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A renowned scientist recently appointed as the executive director of the McGill University Health Centre’s Research Institute will not be taking the position after all, the institute’s board of directors announced Wednesday.
In a brief statement, the board said Dr. Constantine Stratakis has decided to withdraw from the appointment after confirming that “circumstances beyond his and his family’s control forced him to reconsider their future.”
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Stratakis, appointed in December after being lured away from the United States, was supposed to begin his new position in June.
The news comes after a CTV News report revealed that a large group of staff members had called for Stratakis not to receive the position, citing accusations of sex discrimination stemming from his work in the United States.
More than 1,600 scientists and research trainees work at the RI-MUHC on a wide range of projects, including clinical trials for cancer and other diseases.
In its statement released Wednesday, the institute said its board will soon be meeting to discuss the next steps in finding Stratakis’s replacement.
In the meantime, it said, given the COVID-19 crisis, the RI-MUHC will continue to focus on the “numerous clinical trials to understand the coronavirus” and efforts to “develop a vaccine and other related innovations.”
