Latest News

New Triple Negative Breast Cancer Trial

2023-12-05

Jamil Asselah
Dr. Jamil Asselah is the local lead of a new global randomized Phase 3 clinical trial for triple negative breast cancer. See the press release from the McPeak-Sirois group. 

Focus on Faculty Profile - Bassam Abdulkarim

2023-12-01

Bassam Abdulkarim
Bassam Abdulkarim, MD is profiled in the December 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Abdulkarim is a clinician scientist and radiation oncologist at the Cedars Cancer Centre of the MUHC. He runs a radiation biology laboratory at the Research Institute of the MUHC where he conducts research on DNA damage and repair as well as pre-clinical and clinical drug development in combination with radiotherapy. Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

7th Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology Distinguished Lecture and Awards Ceremony

2023-11-28

On November 27, 2023 the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology held its 7th annual Distinguished Lecture and Awards Ceremony. This year's Distinguished Lecturer was Prof. Morag Park who presented the talk: The cancer research ecosystem, lessons learned, gaps in knowledge, future directions.

2023 Award Recipients

Academic, Research or Clinical Support: Veronica Atehortua
Teaching and Mentorship: Dr. Valerie Panet-Raymond 
Clinical Service and Innovation: Dr. Tarek Hijal
Research: Prof. Josie Ursini-Siegel 
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Richard L. Cruess 

This year's Kuok Fellowship recipients also were announced at this event:

Callum Mullen (PhD candidate)
Aissatou Bintou Khairy Thilor Ndiaye (PhD candidate)

GCI bcomes an FRQ-S funded Research Institute

2023-11-27

The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute has been integrated with the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQ-S) Program for Research Centres and Institutes. In addition to the designation, over the next four years the GCI will receive close to $900,000 in funding with the possibility of renewal. Read more

Coping Interventions for Caregivers

2023-11-02

Sylvie Lambert
Prof. Sylvie Lambert has been featured in an article on the Ingram School of Nursing website regarding her research on coping interventions for caregivers of patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Read more

Focus on Faculty Profile - Justin Sanders

2023-11-01

Justin Sanders
Justin Sanders, MD is profiled in the November 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Sanders holds the Kappy and Eric M. Flanders Chair of Palliative Care and is the Director of the Division of Palliative Care in the Department of Family Medicine, as well as the Director of the Division of Supportive and Palliative Care at the McGill University Health Centre. He is conducting research on psychological distress and healing relationships in serious illness. Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

New Appointment

2023-10-11

Sreenath Madathil - Associate Member (Cancer Epidemiology)

Obituary

2023-10-03

Jerry Pelletier
The Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology mourns the loss of Jerry Pelletier, PhD who was a basic science researcher at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute.  His research focused on RNA biology and therapeutics.  Professor Pelletier was featured in the September 2021 Focus on Faculty profile and had received the Department of Oncology's Merit Award for Research or Clinical Service in 2015.
In Memorium: Remembering Jerry Pelletier

Focus on Faculty Profile - Richard Payne

2023-10-01

Richard Payne
Richard Payne, MD is profiled in the October 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Payne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and an Associate Member of the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology.  As a leader in the field of thyroid cancer diagnostics, management and surgery Dr. Payne is interested in molecular testing of thyroid tumors and using the genetic mutation/alteration to optimize patient care.  Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

Research Grants

2023-09-07

Sylvie Lambert  Catherine Goudie
Congratulations to Prof. Sylvie Lambert on receiving a research grant from the Canadian Cancer Society to look at symptom management among those from CALD backgrounds at SMHC and MUHC.

Congratulations to Dr. Catherine Goudie who received a CIHR Project Grant for the project Leveraging precision medicine and eHealth to predict cancer predisposition syndromes in children: A Canadian initiative to redress global health disparities in cancer genetics.

Royal Society of Canada

2023-09-06

Janusz Rak
Congratulations to Prof. Janusz Rak on being inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science. 

CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund

2023-09-06

April Rose  Donna Senger
Congratulations to Dr. April Rose on receiving a CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant for the project, Characterizing Mechanisms of Therapeutic Resistance in Metastatic Cancers to Discover Novel Therapeutic Opportunities, and to Prof. Donna Senger on receiving a CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant for the project, High Resolution Intravital Imaging Platform to Assess Inflammation in the Pulmonary Vasculature.

Focus on Faculty Profile - Shafaat Rabbani

2023-09-01

Shafaat Rabbani
Shafaat Rabbani, MD is profiled in the September 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Rabbani is a basic scientist whose research interests include the role of Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator in tumour invasion, growth and metastasis as well as the use of DNA methylation signatures as biomarkers Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

New Department Chairs

2023-09-01

Armen Aprikian  William Foulkes
Dr. Armen Aprikian has been appointed Interim Chair of the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology taking over from Prof. Eduardo Franco who served in the role of department Chair for over 12 years. 

Dr. William Foulkes has been appointed Chair of the Department of Human Genetics taking over from Prof. Eric Shoubridge who served as Chair since 2013. 

Focus on Faculty Profile - Annie Leung

2023-08-02

Annie Leung
Annie Leung, MD is profiled in the August 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Leung is a gynecologic oncologist at the MUHC and as a clinician scientist her research focuses on biomarkers and its applications in cervical cancer screening. Read her profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

Funding from Moderna

2023-07-26

Julia Burnier
Congratulations to Professor Julia Burnier on being one of two McGill researchers who received funding from Moderna for Lipid Nanoparticle research. Her project is Optimization of mRNA delivery vehicles based on extracellular particles. Read more

McGill's Academy of Exemplary Physicians

2023-07-20

George Shenouda  Robert Turcotte
Congratulations to Dr. George Shenouda and Dr. Robert Turcotte on being inducted into McGill's Academy of Exemplary Physicians. Read more.

Teaching Award

2023-07-07

Argerie Tsimicalis
Congratulations to Professor Argerie Tsimicalis on being awarded the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools' 2022-2023 Graduate Faculty Teaching Award (Master’s-level).

Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Québec 

2023-07-07

Howard Bergman
Congratulations to Dr. Howard Bergman on being named Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Québec. Read more

Focus on Faculty Profile - Neil Kopek

2023-07-02

Neil Kopek
Neil Kopek, MD is profiled in the July 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Kopek is a radiation oncologist at the MUHC and his main sites of clinical activity include thoracic, lower gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatobiliary malignancies. Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

McGill Distinguished Professorships

2023-06-22

William Foulkes  Eduardo Franco  Julia Burnier
Congratulations to the following Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology faculty members who recently were honoured with McGill Distinguished Professorships:

Distinguished James McGill Professor
William Foulkes
Eduardo Franco

William Dawson Scholar
Julia Burnier

Funding from CQDM

2023-06-22

Michel Tremblay
The Consortium Québécois Sur La Découverte Du Médicament (CQDM) has awarded funding to Kanyrpharma, (Chief Executive Officer Daniel Bouthillier,  Chief Scientific Officer and Goodman Cancer Institute Professor Michel. L. Tremblay) for their project focusing on the development of immunotherapy for two aggressive cancers: triple-negative breast cancer and metastatic prostate cancer.

Honouring Sheila Kussner

2023-06-14

Sheila Kussner's life and work is the subject of a recently launched book by Douglas Hunter, Repairing the World: Sheila Kussner and the Power of Empathy.  In addition to being the founder of Hope & Cope, a peer-based support organization for cancer patients, Kussner played an instrumental role in the creation of McGill's Department of Oncology. She is featured in a recent article in the McGill News Alumni Magazine.   

New Appointments

2023-06-06

Melica Brodeur - Assistant Professor (Gynecologic Oncology)
Talía Malagón - Assistant Professor (Cancer Epidemiology)
Trafford Crump - Associate Member (Health Services Research)

Promotion

2023-06-05

Laurent Azoulay
Congratulations to Laurent Azoulay, PhD who was promoted to Full Professor effective June 1, 2023.

Focus on Faculty Profile - Laura Habib

2023-06-05


Laura Habib, MD is profiled in the June 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Habib is a hemato-oncologist at St. Mary's Hospital and is a co-director of the hematology residency program.  Read her profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

GOC Presidential Medal Award

2023-05-25

Walter Gotlieb
Congratulations to Dr. Walter Gotlieb on being awarded the 2023 Presidential Medal from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Canada (GOC). The award will be presented on the evening of June 9, 2023 at the GOC's 44th Annual General Meeting dinner.

Promotion

2023-05-24

John Kildea
Congratulations to John Kildea, PhD who has been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor effective June 1st.

Brazilian Academy of Medicine

2023-05-23

Luis Souhami
Congratulations to Dr. Luis Souhami who was inducted to the Brazilian Academy of Medicine (Academia Nacional de Medicina).

Faculty Honour List

2023-05-19

John Kildea
Congratulations to John Kildea, PhD on being named to the 2023-2024 Faculty Honour List for Educational Excellence.  Read more.  

Medical Cannabis for Cancer Pain Relief

2023-05-05

Antonio Vigano
Dr. Antonio Vigano has published a study in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care showing that medical cannabis is effective in reducing cancer pain and which could help reduce cancer patients' use of medications and opioids. Read more

Focus on Faculty Profile - Norma Ybarra

2023-05-05

Norma Ybarra
Norma Ybarra, PhD is profiled in the May 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. As a member of the Medical Physics Unit Professor Ybarra's research focuses on the interplay between ionizing radiation, as delivered in radiation treatment, and cellular structures and molecules. Read her profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

FRQS Salary Award Recipients

2023-05-01

Congratulations to the following recent recipients of FRQS Salary Awards: 

Claudia Kleinman - Chercheurs-boursiers
Justin Sanders - Chercheurs-boursiers cliniciens
Argerie Tsimicalis - Chercheurs-boursiers

Rossy Cancer Network's CQI Research Fund 2022 recipients

2023-04-26

The recipients of the Rossy Cancer Network's CQI Research Fund 2022 competition have just been announced:

Christine Maheu & Nathalie JohnsonLymfit cardio-oncology exercise program: Optimizing fitness, health care and quality of life for lymphoma survivors

Chelsia GillisStrengthening candidacy for same day discharge colorectal surgery: A multi-centered mixed methods study

Melissa HenryA research quality improvement program to address cancer health inequalities

Stephanie Wong & William FoulkesBreast oncology Initiated Genetic Testing (BRIGHT) Program for women with newly diagnosed or recurrent stage I-IV breast cancer

Sylvie LambertBeyond RCTs, what is the real-world evidence for patient-reported outcomes (PROs) screening in routine cancer care? Patients’ perspectives and impact on emergency room visits and survival

Further information

Funding from Genome Canada

2023-04-26

Christoph Borchers
Congratulations to Professor Christoph Borchers in partnership with MRM Proteomics, on being awarded over $3 million in funding from Genome Canada for the research project MutaQuant: A powerful proteogenomic phenotyping tool for precision medicine. 
 

Focus on Faculty Profile - John Kildea

2023-04-02

John Kildea
John Kildea, PhD is profiled in the April 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. As a medical physicist Professor Kildea is studying how ionizing radiation causes and cures cancer and is building user-centered software to power a learning healthcare system. Read his profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

New Appointments

2023-03-30

Kim Ma - Assistant Professor (Hematology-Oncology)
Antonia Arnaert - Associate Member (Psychosocial Oncology)

CSPCP Humanitarian Award

2023-03-27

Megan Doherty
Congratulations to Dr. Megan Doherty on being the recipient of the 2023 Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP).  The award will be presented during the CSPCP's 18th Advanced Learning in Palliative Medicine Conference on May 4, 2023.

Focus on Faculty Profile - Peter Siegel

2023-03-02

Peter Siegel
Peter Siegel, PhD is profiled in the March 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Professor Siegel is a basic scientist whose research focuses on molecular mediators and cellular process that promote breast cancer metastasis to distinct sites such as the bone, lung, liver and brain.  Read his profile

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

New Director of the Medical Physics Unit

2023-02-28

Congratulations to Professor Shirin Enger who has been appointed as the Director of the Medical Physics Unit.

Research News

2023-02-27

Janusz Rak  Eduardo Franco
Professor Janusz Rak is leading the Liquid Biopsy Research Project which aims to develop blood or urine tests (liquid biopsies) for cancer diagnosis. Read more.

Parker Tope, a Research Assistant in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology led by Professor Eduardo Franco, conducted a review which shows that there needs to be more standardised approaches to assess lag times between cancer diagnosis and treatment. Read more

Prix de cancérologie 2022

2023-02-27

Gerald Batist Carmen Loiselle
Congratulations to Dr. Gerald Batist, Professor Carmen Loiselle and the oncology team at the Jewish General Hospital (CIUSSS West-Central Montreal) on being awarded the Prix de cancérologie 2022 from the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, for their Belong -Beating Cancer Together app which supports patients and their families throughout the cancer trajectory. Read more.

Promotion

2023-02-13


Congratulations to Professor Josie Ursini-Siegel on being promoted to Full Professor.

Focus on Faculty Profile - Ipshita Prakash

2023-02-03

Ipshita Prakash
Ipshita Prakash, MD is profiled in the February 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Prakash is a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer. Read her profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

Promotion

2023-01-13

Michael Hier
Congratulations to Dr. Michael Hier on being promoted to Full Professor.

Order of Canada Appointments

2023-01-02

Congratulations to Dr. Bernard Lapointe and Dr. Carolyn Freeman on their recent appointments to the Order of Canada.

Bernard Joseph Lapointe, O.C.
For his career dedicated to the teaching and development of palliative care in Canada.

Carolyn R. Freeman, C.M.
For her leadership in the field of pediatric radiation oncology and for her sustained efforts to improve the quality of cancer care in Quebec and across Canada.

Focus on Faculty Profile - Sonia Skamene

2023-01-02

Sonia Skamene
Sonia Skamene, MD is profiled in the January 2023 installment of the Focus on Faculty series. Dr. Skamene is a radiation oncologist who is a champion for quality improvement. Read her profile.

Visit our Focus on Faculty page to read profiles of other featured Department faculty members.

Happy New Year - 2023

2023-01-02

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.

Melody Beattie

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/melody_beattie_676229

 

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