The Board of Directors has renewed Dr. Touyz’s mandate as Chief Scientific Officer for a further three years, sustaining the momentum behind The Institute’s 2030 Vision

SOURCE: The Institute

MONTREAL, September 10, 2026 — The Board of Directors of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) is delighted to announce that Dr. Rhian M. Touyz has been reappointed as Chief Scientific Officer for a further three-year mandate. The decision follows a thorough review process and was made with the Board’s full confidence and enthusiasm.

Since her first appointment in 2021, Dr. Touyz has given The Institute a clear sense of direction and a plan to get there. She led the articulation of The Institute’s 2030 Vision, a strategic roadmap to harness precision health research to advance human health throughout the life course, with clear and actionable research priorities. Two years in, the momentum is strong and growing: sharper priorities, wider partnerships, and impact where it matters most — at the bedside, in health policy, in commercialization and in the next generation of scientists being trained today.

“Dr. Touyz has given this Institute a clear sense of where it is going and an ambitious plan to get there,” said Dr. Sarah Prichard, Chair of the Board of Directors of The Institute. “Our Review Committee heard from colleagues across The Institute, McGill and the Santé Québec – McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), and the message was consistent: the direction is right and the momentum is real. The Board is excited to continue working with Dr. Touyz in this capacity, and we look forward to everything the next three years will bring.”

Dr. Touyz’s first mandate was a period of substantial progress. Research metrics improved measurably: significant growth in total research funding and in clinical research funding over five years, the vast majority of publications in top-quartile journals, and active collaborations with dozens of countries. The makeup of The Institute’s researchers, staff and leadership is more diverse and inclusive than ever.

The Institute also launched Canada’s Best, an ambitious postdoctoral fellowship program that attracts the next generation of world-leading researchers, with the generous support of the MUHC’s affiliated foundations. Together with the MUHC, it opened the IMPACT Centre to accelerate healthcare innovation and generate economic benefits for Quebec.

“I am delighted to accept this second mandate,” said Dr. Touyz. “The 2030 Vision was never my plan alone — it belongs to the researchers, trainees and staff who are building it every day, and to the patients whose lives it is meant to change. To be asked to keep leading that work is a privilege. We have laid strong foundations, and I am energized by what this community will accomplish together over the next three years.”

“As the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre, our joint initiatives with The Institute are positioning us on the international stage as a destination for exceptional research and healthcare innovation. From Canada’s Best, attracting outstanding fellows from around the world, to our IMPACT Centre, uniting business, research and clinical expertise to bring new technologies to our patients, Dr. Rhian Touyz has been an engaged Chief Scientific Officer, contributing thoughtfully to our vision. I warmly congratulate her on the renewal of her mandate and look forward to building on our momentum—and shaping the future of health care—together in the years ahead,” said Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director, MUHC.

"I am delighted to congratulate Dr. Rhian Touyz on her reappointment as Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Her leadership, commitment to excellence, and dedication to advancing impactful health research have helped to foster research excellence and innovation and inspire colleagues across McGill and beyond. I look forward to seeing the Institute continue to thrive under her guidance in the years ahead," said Dr. Lesley Fellows, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University.

The Institute enters this new mandate with sharper scientific priorities and a stronger standing as one of Canada’s leading academic health research centres, and the number one research institute in Quebec. For partners, funders and the broader research ecosystem — locally, nationally and internationally — the renewal signals steady direction and undiminished ambition. Dr. Touyz will continue to represent The Institute in the national and international collaborations that increasingly define how health research is conducted.

The Board extends its sincere thanks to the members of the Review Committee, and to colleagues across The Institute, McGill and the MUHC who shared their perspectives. Their candour and engagement shaped the Board’s understanding of The Institute’s needs and, ultimately, its confidence in this decision.