New MUHC Foundation award program recognizes the MUHC’s rising stars

The Rising Star Program helps top early-career researchers accelerate their careers.

Montreal, January 12, 2023 — To keep pushing medicine forward, it is crucial for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) to attract the brightest minds. The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)Foundation and McGill’s Department of Medicine recently launched its new Rising Star Program to provide transformative funding to promising early-career physician-scientists. The new program will bring world-class talent to Montreal, helping shape the MUHC into a globally-recognized institution.

The Rising Star Program is designed to provide brilliant individuals with the resources they need for their careers to flourish. Recipients are awarded funding to kick-start their research, as well as training and mentorship from Montreal’s top physician-scientists. The MUHC Foundation is actively fundraising to provide a transformative award of $300,000 to each Rising Star. A new Rising Star will be named every 2 years.

“Early-career funding is incredibly important to the development of the MUHC’s talent. Our new recruits have so many innovative ideas, but securing funding to test those ideas is difficult. The Rising Star Program provides everything they need to shine.”

—Marc Rodger, Physician-in-Chief, MUHC

The MUHC Foundation and the McGill Department of Medicine are proud to announce the first Rising Star, Dr. Patrick Lawler. Dr. Lawler is a cardiologist who was recently recruited from the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto. He attended medical school at McGill University followed by training at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and returns to Montreal to lead innovative clinical research within the MUHC’s cardiology department. His work focuses on the relationship between severe infection and heart attack, including the impact of severe infections on long-term outcomes after critical illness. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Lawler and a global team of researchers reported the impact of ICU treatments’ on long-term outcomes among 4869 patients with COVID-19.

“I am honoured to have been selected as the MUHC’s first Rising Star. The MUHC has a rare concentration of excellent clinicians and talented researchers. I look forward to working alongside its outstanding personnel.”

—Dr. Patrick Lawler, Cardiologist, MUHC

Not only does the Rising Star Program help advance medicine, it’s an excellent tool for recruitment of world-class physician-scientists. The program will help make the MUHC competitive with medical powerhouses like the UHN and Harvard University.

“When our loved ones get sick, we want the very best physicians to care for them. The Rising Star Program is attracting new experts to our city to ensure everyone receives the best possible care.”

—Julie Quenneville, President and CEO, MUHC Foundation

To ensure exceptional care for all Quebecers, the MUHC Foundation is seeking support to ensure the continuance of this prestigious program. Support the MUHC’s Rising Stars and learn how their research will change the course of lives and medicine.

Give to the Rising Star Program