Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers awarded Vanier Scholarships and Banting Fellowships
Twenty-three McGill doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, including nine from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), have been awarded major funding from the Government of Canada in recognition of their academic excellence, leadership and research potential.
Sixteen McGill students (eight from the FMHS) received the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, which provides up to $50,000 per year for three years. Seven postdoctoral scholars earned the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship – including one from the FMHS – valued at up to $70,000 annually for two years.
This year, 166 Vanier Scholarships worth $24.9 million and 70 Banting Fellowships worth $9.8 million were awarded nationwide. The programs attract and support top-tier researchers from Canada and around the world.
Both programs have been funded by Canada’s three federal research agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
The announcement was made on July 9 by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, as part of over $1.3 billion in funding to support over 9,700 researchers and research projects across Canada.
This year’s recipients will be the last cohort to win these awards, which the federal government is replacing with a harmonized Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS).
“It is a true pleasure to extend my congratulations to this year’s Vanier and Banting award recipients,” said Josephine Nalbantoglu, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
“At McGill, our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s foremost professors and researchers, and work in a vibrant environment that supports and celebrates excellence. I can’t wait to see the amazing things these brilliant researchers will accomplish – for their fields, for their communities and for our institution.”
Learn more about the FMHS recipients below.
FMHS Banting Fellow
Louis-Pierre Auger, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Enhancing clinical practice and entry-level education to improve sexuality-related services for individuals with disabilities: Insights from two integrated knowledge translation studies
In Canada, 400,000 stroke survivors face challenges related to sexual health, with half experiencing sexual difficulties. Unfortunately, patients often lack access to sexual rehabilitation, which increases the risk of depression and reduces quality of life. A major barrier to proper care is the lack of training for clinicians, including occupational therapists (OTs). Two studies aim to tackle these issues. The first will evaluate a knowledge translation intervention in six Quebec stroke rehabilitation centers, involving patients, clinicians, and coordinators. The second study will assess sexuality education in 14 Canadian OT programs and co-design an evidence-based curriculum for OTs. Both studies aim to improve sexual rehabilitation services across Canada by addressing gaps in training and healthcare delivery for persons with stroke.
FMHS Vanier Scholars
Zaki Alasmar, Neuroscience
Bridging the Neuroimaging Gap: Multiscale Approaches to Assess White Matter Microstructure and its Connectivity
The brain’s white matter is essential for healthy function but is often disrupted by disease. While diffusion MRI allows us to study the brain in living individuals, it provides an indirect view of its structure. Direct study of brain tissue postmortem offers greater accuracy, but makes comparisons difficult. Brain banks offer a way to bridge this gap by enabling comparisons across scales, from imaging to histology. My research, using the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank, aims to strengthen this connection. I will develop a fast and reproducible method for scanning donated brains, then validate these scans by comparing them with microscopic tissue analysis to confirm their biological accuracy. Finally, I will extend the findings to a large set of lifespan scans to study how white matter changes with aging and disease. This research will provide new tools to connect brain scans with actual brain biology as a step towards personalised treatments.
Zeinab Cherri, Epidemiology
Estimating the causal effect of child marriage on mental health and sexually transmitted infections
Child marriage—defined by the United Nations as marriage before age 18—affects 650 million girls globally and remains a serious violation of human rights. Girls are disproportionately affected, reinforcing gender inequities in health, education, and economic opportunity. Rigorous research on the effects of child marriage on HIV seropositivity, intimate partner violence (IPV), and mental health remains limited. As such, major international organizations have called for further research to quantify these relationships.
My research addresses this gap by estimating the impact of child marriage on HIV, IPV, and mental health outcomes using nationally representative survey data from 38 low- and middle-income countries. I will assess whether marrying before age 18 increases the probability of experiencing these adverse outcomes. My findings will inform clinicians, policymakers, and public health practitioners about the unique risks faced by child brides and help design targeted interventions to reduce harm and protect child rights globally.
Navid Ghassemi, Neuroscience
Creating Foundation for Next-Generation Machine-Learning Tools for Automated Analysis of Rodent Behavioral Patterns in Home Cage Monitoring Systems
My project aims to develop a foundational AI model tailored for automated analysis of mice behavior to be integrated with Home Cage Monitoring (HCM) systems. Current behavioral studies rely on tests conducted outside mice’s natural environments, introducing stress and limiting observation periods. By enabling continuous, stress-free monitoring directly within home cages, our AI-driven approach significantly reduces external influences, enhancing the accuracy and reproducibility of behavioral insights. This foundational model not only streamlines data analysis, making research faster, cheaper, and more accessible, but also facilitates large-scale, cross-institutional experimentation. Ultimately, this project supports advancements in drug development and neuroscience research, accelerating discoveries in mental disorders and brain function, and potentially benefiting millions by expediting the translation of experimental findings into clinical applications.
Ninh Khuong, Epidemiology
The Use of Incretin-Based Drugs and SGLT-2 Inhibitors for the Prevention of Parkinson’s Disease Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. However, it is uncertain whether lowering blood sugar can help prevent Parkinson’s disease in patients with diabetes. Some newer blood sugar lowering medications may have a direct effect on the brain and provide additional protection against Parkinson’s disease In my study, I will use a database with medical information to select patients with diabetes treated with the older medication and compare them to patients treated with the newer medications. The aim is to determine whether those treated with the newer medications are less diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This research will provide information on the potential benefit of the newer blood sugar lowering medications in preventing Parkinson’s disease. This study will also help to inform prescription choices in the management of individuals with type 2 diabetes and improve the future health outcomes of these patients.
Thilor Ndiaye, Epidemiology
Estimating the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ovarian Cancer Incidence, Treatment Volumes, Survival, and Inequalities in Canada
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, often diagnosed at an advanced stage due to vague symptoms and lack of early detection tools. Timely treatment is essential to improve outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted cancer care across Canada, delaying diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, and follow-up, with many patients relying on telemedicine. These disruptions likely worsened ovarian cancer prognosis and may have disproportionately affected individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. However, evidence on how these challenges influenced ovarian cancer outcomes across social groups remains limited. This study investigates the pandemic’s impact on ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival in Canada, and examines disparities by socioeconomic status. The findings will provide critical insights into how healthcare disruptions affected this high-risk population and help guide interventions for other high-mortality cancers. Ultimately, this research aims to strengthen health system resilience and ensure equitable access to timely, high-quality cancer care in future public health emergencies.
Ella Sahlas, Neuroscience (MDCM-PhD student)
Multimodal approaches for a more accurate and non-invasive identification of the epileptogenic zone
People with epilepsy experience reduced quality of life and increased risks of premature death, and over 30% suffer from seizures despite taking anti-seizure medication. In these cases, epilepsy surgery is the most effective treatment. However, only few of the patients who could be cured by surgery undergo this treatment. Increasing the number of patients who benefit from epilepsy surgery requires developing more precise and efficient ways to identify the area of the brain responsible for seizures in each patient, so that it can be removed while sparing nearby regions. My research combines non-invasive techniques to image the brain with high spatial and temporal precision, measuring abnormalities within and beyond areas of seizure activity. This will help advance methods for localizing the area responsible for seizures. My research also assesses potential changes in brain regions connected to this area, which could help explain why certain patients experience seizure recurrence after surgery.
Molly Lechen Shen, Biological and Biomedical Engineering
A 3D-printed Metastatic-Niche-on-a-Chip for Studying the Cancer-Stroma EV Crosstalk
The metastasis of cancer to distant organs accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths, with certain cancers such as breast cancer displaying organ-specific metastasis known as organotropism. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are cell-derived, cargo-carrying “mini cells”, are increasingly recognized as key mediators in metastatic organotropism, prompting further investigation. Yet, current in vitro co-culture models fall short at capturing the dynamic reciprocity between cancer and stromal cells at the metastatic niche. Organ-on-a-Chip (OoC) technologies have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional animal models and 2D cell culture by leveraging microfabrication, microfluidics, and 3D cell culture techniques to mimic both native and diseased organ states. My research aims to develop a Metastatic-Niche-on-a-Chip to study the EV crosstalk between breast cancer and stroma cells at the metastatic niche. We hope to uncover crucial EV signatures associated with metastatic predisposition and shed light on the dynamic plasticity and co-adaptation between cancer and stroma.
Xi Nicole Zhang, Computer Science (MDCM-PhD student)
Precision Therapeutic Response Prediction: A Conditional Flow Matching Approach
Therapeutic treatments have come a long way, but there is still a significant number of patients who don’t respond well to them. One of the challenges is that each person’s genetic make-up and condition is unique, making it hard to predict how disease will progress and which treatment will work best. My research focuses on using probabilistic generative models to map and predict patient-specific trajectory. By predicting how disease evolves in each patient, physicians can design better, personalized treatments. This not only improves the chances of success but also offers insights into new potential therapeutics.
Related:
Meet McGill’s 2025 Vanier Scholars
Meet McGill’s 2025 Banting Fellows