Source: The Institute
August 17, 2026
Researchers at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) will embark on 19 new projects designed to accelerate discoveries of benefit to human health, thanks to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Spring 2026 Project Grants Competition. The Institute teams received more than $15.7 million in project funding.
In total, 19 applications from The Institute were approved, a success rate of 15.4 per cent. Across Canada, this competition approved 439 full grants out of 3,344 applications submitted, for a total investment of approximately $412 million.
The CIHR Project Grant program is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential to advance health-related fundamental or applied knowledge, health research, health care, health systems, and/or health outcomes.
"The breadth of work supported through this competition is truly remarkable, from fundamental science to community-led health interventions. Our researchers earned these grants in a highly competitive national process, highlighting research excellence at The Institute," expressed Dr. Rhian Touyz, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "I congratulate every recipient and the teams behind them."
PROJECT GRANTS
Suhad Ali, PhD
Unraveling Prolactin's Role in Women's Health
Sasha Bernatsky, MD, M.Sc., PhD
Personalizing Therapy to Optimize Outcomes by Synthesizing Real-World Evidence and Establishing Patient Preferences
Stella Daskalopoulou, MD, M.Sc., Ph.D.
The Sex Hormone Crossroad of Carotid Plaque Instability
Alexandra de Pokomandy, MD, M.Sc.
Evaluating the Implementation and Real-World Effectiveness of Statin-Based Cardiovascular Primary Prevention in Routine HIV Care
Elizabeth Fixman, PhD
Sex-specific mechanisms by which environmental triggers promote durable changes to the lung
Livia Garzia, PhD
Investigating oncohistones and oncohistone mimics driven vulnerabilities in bone sarcomas
Ana Gómez-Carrillo, MD
The Inuit Youth Futures Art-Based Suicide Intervention Program
Irah King, PhD
Immune-mediated regulation of the somatotropic axis for host defense
Bertrand Lebouché, MD, PhD
MARVIN-CONNECT Study
Todd Lee, MD
Treatment of Enterococcal Bacteremia Platform (TENT)
Thomas Mavrakanas, MD, M.Sc.
Impact of Canagliflozin on Peritoneal Dialysis
Monzur Murshed, PhD
Investigating Vascular Pathologies Linked to Matrix Gla Protein Mutations
Romina Pace, MD, M.Sc.
Navigating the Journey: Video Narratives from Peer Mentors and Community Healthcare Workers Delivering a First Nations Youth Diabetes Mentorship Program
Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD
How impactful are social protection benefits in reducing tuberculosis incidence and deaths?
Sushmita Pamidi, MD
EMPOWER-SDB
Dan Poenaru, MD, PhD
Reducing mortality from surgically correctable neonatal conditions in Nigeria
Giada Sebastiani, MD
Steatotic Liver Disease, Fibrosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Uncovering the Triple Threat
Ugochinyere Ukah, PhD
Development of models to predict hypertension after pregnancy
Christina Wolfson, PhD
Enhancing research and patient care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Optimizing the potential of patient registries
Learn more on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research website.