Welcome
Created in June 2002, the division of Cancer Prevention of the Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, is a multidisciplinary program that encompasses clinical, research and academic work in cancer prevention at the University. In close collaboration with the programs in Cancer Epidemiology and Cancer Genetics, the program focuses on the integration of research and clinical interests related to cancer prevention at McGill, and fosters further academic work in the field.
For the public, clinical services and educational materials about cancer prevention, and information about upcoming public lectures and programs are located at our clinical centre, which is based at the Jewish General Hospital.
The clinical services are currently offered at McGill's Jewish General Hospital site.
2025 CIHR Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention
On February 26, 2026, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada and partners are investing over $41 million in groundbreaking cancer prevention research through this program.
This funding will support 19 multidisciplinary research teams across Canada working over the next five years to develop new approaches to reduce cancer risk and improve early detection. This funding opportunity is led by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in partnership with the Terry Fox Research Institute, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, the Cancer Research Society, and BioCanRx.
As part of this national initiative, the research aims to generate new biological insights that could accelerate cancer prevention strategies.
Dr. Michael Pollak, Professor at McGill University and Director of the Cancer Prevention Centre, has been awarded a CIHR Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention, with his application ranked first in the national competition.
The five-year project, titled “Incretin-mimetic drugs for cancer prevention: Mechanisms and clinical potential,” will receive nearly $2 million in funding (2025–2030) to investigate whether medications used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, such as incretin-mimetics, could also help reduce cancer risk.
