Stephen W. Scherer
Program
Genetic Networks
Appointment
Fellow
Institution
Hospital for Sick Children
Country
Canada 
Dr. Steve Scherer is a molecular geneticist and Member of CIFAR’s Genetic Networks program. His research focuses on understanding how human genes interact to cause disease.
Dr. Scherer received international acclaim for his discovery of the regions of the human chromosome that contain genes linked to autism. He was able to identify these regions because he specializes in identifying variations in the structure of the human genome. Although we all carry genetic variations - they are what make us individuals – some occur in important developmental genes, which can lead to disease. Dr. Scherer’s work strengthens our knowledge and understanding of genomics and makes him a key player in the advancement of biomedical research.
At the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Dr. Scherer is a senior scientist in Genetics and Genomic Biology, the Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics and the Associate Chief of Research, Infrastructure. He earned his PhD in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, where he is also a Professor of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received numerous awards for his research, including two Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Awards, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholar Award, the 2004 E.W.R. Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences, and, in 2008, the Premier’s Summit Award for Biomedical Research.
Dr. Scherer received international acclaim for his discovery of the regions of the human chromosome that contain genes linked to autism. He was able to identify these regions because he specializes in identifying variations in the structure of the human genome. Although we all carry genetic variations - they are what make us individuals – some occur in important developmental genes, which can lead to disease. Dr. Scherer’s work strengthens our knowledge and understanding of genomics and makes him a key player in the advancement of biomedical research.
At the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Dr. Scherer is a senior scientist in Genetics and Genomic Biology, the Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics and the Associate Chief of Research, Infrastructure. He earned his PhD in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, where he is also a Professor of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received numerous awards for his research, including two Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Awards, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholar Award, the 2004 E.W.R. Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences, and, in 2008, the Premier’s Summit Award for Biomedical Research.