Prizes and awards

Dr. André Marette was awarded the Denis-Richard Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research and the exceptional visibility he brings to the Centre and the Institute. Dr. Marette is a dynamic and passionate scientist who also enjoys music and is a devoted fan of the Montreal Canadiens. Having joined the Institute’s Research Centre approximately fifteen years ago, Dr. Marette is internationally recognized for his expertise on the causes of diabetes. He has published more than 300 scientific articles and book chapters to disseminate his research findings. Among his many awards and distinctions are the prestigious Charles Best Lectureship Award from the University of Toronto and recognition as one of Québec Science magazine’s Top 10 Discoveries of the Year in 2020.

In 2025, the Société québécoise de lipidologie, de nutrition et de métabolisme (SQLNM) awarded Dr. André Marette, researcher at the Institute and professor at Université Laval, the prestigious Jean-Davignon and Paul-Lupien Founders’ Award. This award, which celebrates scientific excellence and impact in the fields of lipidology, nutrition, and metabolism, recognizes his outstanding contributions to research on insulin resistance, inflammation, and the prevention of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo was awarded an honorary doctorate (doctorate honoris causa) by the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium on April 18, 2024. At the Catholic University of Louvain, the tradition of awarding honorary doctorates dates to 1874 and serves to associate the University with individuals from around the world who, through science, culture, and civic engagement, contribute to a better humanity.

This commemorative distinction awarded to Dr. Jean-Pierre Després recognizes citizens who make significant contributions to society. A world leader in visceral obesity research, Dr. Després has transformed the prevention of chronic diseases through education and scientific mobilization. His long-standing commitment has reshaped health approaches for future generations.

The Canadian Society for Microbiologists (CSM) awarded Dr. Caroline Duchaine the prestigious Murray Award in recognition of her lifetime achievements.

In addition, Acfas awarded the 2024 Jacques-Rousseau Acfas Prize for Multidisciplinarity to Dr. Caroline Duchaine, noting that “the recipient has elevated the science of bioaerosols, biological particles suspended in the air, to a decisively higher level through her multidisciplinary approach.”

The featured discovery opens new chapters in the history of science with a major advance. The team may have identified the key mechanism behind the appetite-suppressing effect of Ozempic. They also identified previously unknown neuronal populations that play an important role in appetite regulation.

Dr. François Dagenais received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons. Created in 2023, this award recognizes a member who has made a significant contribution to the academic, research, or clinical fields of Canadian cardiac surgery.

Dr. Marie-Annick Clavel was awarded the Mid-Career Lecturer Award in Cardiovascular Sciences by the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR-ICRH) and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. This award recognizes Dr. Clavel’s outstanding mid-career contributions to advancing cardiovascular sciences in Canada and internationally.

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF®) announced the appointment of Dr. Josep Rodés-Cabau, a world-renowned expert in structural heart disease, as Editor-in-Chief of Structural Heart: The Journal of the Heart Team, the official journal of CRF®.

Dr. Philippe Joubert is the holder of the new Canada Research Chair in the identification of predictive and diagnostic biomarkers to improve lung cancer management. The objective of his team is to develop predictive biomarkers to improve post-surgical management of patients who have undergone lung cancer resection. This work will also contribute to the training of students in cancer biology, immunology, and image analysis, using state-of-the-art technologies.

Ms. Raven Larocque Laliberté, a master’s student supervised by Dr. Marie-Ève Piché, received a $50,000 Master’s Perseverance Scholarship for First Nations and Inuit (BPaut) from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQS), enabling her to pursue research in Indigenous health. She was also invited as a young Indigenous leader from Canada to the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) 2025 global conference, held in Kenya from February 16 to 22, 2025.

Dr. Yann Grobs, a postdoctoral fellow, received the Cournand-Comroe Award from the American Heart Association. This distinction represents major recognition of Dr. Grobs’ early career and brings exceptional visibility to the Research Centre and the Pulmonary Hypertension and Vascular Biology Research Group. He also received the Best Doctoral Thesis Award in Quebec from the Association des doyennes et des doyens des études supérieures au Québec (ADESAQ), highlighting the excellence of his doctoral work and his strong potential to enrich the academic community soon.

Olivier Lavoie, a master’s student in pharmaceutical sciences supervised by Dr. Alexandre Caron and Dr. Natalie Jane Michael, received a Vanier Scholarship funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for his research project Functional and electrophysiological characterization of a new population of hypothalamic GABAergic neurons involved in energy metabolism.

William Gagnon, a doctoral student in nutrition supervised by Dr. André Marette, received a Vanier Scholarship for his project Targeting branched-chain amino acid hydroxylation to prevent insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis.