Congratulations to Dominique Geoffrion, former doctoral student at the RI-MUHC!
Dominique Geoffrion, PhD, formerly a research trainee in the Child Health and Human Development Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI‑MUHC), is the February 2022 winner of the Relève étoile Jacques-Genest award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Santé (FRQS). Her award-winning publication, “Tear film cytokine profile of patients with the Boston keratoprosthesis type 1: Comparing patients with and without glaucoma,” was published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
Geoffrion is pursuing her medical degree (MDCM) at McGill University. She completed her PhD degree in Experimental Surgery & Ophthalmology at McGill under the joint supervision of Dr. Mona Harissi-Dagher and Dr. Robert Koenekoop. Her doctoral research focused on discovering mechanisms and improving management of glaucoma following Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro) surgery. As the most commonly used artificial cornea worldwide, the KPro is used to restore vision in patients with corneal blindness. However, glaucoma remains today the most important threat to vision after implantation of the KPro. Geoffrion’s winning publication describes the first study in humans to investigate the association of glaucoma after KPro surgery and inflammatory molecules in tears, shedding light on potential biomarkers and treatment pathways.
“I warmly congratulate Dominique Geoffrion for this important award, which underlines the value of new collaborations between our McGill research team and Dr. Mona Harissi-Dagher at the Université de Montréal,” says Dr. Koenekoop. “I think it is crucial that we continue collaborations between the Université de Montréal and McGill, and consider how to strengthen them.”
“We are very proud and commend Dominique Geoffrion for the excellent and innovative work that has been accomplished. Successful alliances between the research teams at McGill and Université de Montréal are very encouraging for scientific progress,” adds Dr. Harissi-Dagher.
“I am very fortunate to have such supportive and devoted mentors. The data is very exciting, and we are proud to be able to contribute to the literature and hopefully have an impact on patients’ vision in the future,” says Geoffrion.
The Relève étoile award is awarded to student-researchers by each of the three Fonds de recherche du Québec. The FRQS Relève étoile award is now named after Dr. Jacques Genest as a tribute to this great researcher and builder.
In 2021 Geoffrion also won a McGill MedStar award for this work, as well as several international recognitions from major ophthalmological societies such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons, the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, and the Vision Health Research Network.
About the study
Dominique Geoffrion, Marie-Claude Robert, Adriana Di Polo, Robert K. Koenekoop, Younes Agoumi, Mona Harissi-Dagher; Tear Film Cytokine Profile of Patients With the Boston Keratoprosthesis Type 1: Comparing Patients With and Without Glaucoma. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2021;62(4):20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.62.4.20
February 22, 2022