fernando, S. M., Honarmand, K., Bakaa, L., Brar, S., Rochwerg, B., Adhikari, N. K., Lamontagne, F., Murthy, S., Hui, D. S. C., Gomersall, C., Mubareka, S., Diaz, J. V., & Burns, K. E. A. (2020). //High-flow nasal cannula for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19: systematic reviews of effectiveness and its risks of aerosolization, dispersion, and infection transmission.// Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia = Journal Canadien D’anesthesie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-020-01740-2))

She additionally contributed to a study on [[spike protein]] antigens in saliva, funded by the [[Ontario Together Fund]], as well as [[RBC (Royal Bank of Canada)]], [[Questcap]] and [[Krembil Foundation]] through the [[Sinai Health Foundation]].((Isho, B., Abe, K. T., Zuo, M., Jamal, A. J., Rathod, B., Wang, J. H., Li, Z., Chao, G., Rojas, O. L., Bang, Y. M., Pu, A., Christie-Holmes, N., Gervais, C., Ceccarelli, D., Samavarchi-Tehrani, P., Guvenc, F., Budylowski, P., Li, A., Paterson, A., & Yue, F. Y. (2020). //Persistence of serum and saliva antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike antigens in COVID-19 patients.// Science Immunology, 5(52). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.abe5511))

She participated in pre-clinical research on [[pharmaceutical_companies:Providence Therapeutics]]' [[mRNA]] [[COVID-19 vaccines|COVID-19 vaccine]].((Liu, J., Budylowski, P., Samson, R., Griffin, B. D., Babuadze, G., Rathod, B., Colwill, K., Abioye, J. A., Schwartz, J. A., Law, R., Yip, L., Ahn, S. K., Chau, S., Naghibosadat, M., Arita, Y., Hu, Q., Yue, F. Y., Banerjee, A., Hardy, W. R., & Mossman, K. (2022). //Preclinical evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B.// Science Advances, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj9815))

She co-authored a study on [[Twitter]] activity related to [[vaccine hesitancy]] and support for [[COVID-19 vaccines]] from January 2020 to January 2021, with "positive being the dominant polarity and having higher engagements. The amount of discussion on vaccine rejection and hesitancy was more than interest in vaccines during the course of the study, but the pattern was different in various countries."((Yousefinaghani, S., Dara, R., Mubareka, S., Papadopoulos, A., & Sharif, S. (2021). //An analysis of COVID-19 vaccine sentiments and opinions on Twitter.// International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.05.059))
==== Work with Ralph Baric ====

In October 2007, Mubareka co-authored a study on [[influenza]]'s transmission relative to humidity and temperature. The paper was edited by [[Ralph Baric]].((Lowen, A. C., Mubareka, S., Steel, J., & Palese, P. (2007). //Influenza virus transmission Is dependent on relative humidity and temperature.// PLoS Pathogens, 3(10), e151. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.0030151))

In January 2009, Mubareka co-authored a study exploring two amino acids that improve transmission of [[influenza]] from animals to humans. This was also edited by Ralph Baric.((Steel, J., Lowen, A. C., Mubareka, S., & Palese, P. (2009). //Transmission of influenza virus in a mammalian host is increased by PB2 amino acids 627K or 627E/701N.// PLoS Pathogens, 5(1), e1000252. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000252))

==== Funding ====

Mubarek's sources of research funding include:

  * [[Canadian Institutes of Health Research]] (CIHR)((Udugama, B., Kadhiresan, P., Kozlowski, H. N., Malekjahani, A., Osborne, M., Li, V. Y. C., Chen, H., Mubareka, S., Gubbay, J. B., & Chan, W. C. W. (2020). //Diagnosing COVID-19: the disease and tools for detection.// ACS Nano, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c02624))
  * [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC)
  * [[Consortium de recherche biopharmaceutique]]
  * [[MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation]]
  * [[National Microbiology Laboratory]] (NML)
  * [[Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council]] (NSERC)
  * [[pharmaceutical_companies:Providence Therapeutics]]
  * [[Public Health Agency of Canada]] (PHAC)
  * [[Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre]]
  * [[University of Guelph]]
  * [[W. M. Keck Foundation]]
  * [[World Health Organization]] (WHO)

===== External links =====

  * [[https://wiki.whiteroseintelligence.com/en/Samira-Mubareka|White Rose Wiki]]

{{tag>Pro-narrative_scientists}}