Senior scientist at The Institute honoured for her foundational work on glomerular disease
SOURCE: Kidney Foundation of Canada
November 11, 2025
The Kidney Foundation of Canada has presented Tomoko Takano, MD, PhD, with the 2025 Medal of Research Excellence. The Medal is awarded annually to a Canadian researcher recognized nationally or internationally for their career accomplishments in kidney research.
Dr. Takano is a senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute), a nephrologist and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. For over 25 years, she has conducted outstanding work as researcher, clinician, and mentor and has been tireless in her efforts to support research collaboration and knowledge sharing. Dr. Takano has played a pivotal role in elevating the international profile of Canadian nephrology research.
"Dr. Takano is an exceptional researcher, mentor and leader in the renal community. This Medal is a recognition of her lifetime body of research, which has had an enormous impact on our understanding of the molecular, genetic, and biological causes of kidney disease, providing an important foundation for future research therapies and treatments that will benefit people with kidney disease." said Elizabeth Myles, National Executive Director, The Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Dr. Takano started her research program at McGill University in 1998, after training at both the University of Tokyo and Harvard University, seeking to explore the biological underpinnings of glomerular diseases. Since then, she developed a unique multidisciplinary research program that combines biology, genetics, and immunology to advance our understanding of the critical role podocytes play in health and disease.
Her outstanding research program has centered Dr. Takano as a world-renowned expert in glomerular disease. She has supervised dozens of research trainees from the undergraduate to post-doctoral level. With her guidance, many of her trainees received prestigious fellowships, awards, and publications, setting them up for successful careers.
As a dedicated advocate for the role of discovery research in nephrology, she has been monumental in creating new opportunities for fundamental researchers in the nephrology community to connect. This includes her work with the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN), of which she is currently President, the Canadian Kidney Discovery Network (CKD-N), and the Molecules and Mechanisms Mediating Kidney Health and Disease (M3K) Scientific Meeting and Investigator Summit.
In 2021, Dr. Takano also chaired the World Congress of Nephrology conference hosted in Montreal. Her efforts to bring this event to Canada demonstrate Dr. Takano's drive to elevate the reputation of kidney research in Canada and foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the nation and around the world.
Congratulations Dr. Takano!
Full announcement, Kidney Foundation of Canada
Related news
Research seeks to help children with chronic kidney disease
Dr. Andrey Cybulsky awarded Medal for Research Excellence, 2024
RI-MUHC researcher has a new global role to play, on and beyond World Kidney Day