RI-MUHC ANNUAL REPORT 2023
EXECUTIVE MESSAGES
MESSAGE FROM RHIAN TOUYZ
One of the most enjoyable parts of my day at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is talking with members of our community about their research. Their enthusiasm for science is infectious and energizing, and the inspiration we gain from each other is a driving force in health research. Working together with collaborators from across the globe or across the hallway, team science can leverage the strengths and expertise of multiple researchers and practitioners, allowing us to best apply our diverse skills and knowledge to today’s most complex health care challenges.
In the past year, discoveries led by researchers at the RI-MUHC advanced our knowledge of cancer, respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, aging, immunology, recovery from surgery, precision medicine and much more. Working from our base within the MUHC family and McGill University, our teams benefit from the interdisciplinary expertise and perspectives of researchers, patients, practitioners and care providers. Building wider networks has also been a huge part of this success, as evidenced by our collaborations in over 70 countries.
Several contributors to the central feature of this report are RI-MUHC researchers who lead or co-lead new large-scale projects that will improve the development and conduct of clinical trials and expand access to experimental treatments for underrepresented communities in Canada. Among these initiatives, awarded a total of $55 million from the CIHR Clinical Trials Fund this year, is the CANadian Consortium of Clinical Trial TRAINing (CANTRAIN) project, which takes an equitable, diversified and inclusive approach to training professionals who conduct clinical trials. RI-MUHC researchers also co-lead a new pan-Canadian consortium called Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Canada. This project tests innovative treatments and solutions for the benefit of a larger and more diversified population.
We are now leveraging our rich internal and external resources as the RI-MUHC moves toward a new strategic plan. Consultations with members of our community will continue over the next year, following the input of international experts on our External Scientific Advisory Board who visited the RI-MUHC in June 2023. At the same time, we are progressing in many additional initiatives, including our new community-based Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the recently launched EArly and mid-CAreer REsearchers network (EACARE).
This 2023 annual report highlights some of the extraordinary progress being made at the RI-MUHC. I warmly thank every member of our community, as well as the dedicated hospital foundations, donors and funding partners, patient partners and health service providers, whose collaboration allows us to strive for a better future through health care research.
MESSAGE FROM THE MCGILL UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE
The words Connected for Discovery resonate deeply with those of us involved with the Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC). They evoke what we can accomplish together, and we believe that our collective efforts will generate considerably more than working alone. The value of collaborating to expand our expertise within and beyond our walls, locally and internationally, is evident through the achievements highlighted within the pages of this annual report.
We applaud Dr. Rhian Touyz’s enthusiasm for building connections and encouraging team science, enabling researchers and experts across a broad range of disciplines to apply their individual knowledge to some of the most pressing health issues and mysteries. We recognize all of the RI-MUHC’s researchers, trainees, management and support staff for setting ambitious goals in 2022-2023 and for pursuing them with energy and a powerful sense of purpose, motivated by a desire to understand, create, share, and have a wide impact.
As we look forward, we are excited to see the RI-MUHC’s strategic planning efforts connected with those of the MUHC and to discover what lies ahead. The year is full of promise.
MESSAGE FROM MCGILL UNIVERSITY
A healthier future is possible when community members, healthcare providers and researchers join forces to tackle our most pressing health issues. McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the RI-MUHC successfully combine forces to deliver on our missions of education and research, providing our trainees and investigators access to teachers and colleagues at the top of their fields. Together, we are confronting the great clinical challenges of our day and devising the therapeutics of tomorrow.
Finding creative solutions to complex problems demands collaboration among multidisciplinary, highly skilled teams. Among our many joint efforts is the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4), which fights infectious diseases that ravage populations at home and around the world. Several forward-thinking initiatives catalyze our critical mass of RNA and genomics sciences researchers and make use of our exceptional facilities to develop novel treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable and underserved groups. These include DNA to RNA (D2R), a first-of-its-kind global research effort of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, specializing in development and delivery of more inclusive genomic-based RNA therapeutics; the McGill Centre for RNA Sciences; and the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine.
By working closely with community partners, we hear their needs and tailor our research to realize the greatest change. We believe that advancing scientific and medical research goes hand in hand with promoting greater equity in our labs, clinical settings and wider communities. Working together, we are smarter scientists, stronger partners and more compassionate healers.
OVERSIGHT
- BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- CENTRE DIRECTORS
- EXTERNAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
- GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS COMMITTEE
- AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
- INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
- MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
- EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
- HR/EDI COMMITTEE
- RESEARCH PROGRAM COUNCIL
—Reporting period: April 2022 – March 2023
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CENTRE DIRECTORS
EXTERNAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS COMMITTEE
AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
HR/EDI COMMITTEE
RESEARCH PROGRAM COUNCIL
Guests
