Advancing cardiovascular research through leadership and innovation
SOURCE: Research Institute McGill University Health Centre (The Institute)
September 23, 2025
From competitive fellowships to national prizes, trainees from the Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan (CHAL) Program are earning recognition for their outstanding contributions to cardiovascular research. These recent accomplishments reflect not only individual dedication but also the collaborative environment that strengthens the program's impact on heart health in Canada and abroad.
The following CHAL trainees have recently been honoured for their achievements:
Ali Mousavi, postdoctoral fellow working with Renzo Cecere, MD, was recognized with the Ray Chiu Award for the best Basic/Translational Research presentation at McGill's annual Stikeman Visiting Professorship Day. He also received the FRQS postdoctoral fellowship for his project developing integrated heart–liver "organs-on-chip" platforms aimed at transforming cardiovascular drug discovery and testing.
Brenda Valdes Sustaita, postdoctoral fellow supervised by Stella Daskalopoulou, MD, PhD, was awarded the CAMCCO-L Postdoctoral Fellowship in support of her research in cardiovascular health.
Cecilia Nieves, postdoctoral fellow supervised by Mariane Bertagnolli, PhD, received the award for Best Poster at the 2025 Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting and DOHaD Canada, held in Montreal.
Elspeth Skeats, MSc student under the supervision of Dr. Daskalopoulou, received a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Internal Fellowship recognizing her strong graduate research.
Livia Camargo, research associate in the laboratory of Rhian Touyz, M.B.B.Ch., PhD, received the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award, recognizing excellence in cardiovascular research.
Ludovic Mouttet, PhD student in Dr. Cecere's group, secured first place in the basic science oral presentation category at the 2025 Maurice McGregor Cardiovascular Research Day.
Maria Victoria Ordonez, MSc student under Ariane Marelli, MD, was awarded the Masters FRQS scholarship for her project "Le devenir de l'insuffisance cardiaque après l'opération Fontan — Une étude sur la durée de vie."
Margherita Leo, medical imaging technician in the lab of Matthias Friedrich, MD, earned the Jean-Paul-Rocheleau prize from the Ordre des technologues en imagerie médicale, en radio-oncologie et en électrophysiologie médicale du Québec. Her award-winning article "Respire! La résonance magnétique cardio-vasculaire" highlights the role of medical imaging in advancing cardiovascular diagnostics.
Marzieh Dameshmand, MSc student supervised by Isabelle Malhamé, MD, M.Sc., received a competitive travel award from the Réseau ODISÉ Program to support the presentation of her research.
Together, these accomplishments underscore the leadership of CHAL trainees in driving advances across multiple dimensions of cardiovascular health research. With each award, fellowship, and recognition, they contribute to building knowledge that will inform future treatments and improve patient outcomes.
Congratulations to all CHAL trainees on their well-deserved success and growing impact in cardiovascular research.