Congratulations to Dr. Dao Nguyen for receiving the 2016 Cystic Fibrosis Research Innovation Award (junior investigator) for her research project entitled: The impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lasR variants on airway inflammation and CF lung disease. (November 2016)
Congratulations to Dr. Carolyn Baglole on receiving 2 year funding from the Boehringer-Ingleheim’s Innovation in Understanding ILD (BUILD) program for her project entitled “Prognostic and therapeutic utility of human antigen R (HUR) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis”. (November 2016)
Dr. Benoit Allard (PDF with Dr. James Martin) received a prize for best oral communicationduring the 2016 Congrès québecois en santé respiratoire (November 2016)
The Réseau en santé respiratoire du FRQS awarded a team grant entitled “Importance et prévention de la dysfonction diaphragmatique associée à la ventilation chez le nourrisson”. Team members include: Dr. Basil Petrof (Meakins and RESP Program), Dr. Guilherme Sant’Anna (RESP Program), Dr. Guillaume Emeriaud (St. Justine), Dr. Jean-Paul Praud (U Sherbrooke), Dr. Hugo Théôret (St. Justine), and Sylvain Morneau (St. Justine). (November 2016)
Congratulations Dr. Maziar Divangahi! Together with an international consortium, he published the first Primer on Tuberculosis in Nature Reviews Disease Primers. (October 2016)
Dr. Christine McCusker was honoured as the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology’s (CSACI) F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research (October 2016).
Dr. Christine McCusker spoke during the launch of the MUHC Foundation’s Discovery Club. Together with Drs. Phil Gold, Jacques Genest, Nitika Pant Pai, and the Honourable Marc Garneau, we heard about how our very own researchers are defining the future of research (October 2016).
Watch the video from our May 2016 Café Scientifique on Rare Respiratory Diseases. Thank you again to Michel Rochon who moderated the event flawlessly, Sarah Dettmers who shared her courageous story as a CF patient, and our experts: Dr. Jennifer Landry, Dr. Larry Lands, Dr. André Cantin, Dr. Arnold Kristof, and Dr. Simon Rousseau (October 2016).
Dr. Bruce Mazer was appointed Interim Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer, RI-MUHC (October 2016).
The 1st Summer Student Research Day was fantastic! Congratulations to all theMeakins/RESP summer students who presented: Joyce Jang (James Martin lab), Oliver Schneider (Bruce Mazer and Christine McCusker labs), Andrea Wang(Dao Nguyen lab), Kashmira Prasade(Carolyn Baglole lab), Brandon Stopnicki (Bruce Mazer lab). (August 2016)
The Meakins would like to say thank youand farewell to Dr. Christina Haston. Dr. Haston joined McGill and the Meakins in 2002. She is now moving across Canada and will continue her research at the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC Okanagan. We wish you all the best! (August 2016)
Drs. Carolyn Baglole and Dao Nguyen have been promoted to Associate Professors with tenure at McGill University (July 2016)
Congratulations to all successful CIHR Project Scheme applicants. From the Meakins: Anne-Marie Lauzon for her grant entitled “Establishing the role of airway smooth muscle in human asthma and its potential as a target for therapy”. James Martin for his grant entitled “EGFR; a key pathway in immune effector responses and asthmatic airway remodeling”. Basil Petrof for his grant entitled “Novel strategies for treating respiratorymuscle failure in muscular dystrophy”. Dao Nguyen for her grant entitled “Genetic adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and lung inflammation”. Arnold Kristof for his grant (bridge funding) entitled “Targeted Therapies for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis”. We would also like to congratulate the following RECRU members on their successful grants. Faiz Ahmad Khan for his grant entitled “Computer-aided detection of pulmonary tuberculosis on digital chest x-rays: its role in the detection of active tuberculosis in a high burden setting of low HIV prevalence. John Kimoff for his grant entitled “Effects of positive airway pressure treatment of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing on maternal and fetal outcomes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a pilot randomized controlled trial”. And Jean Bourbeau for his bridge funding grant with Sara Ahmed and Jacques Ricard entitled “Maximizing the effects of self-management interventions on chronic disease outcomes: implementation of a chronic disease patient health portal in primary care”. (July 2016)
The 27th Annual Respiratory Research Day was a success. Thank you to all the presenters for attending and presenting their research. The best poster presentation winners were: Di Xue (PhD Trainee, Supervisor: Bruce Mazer), Alice Panariti (PDF, Supervisor: James Martin & Qutayba Hamid), Guillaume Mullie (Medical Trainee, Supervisor: Kevin Schwartzman), Yukiko Sato (MSc Trainee, Supervisor: John Hanrahan). (May 2016) For pictures: Meakins Facebook(May 2016)
A new study by Dr. Larry Lands reinforces the importanceof implementing newborn screening for Cystic Fibrosis in Quebec (May 2016).
Dr. Alejandro GRASSINO 1938-2016 It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Alejandro Grassino on May 3, 2016. Born on April 5, 1938 in Manuel Galvez, Argentina to Luisa Rossini and Alejandro Grassino, Dr. Grassino completed his medical degree at Rosario Medical School and a fellowship at Harvard University before becoming Head of the Respiratory Division at Notre Dame Hospital, Professor of Medicine at McGill University and Université de Montreal, and Research Director at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. Deeply dedicated to his calling as a pneumologist, Dr. Grassino was held in high esteem by colleagues, students, and patients alike while receiving many accolades for his research contributions to the specialty. He will be forever cherished by his devoted spouse of 42 years, Ilze Kraulis, his daughter Marie- Anne, his son Alexander (Renée Figlarz), and his grandchildren, Anya and Mark. He will also be fondly remembered by family in Argentina and close friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Montreal or to a charity held dear. (May 2016)
Congratulations to Jean-Philippe Leduc-Gaudet (sup: Sabah Hussain) for receiving a CIHR Doctoral Award – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship (declined) and for receiving the Vanier Graduate Scholarship for three years (accepted). Congratulations to Dorival Martins (sup: Dao Nguyen) for receiving a CIHR Fellowship (April 2016)
Congratulations to all who received 2016/2017 FRQS Salary Awards: Carolyn Baglole(Chercheurs-Boursiers Junior 2), Sushmita Pamidi (Chercheurs-Boursiers Cliniciens Junior 1), Jason Shahin(Chercheurs-Boursiers Cliniciens Junior 1), Ilan Azuelos (Formation pour les médecins residents visant une carrière en recherche). (April 2016)
The 2016/2017 FRQS Awards Results are out! Congratulations to all our trainees who received funding for their projects. Masters Awards: Zsombor Balassy (sup: Anne-Marie Lauzon), Bahar Torabi (sup: Bruce Mazer); Doctoral Awards: Manyan Fung (sup: Arnold Kristof), Jean-Philippe Leduc-Gaudet (award declined) (sup: Sabah Hussain); PDF Awards: Isabelle Meunier (sup: Maziar Divangahi), Erwan Pernet (sup: Maziar Divangahi). (April 2016)
Congratulations to Drs. Carolyn Baglole and Benjamin Smith who received 2 year funding from the RI-MUHC Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp Grant Opportunities for Applications in Biomedical Research for their grant entitled “Airway Branch Patterns and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”. This junior team is being mentored by Dr. Aimée Ryan (CHHD program). (April 2016)
Congratulations to Dr. Maziar Divangahi who received 2 year funding with Dr. Donald Vinh (IDIGH program) from the RI-MUHC Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp Grant Opportunities for Applications in Biomedical Research for their grant entitled “The role of CARD9 in monocyte/macrophage immunity to fungal infections”. This junior team is being mentored by Drs. Donald Sheppard, Marcel Behr, Salman Qureshi, and Irah King. (April 2016)
Congratulations to Dr. Simon Rousseau on receiving 3 year (2016-2019) funding from Cystic Fibrosis Canada for his grant proposal entitled “Unravelling the complexity of IL-6 signaling in CF lung disease“. (March 2016)
Congratulations to Jeffrey Downey (Sup: Maziar Divangahi) and Necola Guerrina (Sup: Carolyn Baglole) who tied for first place for best oral presentation at the 16th Annual McGill Biomedical Graduate Conference (AMBGC). Congratulations to Swati Pareek (Sup: Carolyn Baglole) for winning a prize for best poster presentation at the 16th AMBGC. We are proud that Meakins trainees did so well! (March 2016)
Congratulations to Dao Nguyenon receiving an 18 month Discovery Award from the Department of Defence entitled “Bacteria-derived small molecules as novel antimicrobial adjuvents for the treatment of nosocomial and drug-resistant bacterial infections.” (January 2016)
Congratulations to Dr. Christine McCuscker and her team: their work was recognized by Québec Science magazine as one of the Top 10 Discoveries of 2015. Vote for them here! (January 2016)
