McGill’s 2026 cohort includes President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini, recognized for his leadership in building stronger and more innovative Canadian universities, and championing their vital role.

An environmental policy designed to improve air quality also has benefits for cardiovascular health, finds a new McGill-led study.

Researchers found China's Clean Heating Policy – introduced to reduce smog by helping rural households switch from coal to electric or natural gas home heating – also lowered adults’ blood pressure. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease worldwide.

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By Neale McDevitt
Editor, McGill Reporter

September 4, 2026

In the midst of another intense wildfire season, a new study sheds light on the risks they pose to life-sustaining dialysis care for thousands of Canadians.

In a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary project conducted by McGill researchers from the Departments of Medicine and Geography, the team led a national wildfire risk assessment focused on Canadian dialysis facilities. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the team integrated dialysis facility locations with historical wildfire records and current fire danger data to identify communities and patients at greatest risk.

The legalization of cannabis affects substance use, with the potential for both negative and positive impacts on public health, a new McGill-led study found.

The researchers conducted a systematic review of evidence from 176 studies spanning 30 years in Canada, the United States, Europe, Uruguay and Australia. Published in The Milbank Quarterly, the review is one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of how cannabis policy reforms affect substance use and public health.

27 August 2026 – Chloé Arson, Tomislav Friščić, Julie Lockwood, Sameer Sonkusale, Phillip Zamore and Ethan Zuckerman have been named McGill University’s inaugural Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada. Supported by $52 million in federal funding awarded to the University over eight years, these appointments build on McGill’s established strength in health, sustainability systems and public policy research.

The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) is proud to celebrate the election of three of its distinguished researchers to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS): Dr. Edward Fon, Director of The Neuro, Professor Michael Petrides, and Professor Robert Zatorre.

A short workout or a nap can help protect memory after a sleepless night, a McGill University-led study has found.

Researchers found people who either completed 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise or took a 90-minute nap performed about 22 per cent better on memory tests after 30 hours without sleep than those who did neither. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), point to practical ways to counter the effects of sleep deprivation.

From next-generation energy solutions to sustainable food innovation, 25 McGill research projects receive support through CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund. 

The arrival of generic semaglutide in Canada significantly improves the cost-effectiveness and affordability of recommended treatments for up to 2.1 million Canadians living with Type 2 diabetes who face a high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a simulation study led by researchers at McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

58 McGill research projects were awarded funding through CIHR’s Spring 2026 Project Grant competition, to support high-potential health research across all areas and career stages.  

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced a total national investment of $412 million through the CIHR Spring 2026 Project Grant competition, funding 439 grants. In addition, 19 Priority Announcement grants were funded for a total amount of $1.9 million.

A McGill University-led study has uncovered a previously unknown ability of T cells that could change our understanding of how long-term immunity develops.

Scientists have long believed that tissue resident memory T cells – which remain in tissues after an infection has cleared and respond rapidly if the threat returns – are shaped primarily by biochemical signals.

An innovative youth mental health service model can improve care and ease pressure on Canada's health-care system, a new study led by researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre demonstrates.

McGill University researchers have developed a new tool to identify heart disease risk in women earlier in life.

Findings from a study published in JACC: Advances highlight gaps in existing approaches.

A new study by a team of McGill researchers could help explain why people who have quit smoking remain at elevated risk of lung disease long after their last cigarette.

Their paper, published in Translational Research, provides one of the most detailed pictures to date of how quitting smoking affects the human lung at the cellular level.

Topics include youth agency through video games and entrepreneurship education in India.

A shift to cleaner transportation could prevent more than 3,600 premature deaths in Montreal and Toronto by reducing ultrafine particle pollution, finds a new study led by McGill researchers.

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are microscopic pollutants produced in large quantities by vehicle exhaust. Because of their small size, they can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream and may contribute to serious health problems such as heart and lung disease.

Funding supports bold ideas across natural sciences and engineering disciplines at McGill, in fields ranging from ophthalmology and physics to music research and electrical engineering.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded 122 McGill research projects funding from its Discovery Grants competition for a total investment of $30 million.  

A new study finds public specialized gambling addiction treatment services are underused in Quebec, pointing to a need to better reach people with gambling disorder.

Researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre followed more than 2,300 people with a gambling disorder over 13 years. Despite free access, patients averaged fewer than two treatments during that period.

Children and older adults are consistently less likely to live near bike lanes, finds a new study that mapped cycling infrastructure in three Canadian cities over a decade.

The McGill-led research analyzed census data for Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria. Across all three cities, neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of children (under 15) and older adults (65+) were located farther from cycling infrastructure.