Retirement Announcment: Dr. Martin Sandig, Associate Professor
It is with mixed emotions that the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology formally announces the upcoming retirement of Dr. Martin Sandig on July 1, 2022.
Classically trained as a biologist and cell biologist, Dr. Sandig obtained his BSc and MSc from Freie Universität Berlin before moving to Canada to undertake a PhD in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Vitauts Kalnins; where his thesis work focused on the organization and development of the zonulae adhaerentes and associated circumferential microfilament bundles in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Following two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Toronto and McGill University, Dr. Sandig was recruited to Western and ACB in 1996 as an Assistant Professor. From 1996-2001, Dr. Sandig held a prestigious Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Salary Award, and he was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in 2001. From 2013-2019, Dr. Sandig also served as a Visiting Faculty Member at the American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten.
Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Sandig has made strong contributions to research in the areas of monocyte diapedesis and transendothelial migration, particularly in the context of heart disease and cancer. His research has been funded by grants from CIHR, NSERC, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Cancer Research Society, and Canada Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Sandig is also a beloved and dedicated educator, and during his time at Western he has served as a course coordinator and lecturer for numerous cell biology and histology courses in diverse academic programs at Schulich including Medicine, Dentistry, BMSc, and MSc Clinical Anatomy. In addition to classroom and laboratory teaching, Dr. Sandig has been a valued graduate thesis supervisor and/or advisor to 19 PhD students and 50 MSc students, as well as serving as a comprehensive exam or thesis examiner for more than 80 graduate students. Finally, Dr. Sandig has made significant contributions to academic service, most notably in the important role of ACB Associate Chair Undergraduate Education (2007-2016) and as a wise mentor to several past and present ACB faculty members at the early stages of their careers, including Dr. Alison Allan, Dr. Lynne Postovit, and Dr. Susanne Schmid.
The Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Martin for all of his contributions over the years, and to congratulate him on a successful academic career. You will be greatly missed but we wish you all the best for a fulfilling retirement and wherever life takes you next!
Alison Allan, PhD
Chair
Anatomy & Cell Biology
