McGill researchers have created and validated a virtual coaching program that helps parents of preschoolers with developmental delays navigate the maze of assessments, appointments and decisions with which they can be faced.

BRIGHT Coaching provides one-on-one support from a trained coach, offering practical guidance and information for concerns ranging from speech and language delays to autism and cerebral palsy. Coaches also guide parents on how to promote healthy child development and family resilience while they wait for services.

By comparing variations in the colour of the coats of the eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Montreal city parks, researchers found that hyper-local conditions appear to play a bigger role in determining wildlife traits than had been thought. 

A major grant will enable McGill University Libraries to delve into the Libro di Piume, or Feather Book, an exceptional artifact created in Italy more than 400 years ago. This unique object contains 156 illustrations made from feathers and other organic materials, including approximately 100 bird depictions incorporating, beaks, feathers and feet.

The tolerance of individual Canadians for radical forms of environmental activism depends on several factors. Overall, however, Canadians do not support vandalism or violence as forms of protest. Those are the key findings of a new study by researchers from McGill University and Université Laval.

A sports psychology intervention aimed at improving the culture of the McGill Redbirds football team provides valuable insights that can be applied in many organizational settings, researchers say.

During the 13-week intervention, athletes were invited to work together to define the team’s values and recommend how to cultivate and reinforce them.

Caring for others without caring for oneself is associated with lower levels of well-being and may not be sustainable, a new study found.

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.

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.

Six incoming McGill University students are recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship.

More than 1,300 students were nominated for the coveted award out of a pool of 350,000 potential candidates across Canada. One hundred Schulich Leader Scholarships are awarded annually across 20 partner universities in Canada, including McGill.

A McGill University-led study suggests that Canada’s elite hockey system would benefit from placing a greater emphasis on developing well-rounded individuals.

The researchers found that while Canada continues to produce world-class athletes, the “win-at-all-costs” culture often associated with elite male hockey players can overshadow the personal growth of players ages 15 to 17 and may contribute to broader issues within the sport, including unhealthy team environments and recurring off-ice transgressions.

Going beyond technical and tactical skills

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.

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.

McGill University researchers have developed a more energy-efficient method of building AI systems that are better at measuring – and indicating – their own uncertainty. This will help users determine when human oversight is needed, when additional data should be collected and when a model is being asked to work beyond the conditions it was trained for, the researchers said. 

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.

An app developed by McGill researchers is helping families find inclusive activities for children with disabilities.

The Jooay app, created by Prof. Keiko Shikako and Prof. Annette Majnemer, is a free platform that connects users with information on inclusive sports, arts programs, camps and other recreational opportunities in their community.

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Trois-Rivières, Aug.17, 2026

At a time of polarization, disinformation and growing distrust of institutions, a new French-language book club open to the public aims to create spaces for civic discussion across Quebec.

Right-leaning Canadians’ trust in the bodies that manage Canadian elections has declined significantly since 2019, a McGill-led research team has found.

Their research draws on data collected between 2008 to 2021 by the Canadian Election Study (with about 72,000 respondents), as well as information gathered by the Media Ecosystem Observatory after the 2021 Canadian federal election (with nearly 3,000 respondents) and the Quebec election of 2022 (with approximately 1,500 respondents).

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.

Municipal regulation of short-term rentals “is low-hanging fruit” that helps improve housing affordability, a new study by McGill researchers suggests. 

The study found that rents were relatively lower in Canadian municipalities that imposed restrictions on when and how principal residences can be offered as short-term rentals.  

The benefits also extended to neighbouring municipalities that did not adopt restrictions.