Recipient of the 2023-2024 Dr. Margaret Becklake Fellowship: Dr. Fajri Gafar
It is with great pleasure that we announce Dr. Fajri Gafar as the recipient of the 2023-2024 Dr. Margaret Becklake Fellowship in Respiratory Research. Their interest in tuberculosis (TB) research began during their Master’s research project on TB treatment in children in Indonesia – after witnessing the suffering of TB patients and the significant burden caused by the disease. Dr. Gafar’s PhD project focused on optimizing the treatment of TB in children and adolescents. Their initiatives go beyond research, impacting education, mentorship, and policy. They have supervised MSc students, taught human physiology and pharmacology in Indonesia, and actively contributed to scientific communities such as the WHO Child and Adolescent TB Working Group. Dr. Gafar’s research has directly influenced TB policy and sparked hope for more equitable and effective treatments for children worldwide. Their career aspirations reflect a deep dedication and a clear vision to transform TB research and treatment, especially in high-burden settings like Indonesia.
Dr. Gafar’s current postdoctoral project, under the guidance of Dr. Dick Menzies, focuses on optimizing high-dose rifampin treatment for TB infection and disease. Drawing from their PhD experience conducting large-scale meta-analyses of anti-TB drug pharmacokinetics in children, Dr. Gafar is now applying similar methods to adult TB patients. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill, Dr. Gafar plans to return to Indonesia, which bears the second-highest TB burden globally, and join the Universitas Padjadjaran (UNPAD) as a faculty member dedicated to the clinical pharmacology and epidemiology of TB.
About the Dr. Margaret Becklake Fellowship
The Montreal Chest Institute Foundation and the MUHC Respiratory Division are proud to support the Dr. Margaret Becklake Fellowship. Over the course of her career, Dr. Becklake had a major interest in respiratory health in lower-income countries, including in childhood asthma and occupational lung disease. She conducted research in this area for many years. She also trained and hosted students in respiratory research from lower-income countries, who then became leaders in research and care in those countries. Beginning with the inaugural award for 2020-21, the Dr. Margaret Becklake Fellowship will be awarded to at least one trainee in respiratory research every year as they conduct research under the supervision of scientists at the Montreal Chest Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Recipients are chosen from low- and middle-income countries as well as from Canadian Indigenous communities. This fellowship will help us train the next generation of respiratory researchers and specialists in areas of the world where the need is greatest.