RI-MUHC Annual Report

RI-MUHC ANNUAL REPORT 2021

EXECUTIVE MESSAGES

MESSAGE FROM MIGUEL BURNIER JR.

During this extraordinary year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the introduction of important public health measures including lockdowns, curfews, social distancing, mask use and frequent handwashing. Working from home became a requirement for many, and we all had to adjust to new realities.

Miguel Burnier Jr., MD, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer (Interim), RI-MUHC, June 2020–August 2021, and Indra Gupta, MD, Deputy Executive Director and Deputy Chief Scientific Officer (Interim), RI-MUHC, and Head of Child Health Research (Interim), MUHC
Miguel Burnier Jr., MD, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer (Interim), RI-MUHC, June 2020–August 2021, and Indra Gupta, MD, Deputy Executive Director and Deputy Chief Scientific Officer (Interim), RI-MUHC, and Head of Child Health Research (Interim), MUHC

As the largest hospital-based research institute in Quebec, we recognized that the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) had an essential role in combating COVID-19. Keeping essential research sites open, we focused our energies on safely ramping up experimental research, providing opportunities for our scientists to develop projects with the potential of finding global solutions for a global problem.

The RI-MUHC community and its supporters have worked tirelessly through this period of uncertainty, contributing to worldwide efforts to combat COVID-19 and ensuring that all areas of our world-class biomedical research can safely flourish, even in the face of a pandemic. As we continue our efforts to help our patients and our community to overcome this difficult situation, it is paramount that we also continue to use our kindness to express solidarity and generosity to one another.

I’m honoured to be part of such a community, with dedicated partners helping us to realize major contributions—not only to address the current crisis, but to expand our understanding of human health and disease across the lifespan.
 

MESSAGE FROM INDRA GUPTA

Well over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that its effects will remain with us for some time. Infants, children and adolescents have been profoundly affected, and we are likely to see long-lasting effects on child health. Despite these challenging times, the child health research community at the RI-MUHC has been a beacon of hope. It continues to thrive and inspire our institute and university with numerous and impressive accomplishments. These accomplishments have led to the advancement of research, improvements in the quality of care for patients and innovative therapies for childhood diseases.

Of particular note is the invaluable partnership with the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation that has helped us realize these extraordinary research milestones. My sincere gratitude goes to all members of the foundation for working tirelessly throughout these unprecedented times, not only ensuring continued support for research into children’s diseases, but also sustaining optimism within the child health research community. Success and progress in research will continue to improve the quality of life for children in our community and around the world!
 

MESSAGE FROM THE MCGILL UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE

Peter Kruyt, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Pierre Gfeller, MD CM, MBA, President and Executive Director
Peter Kruyt, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Pierre Gfeller, MD CM, MBA, President and Executive Director

On the heels of a year rife with COVID-19-related hardships, we are proud to recognize researchers, trainees, management and support staff of the RI‑MUHC for rising to meet the pandemic’s challenges and seizing every opportunity to contribute their expertise. Be it by participating on task forces, adding their voices to conversations in the public domain or conducting a large number of COVID-19-specific research studies and clinical trials, their vision, knowledge, tireless efforts, and international partnerships have made a compelling impact.

In parallel, the teams that make up the RI-MUHC advanced other important research across its eight interdisciplinary programs, exciting highlights of which may be found in this annual report. With much enthusiasm, we also announced the recruitment of the institute’s next Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Professor Rhian Touyz, recognized internationally as an authority in vascular biology and hypertension, a prolific clinician-scientist, generous and inspiring mentor, and collegial leader, returns to Quebec after a decade in Glasgow, United Kingdom. We wish to express gratitude to Dr. Miguel Burnier for serving this past year as Interim Executive Director and CSO. Not only did the RI-MUHC stay the course under his leadership, but it also made progress on a number of strategic dossiers while the search was under way. Finally, we thank the governments of Quebec and Canada, industry and philanthropic partners, funders, and members of the community for believing in the power of research to change the lives of Quebecers, Canadians and people around the globe and supporting us.
 

MESSAGE FROM MCGILL UNIVERSITY

David Eidelman, MD CM, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Martha Crago, PhD, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation)
David Eidelman, MD CM, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Martha Crago, PhD, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation)

In this year that McGill University and the Montreal General Hospital of the MUHC are both celebrating our 200th anniversary, we also faced one of the greatest challenges in our shared history. The RI‑MUHC and McGill’s intensive collaborations in response to the pandemic are a direct continuation of our longstanding commitment to research excellence and service to the community.

We are incredibly proud of what our clinicians, researchers and learners have achieved throughout this difficult year. It is what they trained for, and they proved their mettle again and again, through their fine skills, creativity, compassion, and unwavering dedication.

The pandemic has inspired the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the University and the RI-MUHC to rethink the way we conduct research. We have embraced an approach that includes open science and real-time data sharing, with the goal of accelerating our joint mission to provide excellent healthcare research for our communities. Together with the RI-MUHC, we are eager to continue our work to help make the world a healthier place in our third century.

OVERSIGHT

—Reporting period: April 2020 – March 2021
 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Peter Kruyt, Chair
  • Mary-Anne Carignan, Vice-Chair since Dec. 2020
  • Pierre Lortie, Treasurer
  • Cinzia Raponi, Secretary
  • Graham Bagnall
  • Miguel Burnier
  • Martha Crago
  • David Eidelman
  • Pierre Gfeller
  • Russell Hiscock
  • Bruce Mazer
  • Raymond Royer
  • Gloria Tannenbaum

CENTRE DIRECTORS

  • Jean Bourbeau, Centre for Innovative Medicine
  • Kaberi Dasgupta, Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation
  • Don van Meyel, Centre for Translational Biology

AUDIT/INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  • Pierre Lortie, Chair
  • Cinzia Raponi, Secretary
  • Graham Bagnall
  • Miguel Burnier
  • Mary-Anne Carignan
  • Russell Hiscock
  • Peter Kruyt
  • Bruce Mazer
  • Jaime Pimstone
  • Dawn Singerman

SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

  • Miguel Burnier, Chair (July 2020–Aug. 2021)
  • Bruce Mazer, Chair (till June 2020)
  • Jenny Koulis, Secretary
  • Jean Bourbeau
  • Kaberi Dasgupta
  • Daniel Dufort
  • Reza Farivar-Mohseni
  • Indra Gupta
  • Ed Harvey
  • Costas Karatzas
  • Ariane Marelli
  • Keith Murai
  • Peter Metrakos
  • Basil Petrof
  • Erwin Schurr
  • Don van Meyel
  • Simon Wing

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

  • Miguel Burnier, Chair (July 2020–Aug. 2021)
  • Bruce Mazer, Chair (till June 2020)
  • Jenny Koulis, Secretary
  • Shari Baum
  • Jean Bourbeau
  • Kaberi Dasgupta
  • David Eidelman
  • Reza Farivar-Mohseni
  • Liane Feldman
  • Gerald Fried
  • Indra Gupta
  • Costas Karatzas
  • Ariane Marelli
  • James Martin
  • Cinzia Raponi
  • Marc Rodger
  • Michael Shevell
  • Don van Meyel

RESEARCH PROGRAM COUNCIL

  • Ariane Marelli, Chair
  • Basil Petrof, Vice-Chair
  • Jenny Koulis, Secretary
  • Jean Bourbeau
  • Miguel Burnier
  • Daniel Dufort
  • Kaberi Dasgupta
  • Reza Farivar-Mohseni
  • Liane Feldman
  • Gerald Fried
  • Indra Gupta
  • Ed Harvey
  • Costas Karatzas
  • Virginia Lee
  • James Martin
  • Bruce Mazer
  • Peter Metrakos
  • Keith Murai
  • Cinzia Raponi
  • Marc Rodger
  • Erwin Schurr
  • Michael Shevell
  • Don van Meyel
  • Simon Wing
  • TRAINEE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
  • Matthew Mannarino

Guests

  •  
  • ASSOCIATE PROGRAM LEADERS
  • Jake Barralet
  • Marcel Behr
  • Maziar Divangahi
  • Jamie Engert
  • Bertrand Jean-Claude
  • Stephane Laporte
  • Kathleen Mullen
  • Meranda Nakhla
  • Ron Olivenstein
  • Sushmita Pamidi
  • Elham Rahme
  • Benjamin Smith
  • Patricia Tonin
  •  
  • DESJARDINS CENTRE FOR ADVANCED TRAINING REPRESENTATIVE
  • Emily Bell
  •  
  • RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGERS
  • Eric Béliveau
  • Sabine Dhir
  • Louis Doré-Savard
  • Marie-Claude Gingras
  • Rachel Massicotte
  • James Mehta
  • Travis Moore
  • Inga Murawski
  • Fanny Toussaint

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