Strategic meeting aligns The Institute's 2030 Vision with McGill's emerging global engagement strategy and sets the stage for deeper, coordinated international partnerships
SOURCE: The Institute
December 12, 2025
The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) recently welcomed leaders from the McGill University Global Engagement office for a strategic working session aimed at strengthening international partnerships and positioning both organizations for greater global impact. The visiting delegation included Anja Geitmann, PhD, Vice-Principal (Global Engagement), and Graham Barber, Director, Global Engagement.
"The Institute is the largest hospital-based research institute in Quebec and one of the top three in Canada," said Rhian Touyz, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of The Institute, who hosted the meeting with Pierre-Albert Coubat, The Institute's Chief Operating Officer. "This new connection with McGill's Global Engagement office will help amplify our impact globally."
Prof. Geitmann and Mr. Barber presented an early outline of McGill's Global Engagement Strategy 2025–2030, including an evolving framework for international activities centred on five areas: research and innovation, global citizenship and mobility, alumni and external partners, institutional partnerships and networks, and transnational education. The Institute noted strong alignment with its own 2030 Vision priorities in precision health, clinical research, data and digital health, global health and training.
Shared opportunities for coordinated global impact
Discussions highlighted several areas where closer coordination can advance shared priorities:
- Strategic partnerships: Strengthening links between The Institute's international collaborations—including partners in Europe, South Africa and Asia—and McGill's broader regional strategies.
- Major international funding: Exploring joint action on Horizon Europe, global health programs and philanthropic initiatives in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, women's health and digital health.
- Training and mobility: Connecting The Institute's strengths in clinical trials, research training and postdoctoral recruitment with McGill's mobility programs and seed funding mechanisms.
To support implementation, The Institute's Strategic Initiatives Advisor, Milad Rasouli, will serve as the liaison to the Global Engagement team, providing a direct connection to McGill's international network. Both teams will also begin mapping shared partnerships, identifying strategic gaps and planning coordinated support for major international initiatives and funding bids.
"The Institute is one of McGill's most important engines for health innovation," said Anja Geitmann. "Working together will help create stronger and more coherent partnerships worldwide."
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