Chaminade University of Honolulu has appointed Dr. Helen Turner, the associate director of research at Queen’s Medical Center, as its new dean of natural sciences and mathematics. Her three-year term started July 1.

Besides her position at Queen’s, Dr. Turner was on the faculty of the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Born and raised in Great Britain, Dr. Turner holds a doctorate in immunology from the University of London and completed post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She is an internationally-regarded researcher on the molecular basis of diseases such as asthma and allergies. She also sits on national and international review boards for biomedical funding agencies and works with an extensive network of scientists here and on the mainland.

“Chaminade is an institution rich with opportunities,” said Dr. Turner in a news release. “I was especially impressed in that the University has made a tremendous investment in the new science facilities and has a real commitment to providing cutting-edge, hands-on, science education.”

Spurred by increased student interest in the field and a growing enrollment, Chaminade has been upgrading and renovating its science facilities since 2004, adding new courses and hiring new teachers.