Sadjia Bekal

Dr. Sadjia Bekal is an Associate Professor at the Quebec Public Health Laboratory (Institut national de santé publique du Québec), specializing in microbiology and molecular biology. Her work focuses on genomic characterization of enteric pathogens and emergency response to risk group 3 agents.

• Bacteriology
• Genomic Surveillance
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Foodborne Disease Outbreaks

She leads the enteric pathogens program, developing molecular tools for outbreak detection. Her research spans comparative genomics, virulence factor identification, and resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Shigella, and Campylobacter. She collaborates with national networks including PulseNet Canada and FoodNet Canada.

Her recent publications highlight advanced genomic methodologies for strain differentiation and antimicrobial resistance analysis. She mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in molecular epidemiology and bacterial genetics.

Dr. Bekal is actively involved in training clinicians on validated detection methods and participates in provincial/national public health committees.