Interview with Tom Chiller – Chief Medical Officer and VP of Strategic Innovation at IMMY

How did you get in to Science, specifically AMR?

My father was one of the pioneers in the field on Immunology. I think I became interested as a child growing up in the house watching him and his colleagues get so excited. Watching them truly develop the field. They could stay up for hours just discussing T cells and B cells and they were so enthusiastic. I think that’s what hooked me. In terms of AMR, being an infectious diseases enthusiast early on I saw the devasting consequences of resistance in my patients.

If you had to describe your typical day in  3 words, what would they be?

In my current role there is not a typical day but let me try – Collaborative, Fast Paced, Diverse!

What is the most exciting discovery you have made in your research so far?

I have to go back to my time in public health and say that helping to put Candida (candidozyma) auris on the map and rapidly responding to it globally.

If you could have any superpower to help your research, what would it be?

Speed! I want things done yesterday. We need diagnostics available to save lives, it takes too long!

What is one surprising fact about you that most people don’t know?

I played Saxophone in several rock/blues bands.

How do you think antifungal resistance will impact our daily lives in the future?

I think its impacting many peoples daily lives now, considering ring worm (athletes’ foot, etc) are the most common infections in the world and resistance is increasing every day I think we are all being impacted already.

What keeps you motivated when research gets tough?

I am a glass half full person. There is always a way forward. We either win or learn, there is no losing.

What’s a common misconception about fungal infections that you’d like to debunk?

They are rare and not a serious threat.

What advice would you give to young scientists interested in tackling antifungal resistance?

There is a wide open field out there and many more new resistance species will emerge. We need rapid tests for resistance available in every part of the world. How do we get there?

If you could invite 1 special guest to a dinner party who would it be and why?

Currently alive or deceased? Living would be Bill Gates, make him a fungal fighter! Deceased might be Nelson Mandela, his super power to persevere and bring people together, we need that now.

Tell us an interesting fact about your workplace?

Immy is a company solely focused on fungal infections, with the 10 year vision for any person who needs a fungal test to have access to that anywhere in the world with a result in less than 24 hours. I love this vison. I also love the company’s core values, Humble, Driven, Collaborative.

If other researchers or those from industry wanted to collaborate with you or talk to you, how would they get in touch?

I am easy to find on LinkedIn (1) Tom Chiller MD MPHTM | LinkedIn