Dr. Kevin Keough currently holds the position of Chief Scientist with Health Canada. In this position, Dr. Keoughs’ mandate involves bringing leadership, coherence and expertise to the overall strategic direction of Health Canada. Prior being seconded to Health Canada, Dr. Keough was Vice-President (Research and International Relations) of Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is a Professor of Biochemistry at Memorial University and has maintained an active research group for over 30 years. Dr. Keoughs’ current research interests include the molecular organization and function in lung surfactant and membranes and liposomes as carriers for vaccines and drugs.

Dr. Keough is the Deputy Chair of the Council of Science and Technology Advisors, an expert advisory panel that provides guidance on federal science and technology issues. As a former executive member of the Medical Research Council, Dr. Keough played a lead role in the creation of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Genome Canada. Dr. Keough is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the Genesis Group Inc., the Canadian Centre of Fisheries Innovation, the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications, the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Centre, and AquaNet, the Network of Centres of Excellence in aquaculture. He is a Past-President of the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies, the Canadian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators.