Celebrating the latest accomplishments and achievements of our trainees, such as published papers, awards and honours for the excellence and impact of their research programs, defended theses, talks given or prizes won at meetings, etc. Please check this page regularly to keep up to date with the latest news pertaining to trainees and the trainee program at the LDI.
| Name | Supervisor | Program | Project Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehdi Haghi | April Rose | Clinical and Translational Research | Optimizing ctDNA-Based Liquid Biopsy for Detection and Monitoring of Actionable Genomic Alterations in Metastatic Prostate Cancer | Doctoral |
| Nicolas Terzopoulos | Chen Liang | Clinical and Translational Research | Investigating a Novel Small RNA-Directed Mechanism Driving HIV Latency and Beyond | Master’s |
Paige McCallum, a PhD student in Clinical and Translational Research at McGill University supervised by LDI Principal Investigator Sonia Del Rincon, has received a $ 9,000 over 6 months Canada Research Training Awards Suite – Research Travel Supplement (CRTAS-RTS) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), for a project entitled Investigating the Role of the MNK1/2-eIF4E Signaling Axis by Spatially Profiling the Human Breast Cancer Tissue Tumor Microenvironment using Phenocycler (CODEX) – Fusion Technology.
Holly Jiogo, a PhD student in Human Genetics at McGill University supervised by LDI Principal Investigator Colin Crist, was awarded a 25 for 25 Silver Anniversary Rising Star Award by the Stem Cell Network (SCN) as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. The Rising Star Award celebrates outstanding early-career contributors who demonstrate leadership, creativity, and potential for major impact in the field. Holly will be formally recognized at the 2026 Till & McCulloch Meetings, which take place November 9-11, 2026 in Vancouver.
The LDI is pleased to announce the winners of the LDI Scholarship Awards May 2026 competition:
| Student | Supervisor / Co-Supervisor | Program year | Project Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandarana, Bhavyaa | Claudia Kleinman | PhD year 4 | Identifying therapeutic targets for diffuse midline glioma using 3D genome and spatial profiling | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Diao, Shiqi | Antonis Koromilas | PhD year 3 | The ISR–ATF4–WNT7B Axis Promotes Immune Exclusion in KRAS-Driven Lung Cancer | Mark Wainberg Memorial Graduate Fellowship* |
| Li, Jiaying (Shirly) | Samy Suissa and Pierre Ernst | PhD year 4 | Transient use of oral corticosteroids and the risk of acute adverse events among patients with asthma: a population-based study | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Liu, Siqi | Kostas Pantopoulos | MSc year 2 | Uncovering New Mechanisms of Hepatic Iron Uptake to Combat Iron Overload | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Ma, Christine | Michael Witcher and Sonia Del Rincon | MSc year 1 | Engineering an In Vivo CRISPRa Screen to Uncover Novel Drivers of Metastatic Melanoma | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| MacKinnon, Gabrielle | Brett Thombs and Andrea Benedetti | MSc year 1 | A Network Meta Analysis (NMA) Comparing the Screening Accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – depression subscale (HADS-D) | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Shokraneh Kenari, Neda | Claudia Kleinman | PDF year 2 | Multi-scale characterization of epigenomic alterations in pediatric high-grade gliomas | Desjardins Award for Emerging Research |
| Trevisan, Andrea | Christina Greenaway | PDF year 1 | Closing the Gap to Hepatitis B Elimination in Canada: Population-Based Evidence on Attrition Across the Care Cascade | Desjardins Award for Emerging Research |
| Uzoegwu, Erika Adaeze | Christina Greenaway | MSc year 1 | The Impact of Language Barriers on Length of Stay, Readmission, and Hospital Costs in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Montreal, Canada | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Wirasinghe, Noah | Sonia Del Rincon | PhD year 2 | Examining the effects of the inhibitors of mRNA translation in models of uveal melanoma | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
* The Mark Wainberg Memorial Graduate Fellowship is awarded to the top ranked application in the LDI Scholarships competition.
LDI Scholarships are open to highly qualified graduate students at the LDI who are registered full-time at McGill University in a research training program leading to a MSc, a PhD or a Postdoctoral degree. They are made possible thanks to the support of the following generous donors: Desjardins Financial Group, TD Bank, and the Dubrovsky Family.
The LDI is committed to the ideal that research excellence is greatly enhanced by ensuring equity of opportunity in research and every graduate that met the merit criteria were funded this year. Winners of the postdoc competition were selected by Benjamin Martin and Hoi Yun Oriana Yu; those of the PhD competition by Loic Binan and Lorraine Chalifour and those of the master’s competition by Colin Crist and Sabrina Wurzba. Chantal Autexier and Michael Witcher, Associate Director for Faculty Development at the LDI, coordinated the process. Criteria used in the selection process were weighted differently for MSc, PhD and postdoc students, and included: Academic Record, Awards and Studentships/Fellowships, Peer-Reviewed Publications, Presentations (Oral and Poster), Research Project and Training Environment/Expectations.
Laleh Ebrahimi Ghahnavieh, a PhD student in Clinical and Translational Research at McGill University based at the Segal Cancer Proteomics Center (SCPC) of the LDI and supervised by LDI Principal Investigator and SCPC Director Christoph Borchers, is the recipient of a Females in Mass Spectrometry (FeMS) Q4 2026 Empowerment Award. FeMS Empowerment awards are available to FeMS members working or studying within the field of mass spectrometry, to cover or offset a range of job- or study-related activities, including conference or course registration, childcare costs, purchasing of lab/office supplies or equipment, and publication fees. More ->(© FeMS)
| Name | Supervisor | Program | Project Title | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madelyn J. Abraham | Wilson Miller | Cancer Biology and Immuno-Oncology | Identifying predictors and drivers of immune-checkpoint inhibitor associated colitis using multi-omics analysis | CIHR |
| Stefanie Valbon Fernandes Garcia | Sonia Del Rincon | Immunology | Understanding the immune mechanisms underlying skin immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors | CIHR |
| Name | Supervisor | Project Title | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asmae El Abd | Samy Suissa | Trithérapie inhalée chez les patients atteints d’asthme et risques cardiovasculaires: émulation d’un essai randomisé à partir de données de pratique clinique réelle — See details | Health |
| Daria Ostroverkhova | Claudia Kleinman | Élucider le rôle des mutations de l’histone H3.3 dans le neurodéveloppement et la maladie — See details | Health |
| Stefanie Valbon Fernandes Garcia | Sonia Del Rincon | Mécanismes immunitaires des effets indésirables cutanés chez les patients atteints de mélanome traités par inhibiteurs de points de contrôle immunitaire — See details | Health |
| Wenjing Zhang | Chen Liang | Élimination du réservoir du VIH par l’administration ciblée du système LNPs-CRISPR — See details | Health |
| Name | Supervisor | Project Title | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julia Brillinger | Kristian Filion | Traitements et événements cardiovasculaires chez les femmes atteintes du syndrome des ovaires polykystiques (SOPK) — See details | Health |
| Vincenza Caruana | Koren mann | Exploration des conséquences cardiométaboliques du vapotage | Health |
| Laura Crump | Sonia Semenic and Guillaume Fontaine | Développement et test de faisabilité d’un plan pour la mise en œuvre des pratiques exemplaires de soutien de l’allaitement au sein dans l’unité de soins intensifs néonatals (USIN) | Health |
| Alyssa Green | Brent Richards | Effets génétiques divergents sur la susceptibilité aux maladies selon le sexe et l’origine ethnique — See details | Health |
| Caroline Knorn | Josie Ursini-Siegel | Définir le rôle de la thermogenèse dans le développement des tumeurs du sein — See details | Health |
| Marc-Antoine Leclerc | Shirin Enger | Une alternative non invasive au prélèvement sanguin artériel pour mesurer la fonction d’entrée artérielle en tomographie par émission de positons dynamique — See details | Nature & Technologies |
| Carolina Lopez Naranjo | Sonia Del Rincon | Caractérisation du microenvironnement immunitaire dans les effets indésirables cutanés liés à l’immunité (irAEs) sous inhibiteurs des points de contrôle immunitaire — See details | Health |
| Claire Morris | Sonia Del Rincon | Investigating How BAP1 Loss Remodels the Uveal Melanoma Surfaceome to Drive Metastasisand | Health |
| Jonathan Alejandro O’Connor Miranda | Stephanie Lehoux | Les neutrophiles dans les effets athéroprotecteurs du mannose | Health |
| Theodoros Papadopoulos | Marie Hudson and Sonia Del Rincon | Rôle de la voie JAK-STAT dans l’arthrite associée aux ICI et effets de l’inhibition de la voie JAK-STAT dans un nouveau modèle d’arthrite et cancer | Health |
| Anantpreet Kaur Sood | Volker Blank | Fonction de NFE2L3 dans le cancer colorectal : régulation de l’inflammation et dynamique du microbiote intestinal — See details | Health |
| Huziwei Zhou | Laurent Azoulay | Évaluation des effets des agonistes des récepteurs du GLP-1 sur le prognostic du cancer du sein dans le diabète de type 2 et l’obésité — See details | Health |
| Name | Supervisor | Project Title | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Fraser | Sabrina Wurzba | Surmonter la chimiorésistance du cancer de l’oropharynx positif au Virus du Papillome Humain (VPH) : mécanismes biologiques et thérapies ciblées | Health |
| Luisa Fernanda Guantiva Vargas | Hoi Yun Oriana Yu | The association between levothyroxine treatment and the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease among people with subclinical hypothyroidism | Health |
| Omar Salam | Francois Mercier and Maureen McKeague | Étude du potentiel thérapeutique du ciblage du gène SLC25A19 dans le traitement de la leucémie myéloïde aiguë (LMA) — See details | Health |
| Adrianne Tan | Eszter Szekely | Application de la théorie de l’attachement aux problèmes de santé mentale périnatale et à leurs liens avec le fonctionnement parental post-partum précoce : une perspective transdiagnostique utilisant des cohortes longitudinales périnatales — See details | Health |
| Anya Williamson | David Dunkley | Liens entre le perfectionnisme autocritique, l’autocompassion quotidienne, l’évitement expérientiel et le bien-être : une approche par équations structurelles multiniveaux — See details | Society & Culture |
| Hantian Zheng | Brent Richards | Ingénierie inverse de modèles image-à-gène: interprétabilité et localisation des signatures géniques dans le microenvironnement tumoral — See details | Health |
Congratulations to Hossein Jafarzadeh, PhD candidate in Medical Physics supervised by Shirin Enger, Principal Investigator at the LDI and Full Professor in the Department of Oncology at McGill University, for receiving the McGill MedStar Award from the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FHMS). The award recognizes the publication, “A data-driven approach to model spatial dose characteristics for catheter placement of high dose-rate brachytherapy,” published in Computers in Biology and Medicine, that Hossein led as co-first author in close collaboration with Björn Morén, Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. The McGill MedStar Awards recognize excellence in a research article published as first author by a trainee in the FHMS.
Islam Elkholi, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Oncology at McGill University supervised by LDI Principal Investigator April Rose, was selected for the Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review Arabia for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA 2025). This award was bestowed to Islam Elkholi in recognition for revealing the PIK3C3 protein as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer metastasis and the vision of scaling and building on this finding. The overarching goal of Islam Elkholi’s research work is to define therapeutic targets and/or prognostic approaches to prevent and/or halt cancer metastasis, the leading cause of death in cancer patients.
Claire Adams, a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Brett Thombs, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Patient-Oriented Disease Management and Preventative Health Care and Senior Investigator at the LDI, received an Arthritis Society Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship Salary Award in partnership with scleroderma patient partner organizations in the amount of $80,000 over 2 years for a project entitled Improving Dissemination of Research Results to Patients: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Project. Claire Adams will explore whether co-presentation of research by patients and researchers improves the communication of results to patients.
Each grant is in the amount of $70,000 over two years.
 | Nadia Fallahhosseini PhD student in the laboratory of François Mercier Project: RNA-Nanoparticle/Conjugate for Targeted Therapy Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia |
 | Chantel Mukonoweshuro PhD student in the laboratory of April Rose Project: Investigating the role of mutant RAS in hard-to-treat cancers with Class 2/3 BRAF mutations |
Mehdi Haghi, a second year PhD student in Experimental Medicine supervised by April Rose, Medical Oncologist at the Segal cancer Center at the JGH and Principal Investigator at the LDI, received the Kuok Fellowship from the McGill Gerlad Bronfman Department of Oncology and the Rossy Cancer Network in the amount of $60,000 over 3 years for a project entitled Optimizing Precision Therapies for Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC).
| Student | Supervisor / Co-Supervisor | Program year | Project Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Claire | Brett Thombs | PDF year 3 | Improving Dissemination of Research Results to Patients: A Scleroderma Patient -centered Intervention Network Project | LDI Director’s International Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| Berrazouane, Sofiane | Michael Witcher | PDF year 3 | Combining DNA methylation inhibition and STING agonist in treating metastatic triple-negative breast cancer | Desjardins Award for Emerging Research |
| Caruana, Vincenza | Koren Mann | PhD year 3 | Exploring the cardiopulmonary consequences of vaping in early life and pregnancy | Dr. Arthur Rosenberg Memorial Fellowship Graduate Scholarship |
| D’Onofrio, Monica | Brett Thombs | MSc year 1 | Trajectories of patient-reported outcomes from systemic sclerosis onset: a Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort longitudinal study | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| de la Salle, Sara | Kyle Greenway | PDF year 2 | Toward patient-tailored care for treatment-resistant depression: A pilot patient-preference clinical trial of music and mindfulness in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | Desjardins Award for Emerging Research |
| Diao, Shiqi | Antonis Koromilas | PhD year 2 | Investigation of the tumorigenic function of the integrated stress response in the development of mutant KRAS lung cancer | Galina Dorfman Graduate Fellowship |
| Jafarzadeh, Hossein | Shirin Enger | PhD year 4 | Catheter Placement Optimization in High Dose Rate Brachytherapy for High-Grade Prostate Cancer Treatment | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Jiogo, Holly | Colin Crist | PhD year 2 | Muscle stem cell progression through the myogenic program is regulated by the NoBody microprotein | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship Award |
| Kelebeev, Jonathan | Colin Crist | PhD year 4 | CTCF-Dependent Regulation of Mesodermal Lineages in Mouse Embryogenesis | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Kim, Hyungdong | Antonis Koromilas | PhD year 4 | Deciphering the tumorigenic function and therapeutic potential of eIF2B in mutant KRAS lung cancer | Galina Dorfman Graduate Scholarship |
| Knorn, Caroline | Josie Ursini-Siegel | MSc year 1 | Defining the role of thermogenesis in breast tumor development | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Li, Jiaying (Shirly) | Samy Suissa | PhD year 2 | Transient Use of Oral Corticosteroids and The Risk of Acute Adverse Events Among Patients with Asthma: A Real-World Population-Based Study | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Liu, Siqi | Kostas Pantopoulos | MSc year 1 | Investigating the role of Zip14 in iron uptake by Tfr1- or Tfr2-deficient hepatocytes | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Liu, Xin | Stéphane Richard | PhD year 1 | Define the Mechanisms and Functional Roles of the AVEN–FOCAD–SKI Axis in Hepatocarcinogenesis | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Mukonoweshuro, Chantel | April Rose | PhD year 2 | Investigating the role of mutant RAS in hard-to-treat cancers with Class 2/3 BRAF mutations | Dr. Arthur Rosenberg Memorial Fellowship Graduate Scholarship |
| O’Connor Miranda, Jonathan Alejandro | Stephanie Lehoux | PhD year 4 | Mannose Supplementation Mitigates Atherosclerosis via Immune and Microbiota Modulation | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Qi, Haolan | Oriana Hoi Yun Yu | MSc year 1 | The association between denosumab use and the risk of atypical femoral fractures in osteoporosis management | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Sood, Anantpreet Kaur | Volker Blank | PhD year 2 | Role of the NFE2L3 transcription factor in colorectal cancer: regulation of inflammation and gut microbiota dynamics | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Wang, Yutong | Brett Thombs | PhD year 2 | The Screening Accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis | Mark Wainberg Memorial Graduate Fellowship* |
| Zheng, Thomas | Brent Richards | PhD year 3 | Using population based proteogenomics to understand cold adaptation and its implications to disease | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Name | Supervisor | Program | Project Title | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninh Khuong | Christel Renoux | Epidemiology | The Use of Incretin-Based Drugs and SGLT-2 Inhibitors for the Prevention of Parkinson’s Disease Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes | CIHR |
| Name | Supervisor | Program | Project Title | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Gloeckler | Kyle Greenway | Psychiatry | Individual music preferences and global psychedelic use | SSHRC |
| Linda Pallotto | Chantal Autexier | Anatomy and Cell Biology | Regulation of telomere length homeostasis by a unique telomerase domain | CIHR |
| Maude Robitaille | Shirin Enger | Medical Physics | Development of a Dynamic Shield for Intensity-Modulated Brachytherapy for Vaginal Cancer | NSERC |
| Name | Supervisor | Program | Project Title | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa Bensoussan | Kyle Greenway | Psychiatry | A Novel Observer-Rated Scale to Improve the Study of the Personality Trait Absorption | SSHRC |
| Passang Regyal | Rachel Kronick | Psychiatry | A Photovoice Exploration of Refugee Claimant Youth s Psychosocial Wellbeing in Canadian Temporary Shelters | SSHRC |
Mohan Krishna Redlapalle, a MSc student supervised by LDI Senior Investigator Lysanne Campeau, received a $27,000 over one year D2R | DNA to RNA Master’s Scholar Award for a project entitled Spatial Transcriptomic-Proteomic Profiling in Bladder Cancer. More ->(© D2R)
Diery-Leando Saint-Vil, a MSc student supervised by LDI Senior Investigator Lysanne Campeau and Associate Investigator Maurice Anidjar, received a $32,500 over one year 2025 Research Training Awards Master’s Level from the Canadian Cancer Society for a project entitled Enhancing focal therapy efficiency to treat aggressive prostate cancer via Trk receptor blockade. More ->(© CCS)
Stephen Ogbodo, PhD candidate in pharmacoepidemiology at McGill University under the supervision of LDI Senior Investigator Laurent Azoulay, was interviewed within the framework of the McGill BIPOC Change Champions series. This Questions and Answers series is part of Black History Month and Beyond, an initiative of the Black History Month (BHM) Organizing Committee co-led by Black students and faculty from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences with the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Anti-Racism Committee (EDI-AR) of the School of Population and Global Health. The interview introduces us to Stephen and his inspiring academic path and community involvement. More ->(© McGill Health-e-News)
Congratulations to Maude Robitaille, a PhD student supervised by LDI Principal Investigator Shirin Enger, for being the recipient of the July 2025 Relève étoile Louis-Berlinguet award in the Nature and Technology sector from the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Nature et technologies (FRQNT). The award recognizes exceptional contributions by emerging researchers in Quebec. Maude was selected for her publication entitled Ytterbium-169 based high dose rate intensity modulated brachytherapy for focal treatment of prostate cancer, published in Brachytherapy. More ->(© Fond de recherche du Québec – In French only)
Sébastien Quetin, a PhD student in Biological & Biomedical Engineering at McGill University who works in the laboratory of Shirin Enger, Principal Investigator at the LDI, obtained the prestigious Jean Pouliot Award from the Association québécoise des physicien(ne)s médicaux cliniques (AQPMC) for the best-published paper in 2024. His article was entitled Deep learning for high-resolution dose prediction in high dose rate brachytherapy for breast cancer treatment. The Jean Pouliot Award is given each year to a student in medical physics from the province of Quebec for the publication of an article demonstrating the cutting-edge research in medical physics being done in the province.
Congratulations to Juliet Guay, PhD student supervised by LDI Principal Investigator Mark Basik, who received the GREAT (Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award) travel award from McGill’s Department of Experimental Medicine to attend the European Society For Medical Oncology Targeted Anticancer Therapies (ESMO TAT) Congress 2025 in Paris. She presented the results of her PhD project entitled Targeting ATR and PKMYT1 to overcome carboplatin resistance in triple-negative breast cancer patient-derived models.
Congratulations to Mirta Dumancic, Postdoctoral fellow in medical physics at McGill University supervised by LDI Principal Investigator Shirin Enger, for obtaining a travel award from the Canadian Brachytherapy Society to present their project entitled Comparative Analysis of Brachytherapy Utilization Across Canadian Provinces from 2011-2020 at the Curietherapies Conference held at Club St-James in Montreal on May 15-17, 2025. Mirta was also the recipient of the Young Investigator Award at the conference following her oral presentation of the same project.
Juliet Guay and Elias Maldonado, PhD students supervised by LDI Principal Investigators Mark Basik and Josie Ursini-Siegel respectively, received the Emerald Key Award at the McGill University Scarlet Key Society Pinning Ceremony on March 26, 2025, for their student contributions to sustainability on campus. Juliet and Elias successfully institutionalized an SPF-funded polystyrene (Styrofoam) recycling initiative at the LDI. Through the Green Lab Initiatives (GLI) at the LDI, which Juliet co-founded, they have also led outreach events and programs to recycle PPE and reuse ice packs from labs. Thanks to their efforts, the LDI has recycled over 11,000 liters of polystyrene and 20,000 PPE items.
Omotayo Olaoye, Vanier Scholar and PhD candidate in pharmacoepidemiology at McGill University under the supervision of LDI Principal Investigators Christel Renoux and Samy Suissa, was interviewed within the framework of the McGill BIPOC Change Champions series. This Questions and Answers series is part of Black History Month and Beyond, an initiative of the Black History Month (BHM) Organizing Committee co-led by Black students and faculty from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences with the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Anti-Racism Committee (EDI-AR) of the School of Population and Global Health. The interview introduces us to Omotayo and her inspiring academic path and community involvement. More ->(© McGill Health e-News)
| Name | Supervisor | Graduate Program | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Ghezelbash | Philippe Lefrançois and Mark Basik | Experimental Medicine | Understanding the Genomic and Cellular Landscape of Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) |
| Sally Lu | Laurent Azoulay | N/A | Assessing the long-term carcinogenic effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on thyroid, pancreatic, and biliary tract cancers: an international, multi-site cohort study |
| Jennifer Maxwell | April Rose | Experimental Medicine | Investigating the Role of RAS in Resistance to Targeted Therapies in BRAF-Mutant Colorectal Cancer |
| Elsa-Lynn Nassar | Brett Thombs | N/A | Partnering with Patients to Strengthen the Evidence Base for Effectively Communicating Health Research Results to Study Participants and Others with Relevant Lived Experience |
| Emmanuelle Rousselle | April Rose | N/A | Characterizing the multifunctional roles of CRAF in mediating MAPKi resistance in Non-V600 BRAF mutant cancer |
Marc-Antoine Leclerc, a Master’s student supervised by Shirin Abbasinejad Enger, Associate Professor of Oncology at McGill University and Principal Investigator at the LDI, is the recipient of a $24,000 over one year scholarship within the framework of the TransMedTech Institute Excellence Scholarships Fall 2024 Competition, for a project entitled Development of a radiation detector to measure the arterial input function noninvasively for dynamic positron emission tomography.
Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include Ozempic®, Rybelsus® and other widely used drugs, to treat type 2 diabetes is not associated with an increased risk of suicidality compared with two other groups of diabetes drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors, finds a large study of UK health data. The study led by Laurent Azoulay, Senior investigator at the LDI and first author Samantha B. Shapiro, a doctoral student in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill University working in Pr. Azoulay’s laboratory, was published by The BMJ on February 26.
Congratulations to Rémi Kurdian, a PhD candidate enrolled in a joint PhD/cotutelle international program, co-supervised by Colin Crist—Senior Investigator, Associate Director for Human Disease Modeling at the LDI, and Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Research Chair in Muscle Stem Cell Research—and Alicia Mayeuf-Louchart from the University of Lille, France, and Jonathan Kelebeev, a PhD candidate in the Crist Lab, for obtaining first and second prizes respectively in the 2024 McGill University Molecular and Regenerative Medicine (MRM) Photo Contest! Rémi Kurdian submitted a picture of mouse skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscles in development, while Jonathan Kelebeev submitted a photo of craniofacial muscles of the mouse embryo.
Sarah Ghezelbash, PhD student in Clinical and Translational Research under the supervision of LDI Principal Investigators Philippe Lefrançois and Mark Basik, is the recipient of the Graduate Oral Presentation Award at the third annual International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE) held in Washington, DC, on November 16, 2024. Over 200 high school, undergraduate, and graduate students competed with research presentations in oral and poster format. A judging committee of Sigma Xi members evaluated the presenters on their scientific thought, methods, and communication skills. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers.
Each grant is in the amount of $70,000 over two years.
 | Emma Ciccolini PhD student in the laboratory of Josie Ursini-Siegel Project: Investigating the impact of PGC-1alpha-coupled metabolic reprogramming on breast cancer metastasis |
 | Elias Maldonado PhD student in the laboratory of Josie Ursini-Siegel Project: The role of p66ShcA and PKR in promoting breast cancer malignancy through adaptation to chronic oxidative stress |
 | Theodoros Papadopoulos PhD student in the laboratory of Marie Hudson and Sonia del Rincon Project: Examining the role of the JAK-STAT pathway in ICI-arthritis and the effects of JAK inhibition on ICI in a novel tumor model of ICI-arthritis |
 | Maryam Ahmadi Postdoctoral fellow in Wilson Miller’s laboratory Project: Understanding why skin cancer spreads to other parts of the body $220,000 over 3 years Postdoctoral Research Training Award |
 | Islam Elkholi Postdoctoral fellow in April Rose’s laboratory Project: New treatment strategies for people with BRAF mutations in their tumours $220,000 over 3 years Postdoctoral Research Training Award |
 | Olivia Kovecses PhD student in François Mercier’s laboratory Project: A new, innovative treatment strategy for acute myeloid leukemia $94,000 over 2 years Doctoral Research Training Award |
Mirta Dumancic, Postdoctoral fellow in Shirin Enger‘s laboratory, received the Accelerated Computing for Women award through the DRI EDIA Champions program from Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The award aims to increase awareness and uptake of the Alliance’s digital research infrastructure (DRI) by equity-seeking groups, and provides an amount of up to $35,000 that is to be used primarily for stipends.
Rachelle Haber, PhD student in Kristian Filion‘s laboratory, Omotayo Carolyn Olaoye, PhD student in Christel Renoux’s laboratory, and Stephen Ogbodo, PhD student in Laurent Azoulay‘s laboratory, were awarded first place in the global real-world evidence (RWE) Research Proposal Competition of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) held on August 26-28, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Their proposal was entitled Real-world comparative effectiveness and safety of GIP/GLP1 dual agonist and GLP1 receptor agonist among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
| Name | Supervisor | Graduate Program | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omotayo Olaoye Ranked 2 out of 188 | Christel Renoux & Samy Suissa | Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health | Prescribing Trends of Central Nervous System Depressants and the Risk of Adverse Respiratory Events in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| Name | Supervisor | Graduate Program | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariana Arduini | Chen Liang | Experimental Medicine | Investigating the role of accessory protein ORF8 secretion and immunomodulation in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants |
| Alexandra Goudreau | Mark Basik | Experimental Medicine | Characterizing the molecular and spatial interactions between carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF), immune cells, and tumour cells in metastases of triple negative breast cancer |
| Paige McCallum | Sonia Del Rincon & Wilson Miller | Experimental Medicine | Investigating the Role of the MNK1/2-eIF4E Signaling Axis by Spatially Profiling the Human Breast Cancer Tissue Tumor Microenvironment using Phenocylcer (CODEX) Multiplex Imaging |
| Ryan Tobin SSHRC | David Dunkley | Clinical Psychology | Self-Critical Perfectionism, Daily Emotion Regulation, and Well-Being Over Two Years |
| Yujing Zou NSERC | Shirin Enger | Medical Physics | From Bench to Bedside: multimodal learning-based cancer treatment outcome prediction modelling |
| Name | Supervisor | Graduate Program | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Araujo | Sabrina Wurzba | Experimental Medicine | The Evaluation of Circulating Tumor Cells in Predicting Treatment Response for Patients with HPV Oropharyngeal Cancer |
| Monica D’Onofrio | Brett Thombs | Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health | An Updated Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of the Geriatric Depression Scale to Determine Its Diagnostic Accuracy |
| Brianna Murray | Christel Renoux & Samy Suissa | Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health | Trends in the prescription of oral anticoagulants in adults with COPD in UK Primary Care (2010-2022) |
| Elliot Wadge | Shirin Enger | Medical Physics | Predicting Patient-Specific Radiosensitivity With Machine Learning and Genetic Profiling |
Jonathan Kalinowski, a PhD student in Medical Physics supervised by Shirin Abbasinejad Enger, Tier II Canada Research Chair in Medical Physics and Principal Investigator at the LDI, was awarded a TransMedTech Excellence Scholarship within the framework of the 8th TransMedTech Excellence Scholarships Competition 2023-24, for his project entitled Toward the clinical translation of intensity modulated brachytherapy for the treatment of rectal cancer.
Sahil Sharma, a postdoctoral fellow in Marc Fabian‘s Laboratory at the LDI, and postdoctoral candidate in Experimental Medicine at McGill University, is the recipient of the 2023 FRQS Student Award. The award is remitted to one student based on the best student author from all LDI Papers of the Month produced from January to December 2023 inclusively. Congratulations to Sahil who will receive $1,000!
Saleena Gul Arif, a master’s student in Experimental Medicine supervised by Jonathan Afilalo, Principal Investigator at the LDI and Cardiologist at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), and her teammates were awarded 2nd place in the Social Impact Stream at the McGill University Bootcamp and Dobson Cup in April 2024, with their startup project entitled SimpliCITY- digital hub for the homeless population. The 2nd place award comes with a prize of $12,000.
Please join the Undergraduate Research Day committee in congratulating the following students as winners of the top oral presentations:
“3-Year Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloons Versus Drug-Eluting Stents for Small Caliber Coronary Arteries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials”
Supervisor: Mark Eisenberg
“Adoptive transfer of T regulatory cells to understand disease biology”
Supervisor: Sonia Del Rincon
“Evaluating the Efficacy of SHP2 Inhibitors in Combination with MAPK and CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Class 1 BRAF-Mutant Tumors”
Supervisor: April Rose
Thank you to all students who participated and congratulations again to the winners. Hope to see you all next year!
Congratulations to Edgar Pinedo-Carpio, who just completed his PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill University with Alex Orthwein as supervisor, for his first author paper in Science Advances: FIRRM cooperates with FIGNL1 to promote RAD51 disassembly during DNA repair
The LDI is pleased to announce the winners of the LDI Scholarship Awards February 2024 competition:
| Student | Supervisor / Co-Supervisor | Program year | Project Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmadi, Maryam | Sonia del Rincon / Wilson Miller | PDF year 1 | Deciphering the roles of MNK1 and MNK2 in the melanoma immune microenvironment | Inaugural Desjardins/LDI Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| Bouassaly, Jenna | Sabrina Wurzba | MSc year 1 | Understanding the genetic factors associated with treatment response and prognostic stratification in HPV-related head and neck cancer | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Brillinger, Julia | Kristian Filion | PhD year 2 | Opioids and the Risk of Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Population-based Study | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Deamond, Haley | Melissa Henry | PhD year 4 | Biopsychosocial Risk Factors for Cancer-Related Pain in People Newly Diagnosed with Cancer: A Prospective Longitudinal Study | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Dos Santos, Erika Cristina | Mark Basik | PDF year 2 | Isolation and characterization of lipid droplets from drug resistant breast cancer cells | Inaugural LDI Director’s International Scholar Award |
| Giles, Braeden | Koren Mann / Bernard Robaire | PhD year 4 | Organophosphate esters disrupt the phenotype and function of macrophages | Galina Dorfman Graduate Fellowship |
| Gloeckler, Sara | Kyle Greenway / Soham Rej | PhD year 2 | Toward patient-tailored psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Jiogo, Holly | Colin Crist | MSc year 2 | Post-transcriptional Regulation of Muscle Stem Cell Activation by the NoBody Microprotein | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship Award |
| Kim, HyungDong | Antonis Koromilas | PhD year 3 | Molecular, biological, and therapeutic implications of the translation initiation factor eIF2B in the stimulation and treatment of mutant KRAS tumorigenesis | Dr. Mark Wainberg Memorial Graduate Fellowship* |
| Lopez Naranjo, Carolina | Sonia del Rincon / Wilson Miller | MSc year 1 | Investigating the role of PEX3 in the tumor microenvironment. | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Moiz, Areesha | MarK Eisenberg | MSc year 1 | GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Co-Agonists for Weight Loss Among Individuals without Diabetes | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Nassour, Hassan | Uri Saragovi | PDF year 1 | Neuro-protective and anti-degenerative pharmacological strategies for therapy of retinal diseases | Inaugural Desjardins/LDI Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| Orozco-Alonso, Eduardo | Volker Blank | MSc year 2 | The function of the MAFF and NRF2 transcription factors in myometrial cells and preterm labor | TD Canada Trust Graduate Scholarship |
| Pallotto, Linda | Chantal Autexier | MSc year 2 | Role of the human telomerase insertion in fingers domain in telomerase activation at telomeres | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Rahbaran, Maryam | Shirin Enger | MSc year 2 | Design and Development of a Novel Intravascular Brachytherapy System | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Rahimirad, Shima | Ernesto Schiffrin | PhD year 2 | CD28 expressed by yo T cells plays an essential role in Angil-induced BP elevation, vascular injury and T cell activation. | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
| Zapata-Bravo, Estefania | Kristian Filion | PhD year 2 | Comparative Effectiveness of Long-Acting Insulins wersus Intermediate-Acting Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) Insulin for the Prevention of Macro- and Microvascular Complications in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus | Eileen and Louis Dubrovsky Graduate Fellowship |
* The Dr. Mark Wainberg Memorial Graduate Fellowship is awarded to the top ranked application in the LDI Scholarships competition.
LDI Scholarships are open to highly qualified graduate students at the LDI who are registered full-time at McGill University in a research training program leading to a MSc, a PhD or a Postdoctoral degree. They are made possible thanks to the support of the following generous donors: Desjardins Financial Group, TD Bank, the Dubrovsky Family, and Galina Dorfman.
The LDI is committed to the ideal that research excellence is greatly enhanced by ensuring equity of opportunity in research and every graduate that met the merit criteria were funded this year. Winners of the postdoc competition were selected by Melissa Henry and Shirin Enger; those of the PhD competition by Volker Blank and Christel Renoux and those of the master’s competition by April Rose and Kostas Pantopoulos. Chantal Autexier and Michael Witcher, Associate Director for Faculty Development at the LDI, coordinated the process. Criteria used in the selection process were weighted differently for MSc, PhD and postdoc students, and included: Academic Record, Awards and Studentships/Fellowships, Peer-Reviewed Publications, Presentations (Oral and Poster), Research Project and Training Environment/Expectations.
