Richard C. Summerbell (born 29 June 1956) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

, author and award-winning songwriter. He was editor in chief of an international scientific journal in mycology from 2000 to 2004. In the 1970s and 80s, he was a gay activist and an early commentator on (then) controversial topics such as

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

and promiscuity and attitudes to

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

in organized religion. Born in

Brooks, Alberta Brooks is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Newell. It is located on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and the Canadian Pacific Railway, approximately southeast of Calgary, and northwest of Medicine Hat. Th ...

, Summerbell trained as a

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, receiving his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

and his

doctorate degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. He has lived with his partner, Ross Fraser, since 1978 and currently resides in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada.

Research in Mycology

Summerbell has published over 150

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

papers in

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

, including research papers in

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

and

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

. Much of the research explores opportunistic

fungal A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

s—those that grow on (and at the expense of) humans and animals—and the unique ways in which these organisms exploit their environments. These environments are diverse. They include

biofilm A biofilm comprises any syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular ...

s in hospital plumbing that harbour fungal pathogens which attack patients hospitalized for

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

or major

organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpo ...

s. They also include waterfront vacation properties on streams, lakes or rivers that infect otherwise healthy visitors with the often deadly disease

blastomycosis Blastomycosis or blasto is a fungal infection caused by inhaling spores of a ''Blastomyces'' fungus. Only about half of people with the disease have symptoms, which can include fever, cough, night sweats, muscle pains, weight loss, chest pain, an ...

. His most cited works are on the fungi that cause human skin diseases (

dermatophytes Dermatophyte (from Greek '' derma'' "skin" (GEN ''dermatos'') and ''phyton'' "plant") is a common label for a group of fungus of ''Arthrodermataceae'' that commonly causes skin disease in animals and humans. Traditionally, these anamorphic (as ...

) and nail infections (

onychomycosis Onychomycosis, also known as tinea unguium, is a fungal infection of the nail. Symptoms may include white or yellow nail discoloration, thickening of the nail, and separation of the nail from the nail bed. Toenails or fingernails may be affected ...

). , his 1989 paper on onychomycosis is the most-cited original research paper published in the over 50-year history of the journal

Mycoses Fungal infection, also known as mycosis, is disease caused by fungi. Different types are traditionally divided according to the part of the body affected; superficial, subcutaneous, and systemic. Superficial fungal infections include common ti ...

. Summerbell spent a decade as the Chief of Medical Mycology at the Ontario Ministry of Health Public Health Lab in Toronto, followed by 6 years as senior scientist at the

Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures The ''Westerdijk Institute'', or Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The institute was renamed on 10 February 2017, after Johanna Westerdijk, the first female professor in the N ...

, a mycological institute and branch of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

. News article from The National Post, 20 May 2009
Retrieved 2010-07-00. He was editor-in-chief of the international scientific journal

Medical Mycology Pathogenic fungi are fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Approximately 300 fungi are known to be pathogenic to humans. Markedly more fungi are known to be pathogenic to plant life than those of the animal kingdom. The study of fu ...

from 2000 to 2004. Since 2008, he has been a faculty member of the

Dalla Lana School of Public Health and research director of Sporometrics, a Toronto-based microbiological testing company. Summerbell has co-authored two textbooks in medical mycology, ''Identifying Filamentous Fungi'' (simultaneously published in French as ''Champignons Filamenteux D'Intérêt Medical'') and ''Laboratory Handbook of Dermatophytes''. Species (co-)described include: * ''

Arachnomyces ''Arachnomyces'' is a genus of cleistothecial ascomycete fungi described in 1902, of which the anamorph (asexual) stage is the genus ''Onychocola''. Although morphologically similar to members of other families, the fungus now belongs to its o ...

kanei'' (asexual state ''Onychocola kanei''), an invader of human nails * ''Phaeoacremonium krajdenii'', a cause of subcutaneous infection of humans * ''Phaeoacremonium alvesii'', a cause of subcutaneous infection of humans * ''Phaeoacremonium amstelodamense'', a cause of human joint infection * ''Phaeoacremonium australiense'', an

endophyte An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to date; h ...

of grapevines * ''Phaeoacremonium griseorubrum'', a cause of human

fungemia Fungemia is the presence of fungi or yeasts in the blood. The most common type, also known as candidemia, candedemia, or systemic candidiasis, is caused by '' Candida'' species; candidemia is also among the most common bloodstream infections of a ...

(blood infection) * ''Phaeoacremonium scolyti'', an endophyte of grapevine, also isolated from bark beetle larvae * ''Phaeoacremonium subulatum'', an endophyte of grapevine * ''Phaeoacremonium tardicrescens'', from unspecified human medical source * ''Phaeoacremonium venezuelense'', from

eumycetoma Eumycetoma, also known as Madura foot, is a persistent fungal infection of the skin and the tissues just under the skin, affecting most commonly the feet, although it can occur in hands and other body parts. It starts as a painless wet nodule ...

of the human foot * ''Phaeoacremonium sphinctrophorum'', from fungal cyst of the human foot * ''Phaeoacremonium theobromatis'', from stem of wild mountain cocoa (''

Theobroma ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and So ...

gileri'') in Ecuador * '' Neocudoniella radicella'',

ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobi ...

with black spruce (''

Picea mariana ''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of the province of Newfoundland and Labra ...

'') * ''Teberdinia hygrophila'' a northern and alpine soil fungus * ''

Acremonium ''Acremonium'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae. It used to be known as ''Cephalosporium''. Description ''Acremonium'' species are usually slow-growing and are initially compact and moist. Their hyphae are fine and hyaline, and pro ...

fuci'', an endophyte of brown marine algae in the genus ''

Fucus ''Fucus'' is a genus of brown algae found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores almost throughout the world. Description and life cycle The thallus is perennial with an irregular or disc-shaped holdfast or with haptera. The erect portion o ...

'' * ''Acremonium exuviarum'', from shed skin of lizard * ''

Fusarium ''Fusarium'' is a large genus of filamentous fungi, part of a group often referred to as hyphomycetes, widely distributed in soil and associated with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil mi ...

delphinoides'', from diseased succulent plant ''

Hoodia gordonii ''Hoodia gordonii'', also known as Bushman’s hat, is a leafless spiny succulent plant supposed to have therapeutic properties in folk medicine. It grows naturally in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. The species became internationally known ...

'' and from human eye infection * ''Fusarium biseptatum'', from South African soil * ''Fusarium penzigii'', from decayed wood and human eye infection * ''Phialosimplex caninus'', cause of fatal infections in dogs * ''Phaeomoniella pinifoliorum'', a surface colonizer of pine needles * ''Phaeomoniella zymoides'', also from pine needles The species ''Sarocladium summerbellii'' has been named in Summerbell's honour.

Gay activism

Summerbell began working as a gay activist in 1979 when he became president of the gay and lesbian student association at the

. He was co-host of ''Coming Out'', Canada's first gay and lesbian radio programme on

CFRO-FM CFRO-FM, licensed and owned by Vancouver Co-operative Radio, is a non-commercial community radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a legally registered co-operative and is branded as ''Co-op Radio''. The station broadcasts on 100.5 MH ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

from 1978 to 1980. He was also an editor of the gay liberation magazine ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987.

'' from 1982 to 1986 and a contributor to other early Canadian gay publications such as Q Magazine. As a gay activist, he was an early commentator on (then) controversial topics such as AIDS and promiscuity, and attitudes to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. In 1985, he published a humorous look at gay life and culture entitled ''Abnormally Happy: A Gay Dictionary'' that satirizes stereotypical views of gays and lesbians. Summerbell also authored an early safe sex campaign series called "Is There a Condom in Your Life?" in Toronto gay newspaper ''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former pr ...

'', beginning in 1987.

Music

As a songwriter and musician, Summerbell released an independent CD, ''Light Carries On'', in 2004. One song from the CD, ''Thank you for being My Dog'', won the 7th Annual Great American Song Contest in the Special Music category and won Summerbell a place in the Great American Song Hall of Fame. Songs by Summerbell have been included in several popular compilations of music by gay musicians. He has also written contemporary lyrics for the ''

Huron Carol The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canadian Christmas hymn (Canada's oldest Christmas song), written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the ...

''.

Books

* ''Identifying Filamentous Fungi'', G. St. Germain & R. C. Summerbell, Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1995, * ''Champignons Filamenteux D'Interêt Medical'', G. St. Germain & R.C. Summerbell, Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1995, * ''Laboratory Handbook of Dermatophytes'', J. Kane, R. C. Summerbell, et al., Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1996, * ''Abnormally Happy: A Gay Dictionary'', Richard Summerbell, New Star Books, Vancouver BC, 1985,

References

External links

Richard Summerbell on Google Scholar
* Identifying Filamentous Fungi (St. Germain, G. & R. C. Summerbell, Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1996) * Champignons Filamenteux D'Interêt Medical (St. Germain, Guy & R.C. Summerbell, Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1996) * Laboratory Handbook of Dermatophytes (Kane, J., R. C. Summerbell, L. Sigler, S. Krajden, & G. Land, Star Publishing, Belmont CA, 1996)
Richard Summerbell on Wikiquote

Richard Summerbell's music on CBC Radio 3

* ttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/summerbell2 Rewritten rock music version called ''The Lake Huron Carol'' set in the modern Lake Huron area
Richard Summerbell's Myspace page

Richard Summerbell in the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summerbell, Richard 1956 births Canadian mycologists 20th-century Canadian botanists Canadian medical researchers Canadian gay musicians Living people People from Brooks, Alberta University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni University of Toronto alumni Canadian LGBT journalists Canadian LGBT scientists Canadian magazine journalists Canadian magazine editors Journalists from Alberta Journalists from Toronto Musicians from Alberta Musicians from Toronto Scientists from Alberta Scientists from Toronto Writers from Alberta Writers from Toronto LGBT songwriters LGBT academics 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century Canadian botanists