Recipients

March 15, 2025 (1st session – summer 2025)

Doctorate Category
Carlos FREYTAS PALOMO, under the supervision of: Dr Sergio Crespo-Garcia
School of Optometry / University of Montreal.

July 15, 2025 (1st session – fall 2025)

Master Category
Amrit DAS (supervisor: Cristina Bostan)
Université de Montréal

Xin Yi LI (supervisors: Sergio Crespo-Garcia and Marie-Lou Garon)
École d’optométrie – Université de Montréal

Brooke LIM (supervisor: Alexandre Reynaud)
Université McGill

Edmond SANDOUK (supervisors: Georges Durr and Monal Harissi Dagher)
Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal – Université de Montréal

Linshan WANG (supervisor: Reza Farivar)
Université McGill

Alex ZHAO (supervisor: Suresh Krishna)
Université McGill

November 15, 2025 (1st session – winter 2026)

Master Category
Capucine MANDEL (supervisors: Christian Casanova and Nelson Cortes Hernandez)
Optometry School – University of Montreal

Doctorate Category
Patrick GREISS (supervisor: Sergio Crespo-Garcia)
Optometry School – University of Montreal

March 1, 2025

Darya VANICHKINA (laboratory: Dr Alexandre Reynaud)
Undergraduate student – McGill University
Short-term training: July 1, 2025 (14 days) at the laboratory of Dr. Aurélie Calabrèse, Aix-Marseille University, France

July 1, 2025

Penghan WANG (co-directors : Alexandre Reynaud, Robert Hess)
PhD student – McGill University
Summer school: August 11-22 2025 at the Systems Vision Science
Summer School and Symposium 2025 organized by the Max Planck Institute
for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, GERMANY

SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
Charlotte BETUS (co-directors : Jean-Sébastien Joyal, Benjamin Lauzière)
PhD student – Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine – Université de Montréal
Short-term training: August 11-14 2025 at Dr. Daan Van Aarlen’s laboratory, University Aarhus, DENMARK

November 1, 2025

Safiata SOUTONGNOMA KABORE
PhD student – Optometry School – University of Montreal
Short-term training: – 26 July 2026 (5 days), at Dr. Yingzi Xiong, Wilmer Eye Institute Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, USA

March 1, 2025

Undergraduate category (BSc or MD)

Lorena Alexandra MIJA
Medical Student – University of Montreal
Summer internship – June 1, 2025 (90 days) – at Cristina Bostan’s laboratory, University of Montreal, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal

Catherine COURCY
BSc student – Université Laval
Summer internship – May 12, 2025 (95 days) – at Solange Landreville’s laboratory, Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, CHU de Québec Research Center – Université Laval

Laurie ST-ARNAUD
BSc student – University of Montreal
Summer Internship – May 1, 2025 (90 days) – at Sergio Crespo-Garcia’s laboratory, School of Optometry, University of Montreal

Doctorate Category

Luke (Ajay) DAVID (director: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
IRCM (Montreal Clinical Research Institute) & McGill University
Summer Internship – May 3, 2025 (84 days) – at Ryan McDonald’s laboratory, University College London, Institute of Ophthalmology , United Kingdom

July 1, 2025

1st cycle Category (BSc or MD student)

Flavia ARIAS 
BSc student- McGill University
Fall internship – September 1st 2025 (84 days), at Stuart Trenholm’s laboratory, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal

Annie LAM-NGUYEN 
MS student – University of Montreal
Fall internship – September 1st 2025 (91 days), at Marie-Josée Aubin’s laboratory, Centre Universitaire d’Ophtalmologie de l’Université de Montréal, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal

November 1, 2025

No candidates

January 3, 2025

Darya VANICHKINA (director: Alexandre Reynaud)
Undergraduate Student – McGill University
Congress: The 25th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society – May 16-20, 2025, St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
Title: Reading efficiency in amblyopia, assessed with random temporal sampling.

Annie LAM-NGUYEN (director: Marie-Josée Aubin)
Undergraduate student – University of Montreal
Congress: Canadian Ophthalmological Society Annual Congress – June 19-22, 2025, Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, CANADA
Title: The Use of Electrophysiology in Patients with Birdshot Chorioretinopathy: A Review.

Nicolas TULI (director: Cynthia Qian)
Undergraduate Student – McGill University
Congress: Canadian Ophthalmological Society Annual Congress – June 19-22, 2025, Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, CANADA
Title: Father-to-son Transmission of X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Maya ADERKA (co-directors: Suresh Krishna and Khoa Nguyen Dang)
Undergraduate Student – McGill University
Congress: MicMac 2nd edition Rhythms in epilepsy, sleep and cognition – March 19-21, 2025, Research Center Cerveau Et Cognition, Toulouse, FRANCE
Title: New Microelectrode Implantation Approach in Human Insula: A Comprehensive Analysis of Technical Challenges and Recording Insights.

Yosra ER-REGUYEG (co-directors: Sylvain Chemtob and Ali Dirani)
Graduate student – Université de Laval
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) – May 4-8, 2025, Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, Utah, USA
Title: The systemic administration of melatonin maintains retinal vascular integrity in a rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.

Matheus ROSA (co-directors: Elodie Boisselier and Luciano Caseli)
Postgraduate student – Université de Laval
Congress: GOLD 2025 – May 4-8, 2025, Kursaal Convention Center, San Sebastian, SPAIN
Title: Mucoadhesive ultrastable gold nanoparticles for topical delivery of antiparasitic acetogenins and their interaction with membrane models.

July 1st, 2025

Nicole DRANITSARIS (co-directors : Alexandre Reynaud and Robert Hess)
2nd cycle student – McGill University
Congress: 15th International Conference on Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation – September 8-12, 2025, Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, ITALY
Title: At-home training on a dichoptic reading application to improve vision in adults with amblyopia

SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
Mozhgan AGHAJANZADEH KIYASEH (co-directors: May Griffith and Marie-Claude Robert)
3rd cycle student – Université de Montréal
Congress: 28th EVER CONGRESS – October 9-11, 2025, Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, ITALY
Title: Pioneering Design and Advancement of a One-Piece Keratoprosthesis (KPro) for Human Corneal Restoration

Shirley DUMASSAIS (director : Walter Wittich)
3rd cycle student– Université de Montréal
Congrès: 15th International Conference on Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation – September 8-12, 2025, Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, ITALY
Title: Protocol for the Development of International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Core Sets for Children and Youth with Deafblindness

Guillaume LALIBERTÉ (director : Denis Boire)
3rd cycle student – Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
Congress: Society for Neuroscience (SFN) meeting 2025 – November 15-19, 2025, San Diego Convention Center, Californie, USA
Title: Mesoscopic Calcium Imaging of Visual Cortex Demonstrates an Effective Transient Chemogenetic Retinal Ganglion Cell Silencing in Mice

Xinyue MA (co-directors : Arjun Krishnaswamy and Erik Cook)
3rd cycle student – Université McGill
Congress: 9th International Congress on Neuropathic Pain (NeuPSIG 2025) – September 4-6, 2025, Urania Berlin e.V., Berlin, GERMANY
Title: Elecfex is a user-friendly toolbox for efficient feature extraction from single-cell electrophysiological recordings

SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
Mostafa ZAMANI-ROUDBARAKI (co-directors: May Griffith and Christos Boutopoulos)
3rd cycle student – University of Montreal
Congress: 28th EVER CONGRESS – October 9-11, 2025, Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, ITALY
Title: A Synthetic Injectable Hydrogel with Anti-Inflammatory Effects for Treating Full-Thickness Corneal Perforations

Dominique GEOFFRION (director : Mona Harissi-Dagher)
Fellow – University of Montreal
Congress: American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting 2025 – October 18-20, 2025, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Floride, USA
Title: Comparison of Glaucoma Management and Graft Survival in Lamellar Corneal Grafts

August 15 2025

MSc Category

SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
Naila BOUADI
University of Montreal
Director: Marie-Claude-Robert

Xin Yi LI
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Directors: Sergio Crespo-Garcia, Marie-Lou Garon

SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
Edmond SANDOUK
University of Montreal
Directors: Georges Durr, Mona Harissi-Dagher

PhD Category

Guillaume BELLEMARE
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Directors: Sergio Crespo-GarciaJean-François Bouchard

Carlos FREYTAS-PALOMO
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Director: Sergio Crespo-Garcia

Xinyue MA
McGill University
Director: Arjun Krishnaswamy

Narmin ZARINABADI
University of Montreal
Director: Christian Casanova

August 1, 2024

Shirley DUMASSAIS , PhD Student, School of Optometry / University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Walter Wittich
Publication: Shirley Dumasais, Margaret Kathleen Pichora-Fuller, Dawn Guthrie, Natalie A. Phillips, Marie Savundranayagam, Walter Wittich. The cognitive evaluation of individuals with sensory impairment(s) . Age and Aging, 2024.

My research journey began during my undergraduate studies in psychology at Concordia University. I then began a Master’s degree in Vision Science at the Université de Montréal School of Optometry under the supervision of Associate Professor Walter Wittich, a recognized expert in the field of sensory deficiencies and their impact on health. My master’s thesis, entitled Cognitive Assessment of Individuals with Sensory Impairment(s), was the result of my knowledge about cognitive functioning and interactions with sensory systems, particularly vision and hearing. This study highlighted the importance of linking scientific findings to clinical occupational therapy practice. As part of my PhD, I will develop core sets of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for deafblindness in children and young people. This work aims to improve assessment, intervention, and overall quality of life by providing a comprehensive framework tailored to their specific needs.

March 1, 2024

Youjin Elizabeth YOUN (laboratory: Dr. Cynthia Qian)
MD student – Université de Montréal
Congress: Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) Annual Congress May 30 – June 2, 2024, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Ontario, Canada
Title: The Structural and Functional Impact of Retinopathy of Prematurity in a Group of School-Aged Children.

Samantha SASSEVILLE (laboratory: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Master’s student – Université Laval
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2024 – May 5-9, 2024, Seattle Convention Center, Washington, United States
Title: Intercellular Junction Formation of Human Corneal Endothelial Cells Cultured on a Soft Substrate.

Peter BROTHERWOOD (laboratories: Ian Charest and Shahab Bakhtiari)
Doctoral student – University of Montreal
Congress: 24th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS) – May 17-22, 2024, TradeWinds Island Grand Resort St Pete Beach, Florida, United States
Title: Neural responses in space and time to a massive set of natural scenes.

Luke (Ajay) DAVID (laboratory: Michel Cayouette)
Doctoral student – Montreal Clinical Research Institute
Conference: Gordon Research Conference – Visual System Development – May 19-24, 2024, Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Lucca (Barga), Italy
Title: Unlocking the regenerative potential of the mammalian retina.

Aurélie FUENTES-RODRIGUEZ (laboratory: Solange Landreville)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Congress: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting – April 5-10, 2024, San Diego Convention Center, United States
Title: Decoding the molecular mechanisms related to mutations in the GNAQ/11 and BAP1 genes in ocular melanoma.

Dominique GEOFFRION (laboratory: Mona Harissi-Dagher)
MD Resident – University of Montreal
Congress: Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) Annual Congress 2024 – May 30 to June 2, 2024, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Ontario, Canada
Titles (2 presentations) : Inflammatory tear cytokine levels in patients with Boston keratoprosthesis type 1 versus primary angle closure glaucoma, Probing Mechanisms and Improving Management of Glaucoma Following Boston Keratoprosthesis Surgery.

Merve KULBAY (laboratory: Cynthia Qian)
Resident – McGill University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2024 – May 5-9, 2024, Seattle Convention Center, Washington, United States
Title: The Impact of Choroideremia on Female Carriers – A Global Survey.

June 1, 2024

Yohai-Eliel BERREBY (laboratory: Suresh Krishna)
Master’s student – McGill University
Training: CIFAR Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning (DLRL) Summer School 2024 – July 8 to 17, 2024, Vector Institute, Toronto, Canada.

Guillaume LALIBERTÉ (director: Denis Boire)
PhD student – University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières
Congress: FENS Forum 2024 – May 25-29, 2024, Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria
Title: Cortical Network Reorganization of Congenital and Perinatal Blindness in Mice.

September 1, 2024

Ismaël DJEROUROU (Directors: Matthieu Vanni and Maurice Ptito)
PhD Student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: Society for Neuroscience (SFN) – October 5-9, 2024, McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, United States
Title: Mapping of the cortex by wide-field calcium imaging and optogenetics in sighted and blind mice.

Hamid GOODARZI (directors: Christos Boutopoulos and May Griffith)
PhD student at the University of Montreal – Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center
Congress: European Association for Vision and Eye Research (EVER) – November 3 to 5, 2024, Palacio de Congresos de València, València, Spain
Title: In-situ printing of LiQD cornea with LIST for corneal wound repair.

Shima SHIRZAD (director: Elvire Vaucher)
PhD Student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: XXVIth biennial meeting of the International Society of Eye Research (ISER) – October 20 to 24, 2024, Hilton Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Title: Prevention of vision loss by Kinin-kallikrein system in a model of wet age-related macular degeneration in mice.

Nicole DRANITSARIS (directors: Alexandre Reynaud and Robert Hess)
PhD Student – McGill University
Training: Under the supervision of Dr. Vincent Daien and Dr. Marie-Céline Lorenzini – November 4 to 18, 2024, University Hospital Center (CHU), Montpellier, France
Title: Development of dichoptic e-book reading application to improve vision in convergence insufficiency in children (ALEDICE Project). *RECIPENT OF A SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL*

March 15, 2024 (1st session – summer 2024)

Master Category
Kariane LARAMÉE (director: Sergio Crespo-Garcia)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Topic: Clusterin (CLU) in Müller glial cells in the course of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Doctorate Category
Guillaume BELLEMARE (directors: Drs Jean-François Bouchard and Sergio Crespo-Garcia)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Subject: Cellular mechanisms leading to vision impairments after prenatal exposure to alcohol.

July 15, 2024 (1st session – fall 2024)

Master Category
Maya ADREKA (directors: Suresh Krishna and Dang Nguyen)
McGill University

Charlie GRISÉ-JOLY (directors: Aarlenne Khan and Thomas Roméa)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal.

Frederic PICARD (director: Solange Landreville)
University of Laval

Doctorate Category
Yohaï-Eliel BERREBY (director: Suresh Krishna)
McGill University

Shirley DUMASSAIS (director: Walter Wittich)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

November 15, 2024 (1st session – winter 2025)

Master Category
Ayman DRIOUICH (director: Elvire Vaucher)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

Doctorate Category
Georgiana TOLAN (director: Aarlenne Khan)
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

Postdoctoral Category
Isabelle LARGILLIÈRE (director: Michel Meunier)
Polytechnique Montréal – University of Montreal

November 20, 2024

Undergraduate category
Marta LISÓN-PERIAÑEZ (supervisors: Sergio Crespo-Garcia and Dr Marta Gonzalez-Freire (Spain))
Research internship in the laboratory of Dr. Sergio Crespo-Garcia
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

José María ARÁN-TEJADA (supervisors: Dr Sergio Crespo-Garcia and Dr Marta Gonzalez-Freire (Spain))
Research internship at the Sergio Crespo-Garcia laboratory
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

2nd cycle category
Soutongnoma Safiata KABORE (supervisors: Joe Nemargut and Hassane Alami)
Summer internship in Marie-Pierre Gagnon’s laboratory, Université Laval
School of Optometry – University of Montreal

August 1, 2023

Hugo LADRET , PhD Student, School of Optometry / University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Christian Casanova
Co-supervision: Dr. Laurent Perrinet (Aix-Marseille University)
Publication: Ladret HJ, Cortes N, Ikan L, Chavane F, Casanova C, Perrinet LU. Cortical recurrence supports resilience to sensory variance in the primary visual cortex , Communications Biology, 6 (1), June 2023.

My name is Hugo Ladret, and my academic career, interdisciplinary by choice, spans a period of exactly 10 years. My training begins with a bachelor’s degree in cell biology at the University of Aix-Marseille, where I spent 2 years in parallel with my courses in a laboratory working on cortical plasticity (Ingrid Bureau, Institute of Neurobiology of the Mediterranean). I then moved on to a Master’s degree in Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience at the same university, strengthening my skills in mathematics, signal processing and analysis, under the supervision of Dr. Laurent Perrinet. In the second year of my master’s degree, I completed a 4-month internship in the laboratory of Prof. Christian Casanova (UdeM), reconnecting with my initial training as a biologist. Since September 2019, I have been a joint doctoral student under the supervision of these two researchers, using my knowledge of biological neural networks to build the artificial neural networks of tomorrow.

Masayuki HATA , Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha
Publication: Hata M, Hata M, Andriessen EM, Juneau R, Pilon F, Crespo-Garcia S, Diaz-Marin R, Guber V, Binet F, Fournier F, Buscarlet M, Grou C, Calderon V, Heckel E, Melichar HJ, Joyal JS, Wilson AM, Sapieha P. Early-life peripheral infections reprogram retinal microglia and aggravate neovascular age-related macular degeneration in later life , Journal of Clinical Investigation, 133 (4), February 2023.

Masayuki Hata was a postdoctoral researcher (completed in September 2022) in the laboratory of Professor Przemyslaw Sapieha at the University of Montreal in the field of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is currently an assistant professor at Kyoto University, Japan. He is interested in understanding innate immunity in pathological angiogenesis and neuroinflammatory diseases. Since receiving his MD and beginning his career as an ophthalmologist in 2007, followed by doctoral and postdoctoral studies in basic sciences, he has been continuously involved in research on AMD and retinal degenerative diseases. He has conducted research on elucidating pathological mechanisms, drug discovery, and precision medicine in these diseases using various approaches from basic, clinical, and translational research. He has published 85 peer-reviewed scientific articles (28 as first author) in journals in the field of ophthalmology and basic sciences. He has published articles as first author or corresponding author in high-impact journals such as Science, JCI, PNAS, IOVS, Retina, AJO, and Ophthalmology Retina. His recent work on the role of innate immunity in pathological angiogenesis and vascular remodeling has been published in Science (as first author), Journal of Clinical Investigation (as first author), Science (co-author), and EMBO Molecular Medicine (co-author). He has given more than 30 presentations at various meetings.

*Jacques-Genest Star Emerging Talent Award (FRQS) – July 2024*
*Brain Star Award – Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN-ACN) 2023*

Gaëlle Stéphanie MAWAMBO TAGNE , Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha
Publication: Gaëlle Mawambo, Malika Oubaha, Yusuke Ichiyama, Guillaume Blot, Sergio Crespo-Garcia, Agnieszka Dejda, François Binet, Roberto Diaz-Marin, Christina Sawchyn, Mikhail Sergeev, Rachel Juneau, Randal J. Kaufman, El Bachir Affar, Frédérick A. Mallette, Ariel M. Wilson and Przemyslaw Sapieha. HIF1α-dependent hypoxia response in myeloid cells requires IRE1α , Journal of Neuroinflammation, 20 (1), June 2023.

Born in Douala, Cameroon, I immigrated to Canada in 2008 where I began my academic career with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Montreal. Subsequently, I joined Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha’s research team to pursue my graduate studies in biochemistry by going directly from master’s to doctoral studies. During my graduate studies, I contributed greatly to the majority of the laboratory’s publications, including our team’s first innovative project (Binet F, Mawambo G, et al. Cell Metabolism, 2013) which demonstrated the ability of the axon guidance molecule, netrin-1, to induce the secretion of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF-A by cerebral macrophages or microglia in the context of vascular retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Still in the same pathology, we then published an article (Dejda A & Mawambo G, et al. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2014) showing the impact of the neuropillin-1 receptor. My latest study, recently published and currently presented as part of the Vision Network Award, concludes my doctoral work and focuses on a new mechanism involving a collaboration between the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway, more precisely the IRE1α pathway, and the HIF1α-mediated hypoxia response pathway. Our article demonstrates the impact of the convergent mechanism between these two pathways at the level of myeloid cells, leading to the production of cytokines such as IL1β, IL6 and VEGF-A involved in the progression of retinopathies.

March 1, 2023

Pascale CHARPENTIER (laboratory: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Master’s student – Laval University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023 – April 23-27, 2023, Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, USA
Title: Role of SLC4A11 and its Third Extracellular Loop in Adhesion of Corneal Endothelium.

Samantha SASSEVILLE (laboratory: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Master’s student – Laval University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023 – April 23-27, 2023, Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, USA
Title: Impact of Substrate Stiffness on Human Corneal Endothelial Cells.

Olivier CHANCY (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023 – April 23-27, 2023, Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, USA
Title: Tumorigenic properties of uveal melanoma cancer cells cultured in 3D or on a reconstructed extracellular matrix.

Kelly COUTANT (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023 – April 23-27, 2023, Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, USA
Title: Hepatic pre-metastatic niche formation by uveal melanoma extracellular vesicles.

Dominique GEOFFRION (laboratory: Dr Mona Harissi-Dagher and Miguel N. Burnier)
MDCM-PhD student – McGill University
Congress: Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology – March 17-20, 2023, La Rural, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Title (4 presentations) : Clinical & hitopathological study of corneal stromal dystrophies: A 15-year experience in Canada, Clinical & hitopathological study of pterygia: A 15-year experience in Canada, Feasibility and outcomes of endoscopy-assisted total pars plana vitrectomy at the time keratoprosthesis and Novel technique of concomitant endoscopy-assisted total pars plana vitrectomy in Boston keratoprosthesis type 1.

Julie OUERFELLI-ETHIER (laboratory: Dr Aarlenne Khan and Laure Pisella)
Doctoral student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: Vision Sciences Society – May 19-24, 2023, TradeWinds Island Resorts, St. Pete Beach, USA
Title: Posterior parietal cortex damage causes endpoint biases relative to the visual target during antisaccades.

Pedro SANTOS-FRANÇA (laboratory: Dr Michel Cayouette)
Doctoral student – Montreal Clinical Research Institute
Congress: 11th Canadian Developmental Biology Conference – March 23-25, 2023, Marriot Bonvoy conference center – Mont Sainte-Anne, Beaupré, Canada
Title: Ikzf2 regulates amacrine cell diversification in the developing mouse retina.

Ange TCHATCHOUANG (laboratory: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Congress: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2023 – April 23-27, 2023, Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, USA
Title: Expression of Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related Proteins in Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy Cells ex vivo and in vitro.

Katarzyna JUREWICZ (laboratory: Dr Suresh Krishna)
Postdoctoral fellow – McGill University
Congress: Canadian Neuroscience Meeting – May 28-31, 2023, Hotel Bonaventure Montreal (Congress Center), Montreal, Canada
Title: Trans-saccadic information carry-over in visual search.

June 1, 2023

Samantha BOUDREAU (laboratory: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Master’s student – Montreal Clinical Research Institute
Conference: FASEB: The Biology and Chemistry of Vision Conference – June 25-29, 2023, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Title: Uncovering the role of Podocalyxin-like protein (Podxl) in photoreceptor polarity and function.

Luke (Ajay) DAVID (laboratory: Dr Michel Cayouette)
Doctoral student – Montreal Clinical Research Institute
Congress: XVI European Meeting on Glial Cells in Health and Disease – July 8-11, 2023, Esterel Congress Center (ECC), Berlin, Germany
Title: Unlocking the regenerative potential of the mammalian retina.

Francis NOËL (laboratory: Dr. Élodie Boisselier)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Research Internship: Dr. Stefan W. Vetter’s Laboratory – August 15 to November 15, 2023, School of Pharmacy, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Title: Studying interactions between RAGE, S100A16 and Annexin A4 using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR).

September 1, 2023

Catarina Sofia MICAELO FERNANDES (laboratory: Dr Maurice Ptito and Jean-François Bouchard)
Doctoral student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: IBRO 2023 – IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience – September 9-13, 2023, Granada Exhibition and Conference Centre, Granada, Spain
Title: Anatomical evidence that the visual cortex is a potential model for studying the effects of cannabinoids.

Shima SHIRZAD (laboratory: Dr Elvire Vaucher)
Doctoral student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: The European Retina Meeting 2023 – September 17-20, 2023, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Title: Effect of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization on visual function in mice.

December 1, 2023

No candidates

March 15, 2023 (1st session – summer 2023)

Mastery Category
Alexa SILVA SOSA , under the supervision of: Dr. Malika Oubaha
University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)
Subject: The role of senescent microglia in vascular development.

Category Doctorate
Shaymaa KHAZAAL , under the supervision of: Dr. Malika Oubaha
University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)
Subject: Cellular Senescence and Stemness in Retinopathies Treatment.

July 15, 2023 (1st session – fall 2023)

Mastery Category
Julia FORESTELL , under the co-supervision of: Drs Arjun Krishnaswamy and Erik Cook
McGill University
Topic: The Role of Serotonergic Neuromodulation in Visual Attention and ASD.

Noa KEMP , under the supervision of: Dr Suresh Krishna
McGill University
Subject: Interactions between visual and auditory processing, attention and eye-movements.

Audrey LAMY-PROULX , under the co-supervision of: Drs Ian Charest and Frédéric Gosselin
University of Montreal
Topic: Reconstruction of mental images using Bubbles and electroencephalography.

Category Doctorate
Cornelius CRIJNEN , under the supervision of: Dr Shahab Bakhtiari
University of Montreal
Subject: An Artificial Neural Network model of human visual system: the role of ecological experience.

November 15, 2023 (1st session – winter 2024)

Doctorate Category
Xinyue MA , under the co-supervision of: Drs Arjun Krishnaswamy and Erik Cook
McGill University
Subject: Mapping and modeling subcellular and population dynamics on visual neurons during attention.

March 1, 2022

Kadjita ASUMBIA (laboratory: Dr Stuart Trenholm)
PhD student – Montreal Neurological Institute – McGill University
Congress: Computational and Systems Neuroscience (COSYNE) 2022 – March 16-22, 2022, Lisboa Congress Center, Lisbon, Portugal
Title: Flexible cue anchoring strategies enable stable head direction coding in blind animals.

Deborah VILLAFRANCA-BAUGHMAN NOEL (laboratory: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Doctoral student – CHUM Research Center – University of Montreal
Congress: The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) – May 1-4, 2022, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
Title: A novel femtomolar hemodynamic modulation strategy reveals major microvascular defects in glaucoma at single-pericyte scale.

June 1, 2022

Gabrielle AUBIN (laboratory: Dr Walter Wittich)
Doctoral student – School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Congress: 13th International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation conference (Vision 2022) – 5 to 8 July 2022, The Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), Dublin, Ireland
Title: Words on the Brain: Can Reading Rehabilitation for Low Vision Improve Cognitive Functioning?

Anne Xuan-Lan NGUYEN (laboratory: Dr. Isabelle Hardy)
Medical Student – McGill University
Training: Ophthalmic Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (Dr Albert Wu laboratory) – July 4 to 31, 2022, Stanford, California, United States
Title: A novel femtomolar hemodynamic modulation strategy reveals major microvascular defects in glaucoma at single-pericyte scale.

September 1, 2022

Katarzyna JUREWICZ (laboratory: Dr Suresh Krishna)
Postdoctoral fellow – McGill University
Training: EMBO practical course: Barcelona Summer School for advanced modeling of behavior – September 1st to 8 2022, Center de Recerca Matemàtica, Barcelona, Spain
Title: Modeling goal-directed search during active vision.

December 1, 2022

No winner

March 15, 2021 (1st session – summer 2021)

Category Doctorate
Maxime BLEAU , under the supervision of: Dr Maurice Ptito
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Subject: Neural correlates of spatial navigation in the blind.

Yara MOHIAR , under the supervision of: Drs Rémy Allard and Judith Renaud
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Subject: The effect of myopia on photoreceptor absorption rate.

July 15, 2021 (1st session – fall 2021)

Mastery Category
Catherine ALBERT , under the supervision of: Drs Matthieu Vanni and Jean-François Bouchard
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Subject: Calcium imaging study of functional reorganization after stroke in mice following preventive and post-administration of a β-receptor agonist or antagonist cannabinoids CB2.

*Geneviève RODRIGUE , under the supervision of: Dr Rémy Allard
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Topic: Using motion sensitivity to detect early signs of macular degeneration age-related.

Xingqi (Raffles) ZHU , under the supervision of: Drs Robert Hess and Alexander Baldwin
McGill Vision Research – McGill University Health Center
Subject: The neural basis of the visual acuity deficit in amblyopia will be investigated using an equivalent noise analysis.

Category Doctorate
Annabel Wing-Yan FAN , under the supervision of: Dr Alexander Baldwin
McGill Vision Research – McGill University Health Center
Subject: How do age-related changes in visual information processing impact driving performance in older adults?

Postdoctorate Category
Karine ROVERSI , under the supervision of: Drs May Griffith and Sébastien Talbot
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center – University of Montreal
Subject: Controlling corneal pain and inflammation.

November 15, 2021 (1st session – winter 2022)

Mastery Category
*Pénélope ABRAM , under the supervision of: Dr Sylvain Chemtob
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center – University of Montreal
Topic: The role of mast cells in retinal pigment epithelium degeneration and loss of photoreceptors in a model of retinal degeneration.

Category Doctorate
Charlotte BÉTUS , under the supervision of: Dr Jean-Sébastien Joyal
CHU Sainte-Justine – University of Montreal
Subject: In situ Synthesis of Ketone Bodies by Retinal Endothelial Cells Promotes Pathological Angiogenesis in Proliferative Retinopathy.

Postdoctorate Category
*Waqas NAWAS , under the supervision of: Drs Isabelle Brunette and Michel Meunier
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center – University of Montreal
Subject: Laser Gene Therapy for Ocular Diseases.

*Candidates also funded by the Antoine-Turmel Foundation

August 1, 2020

Reza ABBAS FARISHTA , Doctoral Student, School of Optometry, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Christian Casanova
Publication: Abbas Farishta R, Boire D, Casanova C. Hierarchical Organization of Corticothalamic Projections to the Pulvinar , Cerebral Cortex Communications, July 7, 2020.

Léa RODRIGUEZ , Doctoral student, Université Laval
Laboratory: Dr. Vincent Pernet
Publication: Rodriguez L, Joly S, Zine-Eddine F, Baya Mdzomba J, Pernet V. Tau modulates visual plasticity in adults and old mice , Neurology of aging, July 25, 2020.

February 1, 2021

Deborah Villafranca-Baughman , Doctoral Student, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Adriana Di Polo
Publication: Alarcon-Martinez, L.*, Villafranca-Baughman, D.*, Quintero, H. Kacerovsky, B., Dotigny, F., Murai, KK, Prat, A., Drapeau, P., Di Polo, A. Interpericyte tunneling nanotubes regulate neurovascular coupling , Nature, August 2020.

The following two prizes were funded by the Antoine-Turmel Foundation

Rabah DABOUZ , Doctoral student, McGill University
Laboratory: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Publication: Dabouz R, Cheng CWH, Abram P, Omri S, Cagnone G, Sawmy KV, Joyal JS, Desjarlais M, Olson D, Weil AG, Lubell W, Rivera JC, Chemtob S. An allosteric interleukin-1 receptor modulator mitigates inflammation and photoreceptor toxicity in a model of retinal degeneration , Journal of Neuroinflammation, November 27, 2020.

Natalija POPOVIC , Doctoral Student, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr Bruno Larrivee
Publication: Popovic N, Hooker E, Barabino A, Flamier A, Provost F, Buscarlet M, Bernier G, Larrivee B. COCO/DAND5 inhibitors developmental and pathological ocular angiogenesis , EMBO Molecular Medicine, February 15, 2021.

August 1, 2019

Prize supported by the Antoine-Turmel Foundation

Michel DESJARLAIS , Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Publication: Desjarlais, M., Rivera JC, Lahaie I, Gagnone G, Wirt M, Omri S, Chemtob S. MicroRNA expression profile in oxygen-induced retinopathy model , PlosOne 2019 Jun 12;14(6).

Holder of a doctorate in biomedical science from the University of Montreal, I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Sylvain Chemtob (MD, PhD) at the Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital research center. My research aims to elucidate different mechanisms involved in the abnormal modulation of post-ischemic vascular development and repair (insufficient and excessive) during ischemic retinopathies (IRs). More specifically, I mainly focus on the identification of novel post-transcriptional mechanisms including microRNAs that are altered during vascular degeneration. My postdoctoral research represents a continuation of my previous research carried out during my doctoral thesis on the modulation of neovascularization mechanisms during cardiovascular diseases. Passionate about science, my research therefore allows me to explore the function of miRNAs in vascular biology in a new pathological field (ophthalmology). I also hold a master’s and bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and I am the recipient of more than 15 awards of excellence (including: 2015 and 2016 CRCHUM publication awards), author of 14 scientific articles including 7 as first author and recipient of the CRHMR postdoctoral scholarship (2018) and the University of Montreal ophthalmology fund (2019).

Pascale DESJARDINS , Doctoral student, Laval University
Laboratory: Desjardins P, Couture C, Germain L, Guérin SL.
Publication: Popovic N, Hooker E, Barabino A, Flamier A, Provost F, Buscarlet M, Bernier G, Larrivee B. Contribution of the WNK1 kinase to corneal wound healing using the tissue-engineered human cornea as an in vitro model , J Tisue Eng Regen Med. 2019; 1–14.

I began my university training in Biomedical Sciences at Université Laval. As early as my Bachelor’s degree, I had the opportunity to complete several research internships in various fields. My first research work experience took place at the University Ophthalmology Center (CUORecherche/ LOEX) of the CHU de Québec under the supervision of Dr. Sylvain Guérin. I then had the opportunity to work on Alzheimer’s disease, Eph receptor signaling in cancer and the development of the respiratory control system. These internships quickly confirmed my interest in research. Having particularly enjoyed studying at the University Ophthalmology Center, I renewed my experience with Dr. Sylvain Guérin when I began my Master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology in the fall of 2016. During these two years, I studied the role of different signaling mediators, including CREB, Akt and more particularly WNK1, on corneal wound healing, using the human cornea reconstructed by tissue engineering as a model. As for my PhD, which I started last fall, I am studying the specific contribution of the WNK1-SPAK/OSR1 signaling pathway and their effector proteins to corneal wound healing. In recent years, I have had the opportunity to travel to Honolulu, Greece and Switzerland in particular to present the results of my work at international conferences. In addition, my work has led to the publication of several scientific articles, in addition to leading to the establishment of a patent.

Seung Hyun (Sam) Min , PhD Student, McGill University
Laboratory: Dr. Robert Hess
Publication: Min SH, Baldwin AS, Hess RF. Ocular dominance plasticity: A binocular combination task finds no cumulative effect with repeated patching , Vision Res. 2019 Aug;161:36-42.

During high school, I was diagnosed with nerve damage in my right hand from playing the clarinet too much, leaving me with no choice but to become ambidextrous. I had to retrain my brain extensively so that my left hand could properly hold a pen or chopsticks, tasks that had previously been assigned to my right hand. The experience of my recovery sparked my interest in neural plasticity. So during my undergraduate studies, I completed the Anatomy and Cell Biology program at McGill University and graduated in the top 10% of my class in June 2017. Since then, I have worked for my graduate studies at McGill University with Prof. Robert Hess on neural plasticity. The goal of my thesis was to find ways to exploit the latent neural plasticity of the adult brain, a topic that related to my experiences with music. I now have 3 first-author publications, two of which are from my graduate work. In my free time, I practice the clarinet (yes, I still play) and read historical fiction novels. I am very grateful for this best publication award and for the support I received from my supervisors during my training.

February 1, 2020

Prize supported by the Antoine-Turmel Foundation

Michel DESJARLAIS , Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Publication: Desjarlais, M, Wirt M, Rivera JC, Lahaie I, Dabouz R, Omri S, Ruknudin P, Borras C, Chemtob S. microRNA-96 promotes vascular repair in oxygen-induced retinopathy – a novel uncovered vasoprotective function , Front. Pharmacol. 2020 Feb 3; https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00013

Holder of a doctorate in biomedical science from the University of Montreal, I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Sylvain Chemtob (MD, PhD) at the Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital research center. My research aims to elucidate different mechanisms involved in the abnormal modulation of post-ischemic vascular development and repair (insufficient and excessive) during ischemic retinopathies (IRs). More specifically, I focus primarily on the identification of novel post-transcriptional mechanisms including microRNAs that are altered during vascular degeneration. My postdoctoral research represents a continuation of my previous doctoral work on the modulation of neovascularization mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases. Passionate about science, my research allows me to explore the function of microRNAs in vascular biology in a new pathological field (ophthalmology). I also hold a master’s and bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and I am the recipient of more than 15 excellence awards (including: 2015 and 2016 CRCHUM publication awards, 2019 RRVS), recipient of the Gold Award in 2017 at the Canadian Congress of Doctoral Students in Health Research, and author of 16 scientific articles including 8 as first author. I am also a recipient of the CRHMR postdoctoral scholarship (2018) and the University of Montreal ophthalmology fund (2019, 2020).

Tianwei Ellen ZHOU , Resident, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Publication: Zhou TE, Zhu T, Rivera JC, Omri S, Tahiri H, Lahaie I, Rouget R, Wirth M, Nattel S, Lodygensky G, Ferbeyre G, Nezhady M, Desjarlais M, Chemtob S. The Inability of the Choroid to Revascularize in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy Results from Increased P53/mir-Let-7b Activity , Am J Pathol. 2019 Nov; 189 (11):2340-2356.

Driven by curiosity, I joined the Montreal Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute as an undergraduate student. I then joined McGill’s MD-PhD program, a pathway that combines medical innovation and compassionate care. During my PhD, I worked with Dr. Sylvain Chemtob, a neonatologist, and dedicated my thesis to retinopathy of prematurity, a blinding disease often seen in premature babies. My studies show that ROP is not a static disease, but a dynamic progression that can precipitate long-term retinal damage, highlighting the importance of longitudinal follow-ups for ROP patients. With gratitude, my research efforts have been supported by numerous national and provincial grants. In 2019, I was honored with the Scriver-Steinberg Convocation Prize, which “recognizes a graduate with exceptional potential to translate knowledge into practice to make a difference in well-being.” As an ophthalmology resident at the University of Montreal, I am translating my doctoral thesis into a clinical study, examining 1) whether infants with ROP experience retinal damage throughout childhood and adolescence; and 2) whether ROP patients have a higher risk of developing retinal diseases in adulthood. This project would help us better characterize the long-term implications of ROP and detect early signs of age-related retinal damage in former ROP patients.

September 1, 2019

Jiaru LIU (laboratory: Dr. Mona Harissi-Dagher)
Medical Student – External 2 (MDCM Program) – McGill University
Congress: American Association of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting – October 23-26, 2019, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (oral presentation)
Title: Soft Contact Lens Wear Following Boston Keratoprosthesis Type I.

Nicolas BELFORTE (laboratory: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Postdoctoral Fellow – University of Montreal
Congress: Society for Eye Research (ISER)/BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposium – October 11-13, 2019, San Francisco, CA, USA (oral presentation)
Title: Activation of the energy biosensor AMPK triggers early dendritic retraction and neurodegeneration in glaucoma.

December 1, 2019

Gaëtan LE-BEL (laboratory: Dr. Lucie Germain)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Short-term training: Dr. Vincent Borderie, Institut de la Vision – January 6-10, 2020, Paris, France
Title: Observational internship on the extraction of keratocytes from human stromal stem cells CSSH differentiated in vitro.

Sarah ROY (laboratory: Dr. Christian Salesse)
Doctoral student – Laval University
Congress: 64th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society – February 15–19, 2020, San Diego, California, USA (poster presentation)
Title: Comparison between the enzymatic activity, structure and substrate binding of mouse and human lecithin retinol acyltransferase.

March 1, 2020

Edition cancelled (COVID-19)

November 15, 2019 (1st session – winter 2020)

Mastery Category
Catarina FERNANDES , under the supervision of: Dr Maurice Ptitor
School of Optometry – University of Montreal
Subject: Expression and localization of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 in the monkey colliculo-pulvinar pathway

Category Doctorate
Marc-Antoine MILLETTE , under the supervision of: Dr Christian Salesse
Laval University
Topic: Cloning, overexpression, purification and comparison of membrane binding of non-acylated and acylated rhodopsin kinase.

Postdoctorate Category
Rudi TONG , under the supervision of: Dr Stuart Trenholm
Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – McGill University
Subject: Investigating the neural mechanism underlying invariant object and face recognition.

Category Professional Health Diploma / MD-MSc / MD-PhD
Dominique GEOFFRION , under the supervision of: Drs Adriana Di Polo, Mona Harissi-Dagher and Robert Koenekoop
CRCHUM – McGill University
Topic: Identifying and targeting functional mediators causing glaucoma after corneal transplantation: saving patients from irreversible blindness.

Summer session

Sara Alarcon Carrillo (laboratory: Robert Hess)
Bachelor of Science, McGill University

Olivier Bédard-Lapointe (laboratory: Solange Landreville)
Doctorate in medicine, Laval University

Camille Bérubé (laboratory: Christian Salesse)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Université Laval

Marie-Hélène Charbonneau (laboratory: Sylvain Chemtob)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Ashim Das (laboratory: Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Bachelor of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal

Isabelle Dubuc (laboratory: Elvire Vaucher)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Sarah Leah Eisenberg (laboratory: Pia Wintermark)
Bachelor of Biology, McGill University

Eve-Marie Frigon (laboratory: Denis Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Louis-Philippe Guérin (laboratory: Stéphanie Proulx)
Doctorate in medicine, Laval University

Rémi Laflamme (laboratory: Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha)
Bachelor’s degree in microbiology and molecular immunology, University of Montreal

Andréanne Lévesque (laboratory: Sylvain Guérin)
Doctorate in Optometry, University of Montreal

Aubert Roy (laboratory: Jean-François Bouchard)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Michel Toutoungy (laboratory: Maurice Ptito)
Bachelor of Science, Major in Biology, McGill University

Simon Trottier (laboratory: Isabelle Hardy)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Tenia (Clara) Wang (laboratory: Kathleen T. Mullen)
Bachelor of Science, McGill University

August 1, 2017

Liu LIU , Doctoral student, McGill University
Laboratory: Dr. Christopher Pack
Publication: : Liu LD, Pack CC. The contribution of area MT to visual motion perception depends on training (2017) , Neuron 95, p436-446.

I began my neuroscience training at the University of Toronto. I completed my undergraduate thesis with Dr. William D. Hutchison studying the mechanism of deep brain stimulation, a treatment for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. We found that deep brain stimulation can reduce pathological neurological activity and replace it with a regular pattern of activity (Liu et al., 2012 J Neurophysiol). We have further shown that this is important for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and patient outcomes (Prescott et al., 2014, Kronenbuerger et al., 2010).

To broaden my research horizons and gain experience working with animal models, I then began my PhD at McGill University. I rotated through various labs and discovered my passion for vision research in Dr. Christopher Pack’s lab. I examined the neural coding and underlying neural circuitry of visual behaviors in primates (Liu et al., 2016 eLife, Liu et al., J Neurosci in press, Cui et al., 2013, 2016 J Neurosci). Recently, Dr. Pack and I discovered that the circuitry underlying visual behaviors can be quite plastic and dependent on animal training (Liu & Pack 2017 Neuron).

I recently began my postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus, collaborating with Drs. Karel Svoboda and Nuo Li. The collaborative environment at Janelia gives me the freedom to pursue interesting questions in neuroscience in my next stage of training.

August 1, 2017

Ian O. MASSÉ , Doctoral Student, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières
Laboratory: Dr. Denis Boire
Publication: Massé, IO, Ross, S, Bronchti, G, and Boire, D. Asymmetric Direct Reciprocal Connections Between Primary Visual and Somatosensory Cortices of the Mouse , Cerebral Cortex, September 1, 2017, 27:9, p4361–4378.

I completed my PhD in psychology, research profile, at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, in the functional neuroanatomy laboratory, under the supervision of Drs. Gilles Bronchti and Denis Boire. This university was an excellent choice for graduate studies in neuroscience since several research units are actively involved in this field, and researchers actively collaborate by sharing their equipment and expertise, which allowed me to better appreciate the different aspects of a neuroscience study. […]

August 1, 2017

Corinne ZINFLOU , Doctoral student, Laval University
Laboratory: Drs Lucie Germain and Sylvain Guérin
Publication: Zinflou C, Rochette PJ. Ultraviolet A-induced oxidation in cornea: Characterization of the early oxidation-related events , Free Radic Biol Med. July 2017, 108, p118-128.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in biology from Laval University, during which I completed a research internship under the supervision of Professor Sylvain Guérin (PhD), at the CHU de Québec Research Center. […]

Summer session

Kevin Bastien (laboratory: Dave Saint-Amour)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal

Lysa Bergeron (laboratory: Denis Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Maxime Bleau (laboratory: Aarlenne Khan)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, University of Montreal

Mathieu Carrière (laboratory: Andrew Toren)
Doctorate of Medicine, Laval University

Rami Darwich (laboratory: Isabelle Brunette)
Doctor of Medicine, McGill University

Mohammed El Yamani El Mehdi (laboratory: Marie-Carole Boucher)
Doctorate of Medicine, University of Montreal

Caroline Grand-Maître (laboratory: Franco Lepore)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Jacqueline Higgins (laboratory: Elvire Vaucher)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, Memorial University

Marie-Charlotte Higgins (laboratory: Karim Jerbi)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Shangge Jiang (laboratory: Baker Curtis)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, McGill University

Corina Lacombe (lab: Aaron Johnson)
Bachelor of Psychology, Concordia University

Florence Masse (laboratory: Élodie Boisselier)
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Laval University

Shiv Mittal (laboratory: Christos Boutopoulos)
Bachelor of Integrated Engineering, University of British Columbia

Kim Hai Nguyen (laboratory: Martin Arguin)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Hamza Ouazani Chahdi (laboratory: May Griffith)
Doctorate of Medicine, University of Montreal

Elizabeth Prairie (laboratory: Sylvain Chemtob)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Evelyne Turrin (laboratory: Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Bachelor of Pharmacology, McGill University

Fall session

Ali Salimi (laboratory: Michel Kapusta)
Doctor of Medicine, McGill University

Winter session

Clara Eid (laboratory: Maurice Ptito)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Philippe Germain (laboratory: Jean-François Bouchard)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, University of Montreal

Samuel Pinsonneault (laboratory: Pierre Hardy)
Bachelor of Pharmacology, University of Sherbrooke

Summer session

Palig Balian (laboratory: Dr. Pia Wintermark)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, McGill University

Laura Barriault (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Chemtob)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Pascale Desjardins (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Guérin)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Frédérik Fournier (laboratory: Dr Przemyslaw Sapieha)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, University of Montreal

Gisèle Hounye (laboratory: Dr Santiago Costantino)
Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal

William Trung Le (laboratory: Dr. Aarlenne Khan)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

François Papineau (laboratory: Dr Jean-François Bouchard)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Valérie Robichaud (laboratory: Dr Bruno Larrivee)
Bachelor’s degree in microbiology and immunology, University of Montreal

Mélodie Roy (laboratory: Dr Martin Arguin)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Milanka Stevanovic (laboratory: Dr Michel Cayouette)
Bachelor’s degree in cell biology, specialization in Anatomy and cell biology

Antoine Sylvestre-Bouchard (laboratory: Dr Pierre Hardy)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Evelyne Turrin (laboratory: Dr Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Bachelor of Pharmacology, McGill University

Marie-Pier Veilleux (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Sergiu Vlad (laboratory: Dr Dan Bergeron)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Sherbrooke

Fall session

Hayley Lippiatt (laboratory: Dr Uri Saragovi)
Bachelor of Pharmacy, McGill University

Winter session

Robert Tremblay-Laliberté (laboratory: Dr. Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Hosni CHERIF , Doctoral Student, School of Optometry, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Jean François Bouchard
Publication: Hosni Cherif, Anteneh Argaw, Bruno Cécyre, Alex Bouchard, Jonathan Gagnon, Pasha Javadi (2015). Role of GPR55 during Axon Growth and Target Innervation , eNeuro. 2015 Sep-Oct; 2(5): ENEURO.0011-15.2015.
NB Hosni Chérif holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Quebec in Montreal.

He was introduced to the field of vision research during an end-of-studies internship in the laboratory of Dr. Jean-François Bouchard. It was there that he continued his graduate studies in the PhD program in Vision Sciences at the School of Optometry, Université de Montréal. He is now a final year PhD student (direct transfer to PhD in 2013) and is studying, for the first time, the involvement of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the growth and guidance of retinal ganglion cell axons during the formation of visual circuits during development.

Hosni received a recruitment grant from the Vision Health Research Network (VHRN), a joint grant doctoral degree from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the School of Optometry (FESP-EOUM) as well as five excellence scholarships from the Vision Science Program. He has presented his project on numerous occasions in several national and international scientific conferences and the excellence of his work has been confirmed by the award of two prizes by the RRSV for the best poster presentation in 2011 and 2012.

Mathieu GAUVIN , Doctoral Student, McGill University
Laboratory: Pierre Lachapelle and Jean-Marc Lina
Publication: Mathieu Gauvin; John M. Little; Jean-Marc Lina; Pierre Lachapelle. Functional decomposition of the human ERG based on the discrete wavelet transform , Journal of Vision December 2015, Vol.15, 14.

Mathieu Gauvin obtained his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, specializing in the biomedical field. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the École de technologie supérieure, he was already actively involved in several biomedical research projects: for the Centre for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognition (CERNEC) working on MRI and EEG image registration; for the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) working on the mathematical localization of epileptic spikes; and for the MUHC Research Institute working on innovative mathematical strategies to study the electroretinogram (ERG) under the supervision of Dr. Pierre Lachapelle and Dr. Jean-Marc Lina.

The last project crystallized his desire to continue his research at the graduate level in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University, where he received a Vision Network Recruitment Grant. He is now a doctoral student (direct progression to doctorate in 2013) in Dr. Lachapelle’s laboratory and he is co-supervised by Dr. Jean-Marc Lina. His project applies cutting-edge mathematical tools for signal analysis ERG and answers an important question: can advanced analytical approaches reveal information useful additional features in ERG recordings? Mathieu’s thesis project suggests that time-frequency analyses could significantly improve the usefulness of ERG in basic research and in clinical studies by providing more useful and reproducible descriptors.

Mathieu is currently funded by a doctoral research scholarship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and has received two excellence scholarships from the Integrated Program in Neuroscience. His work has been presented at numerous scientific conferences and international symposia where he has received several awards, including the prestigious Eberhard Dodt Award given by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV).

Pierre MATTAR , Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Publication: Pierre Mattar, Johan Ericson, Seth Blackshaw, Michel Cayouette. A Conserved Regulatory Logic Controls Temporal Identity in Mouse Neural Progenitors , Neuron 85, 497–504, February 4, 2015.

Pierre Mattar has worked in molecular biology for 15 years. He first completed an “honors” bachelor’s degree in genetics, followed by a master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology at Western University in London, Ontario. His supervisor was Dr. Gregory A. Dekaban. He then went to the University of Calgary for his doctoral studies, where he joined the laboratory of Dr. Carol Schuurmans. There, he studied brain development, and the cerebral cortex in particular. In 2008, he met Michel Cayouette at a scientific meeting. Very interested in Dr. Cayouette’s work on the transcription factor Ikaros (Ikzf1) and its role in retinal development, Pierre joined the laboratory in 2010 to continue this project.

Summer session

Etienne Bénard-Séguin (laboratory: Dr Brunette)
Doctor of Medicine, Queen’s University

Emilie Bergeron (laboratory: Dr Bergeron and Dr Landreville)
Doctorate in medicine, Laval University

Laurent Elkrief (laboratory: Dr Ptito)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, McGill University

Simon Faghel-Soubeyrand (laboratory: Dr Gosselin)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Isabelle Godbout (laboratory: Dr Vaucher)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Marie-Camille Guimond (laboratory: Dr Guérin)
Bachelor of Biology, Laval University

Marilyn Jacob (lab: Dr Khan)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Noëmie Jean-LeBlanc (laboratory: Dr Proulx)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Jackie Lam (lab: Dr Shmue)
Bachelor of Science, McGill University

Rosalie Martel (laboratory: Dr Casanova)
Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal

Sébastien Méthot (laboratory: Dr Rochette)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Bianca Olivieri (laboratory: Dr Wintermark)
Bachelor of Science, McGill University

Ariane Quintal (laboratory: Dr Bouchard)
Bachelor of Neuroscience, University of Montreal

Colm Quirke (laboratory: Dr Landreville)
Bachelor of Science, University of British Columbia

Sarah Roy (laboratory: Dr Salesse)
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Laval University

Robert Tremblay-Laliberté (laboratory: Dr. Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Louis Vaillancourt (laboratory: Dr Harissi-Dagher)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Sarah Zakaib-Rassi (laboratory: Dr Saint-Amour)
Doctorate in psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal

Gaëlle MAWAMBO , Doctoral student, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha
Publication: Dejda A, Mawambo G, Cerani A, Miloudi K, Shao Z, Daudelin JF, Boulet S, Oubaha M, Beaudoin F, Akla N, Henriques S, Menard C, Stahl A, Delisle JS, Rezende FA, Labrecque N, Sapieha P. (2014). Neuropilin-1 mediates myeloid cell chemoattraction and influences retinal neuroimmune crosstalk , J Clin Invest. 2014 Nov;124(11):4807-22.

Born in Douala, Cameroon, I immigrated to Canada in 2008 where I completed my undergraduate studies in biochemistry at the University of Montreal. During these studies, I completed two research internships in the laboratory of Dr. Christian Baron where I studied the biomolecular mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of selenocysteine. After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, I joined the research team of Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha to pursue my graduate studies in biochemistry.

I have contributed significantly to the publication of two seminal projects from the laboratory of Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha. The first study (Binet F, Mawambo G, et al. Cell Metabolism 17, 353–371, 2013) demonstrated the ability of the axon guidance molecule, netrin-1, to induce the secretion of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) by cerebral macrophages or microglia, thus leading to reparative revascularization of the ischemic retina in the context of proliferative retinopathy, the main cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Still in the same pathology, we recently published, in a second study (Dejda A & Mawambo G, et al. The journal of Clinical Investigation, 2014), the impact of the Neuropillin-1 (Nrp1) receptor. In this study, where I am co-first author, we demonstrate the involvement of Nrp1 in the chemotaxis of a population of mononuclear phagocytes and their accumulation in retinal neovascular diseases, which contributes to the progression of the pathology.

I made a direct transition from master’s to doctorate in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Montreal, and I am currently studying the role of Nrp1 in innate immunity using the mouse model of infection by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes .

Mathieu GAUVIN , Doctoral Student, McGill University
Laboratory: Pierre Lachapelle and Jean-Marc Lina
Publication: Gauvin M, Jean-Marc Lina and Pierre Lachapelle (2014). Advance in ERG analysis: from peak time and amplitude to frequency, power and energy , Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:246096. Status: Published; Online.

Mathieu Gauvin obtained his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, specializing in the biomedical field. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the École de technologie supérieure, he was already actively involved in several biomedical research projects: for the Centre for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognition (CERNEC) working on MRI and EEG image registration; for the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) working on the mathematical localization of epileptic spikes; and for the MUHC Research Institute working on innovative mathematical strategies to study the electroretinogram (ERG) under the supervision of Dr. Pierre Lachapelle and Dr. Jean-Marc Lina.

The latter project crystallized his desire to pursue his research at the graduate level in the Integrated Neuroscience Program at McGill University, where he received a Vision Network Recruitment Award. He is now a PhD student (direct to PhD in 2013) in Dr. Lachapelle’s laboratory and is co-supervised by Dr. Jean-Marc Lina. His project applies cutting-edge mathematical tools for ERG signal analysis and addresses an important question: can advanced analytical approaches reveal additional useful information in ERG recordings? Mathieu’s thesis project suggests that time-frequency analyses could significantly improve the utility of ERG in basic research and clinical practice by providing more useful and reproducible descriptors.

Mathieu is currently funded by a doctoral research scholarship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and has received two excellence scholarships from the Integrated Program in Neuroscience. His work has been presented at numerous scientific conferences and international symposia where he has received several awards, including the prestigious Eberhard Dodt Award given by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV).

Finally, Mathieu has been passionate about science since childhood and his dream is to be a university professor. He specifically wants to be engaged in research projects that promote the creation of new knowledge, methods and products and to manage these projects as a principal investigator.

Zhou JIAWEI , Post-doctoral fellow, McGill University
Laboratory: Dr. Robert F. Hess
Publication: Jiawei Zhou, Alexandre Reynaud, Robert F. Hess (2014). Real-time modulation of perceptual eye dominance in humans , Proc Biol Sci. 2014 Nov 22;281.

Dr. Jiawei Zhou, born in December 1985 in Huaibei, Anhui, China, is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology at McGill University. He completed his studies at the University of Science and Technology of China and received a BSc degree in Biology in July 2006 and a PhD in Biophysics in July 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Yifeng Zhou. In September 2011, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Robert Hess at the McGill Visual Research Unit as a postdoctoral fellow. He is currently funded by an RI-MUHC research fellowship to study the role of short-term manipulation of visual input in modulating adult visual plasticity.

His main research interests include amblyopia visual impairment, binocular vision and visual plasticity. He has published 18 research articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals including Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Scientific Reports, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Journal of Vision and Plos One. He has also served as a scientific referee for several journals including Journal of Modern Optics, Perception, Clinical Ophthalmology and Psychology & Neuroscience.

Summer session

Ahmad Damlaj (laboratory: Dr Curtis Baker)
Bachelor of Science in Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University

Arianne Lechasseur (laboratory: Dr Patrick Rochette)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Université Laval

Benjamin Gaudet-Fex (laboratory: Dr. Marie Dumont)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Christine Yao (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Bachelor of Biology, University of British Columbia

Cynthia Trochedau-Marchand (laboratory: Dr Marc Hébert)
Bachelor of Pharmacology, Sherbrooke University

Elisabeth Andriessen (laboratory: Dr Mike Sapieha)
Bachelor of Medicine, University of Amsterdam

Francis Desilets (laboratory: Dr Jean-François Bouchard)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular medicine, University of Montreal

Hyba Bessaklia (laboratory: Dr Pierre Lachapelle)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Isabelle Bouchard (laboratory: Dr Christian Casanova)
Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Jessica Wilson (laboratory: Dr. Aaron Johnson)
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Specialization in Psychology, Concordia University

Morgane Defalque (laboratory: Dr. Olga Overbury)
Bachelor of Arts, specialization in Psychology, McGill University

Sijia Zheng (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Chemtob)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal

Simon Faghel-Soubeyrand (laboratory: Dr Dave Saint-Amour)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Sohen Blanchet (laboratory: Dr Denis Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Stanley Dao (laboratory: Dr. Mona Harissi-Dagher)
Doctor of Medicine, McGill University

Fall session

Safari Joseph Balegamire (laboratory: Dr. Ellen Freeman)
Public Health Intern, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital

Alexandra Beaudry-Richard (laboratory: Dr Maurice Ptito)
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, University of Montreal

Annie Haillot (laboratory: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Doctorate of Medicine

Bruno CÉCYRE , Doctoral student, vision sciences, School of Optometry
Laboratory: Dr. Christian Casanova and Dr. Jean-François Bouchard
Publication: Cécyre B, Zabouri N, Huppé-Gourgues F, Bouchard JF, Casanova C. Roles of cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2 on the retinal function of adult mice , Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Dec 11;54(13):8079-90. doi:10.1167/iovs.13-12514. PubMed PMID: 24255040.

Bruno Cécyre holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology from the Université de Sherbrooke and is currently completing his master’s studies in vision sciences at the Université de Montréal. He will begin a PhD in vision sciences in January 2013 in the laboratories of Drs. Jean-François Bouchard and Christian Casanova. He is interested in the endocannabinoid system and its involvement in the visual system. Before beginning his master’s degree, he completed two research internships in Dr. Bouchard’s laboratory, during which he discovered a passion for studying the endocannabinoid system and vision. In his master’s thesis, he discussed the expression and function of the endocannabinoid system in the rodent retina. The main goal of his doctoral thesis will be to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in certain visual diseases.

Agustin CERANI , Master’s student, biochemistry and molecular medicine, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha
Publication: Cerani A, Tetreault N, Menard C, Lapalme E, Patel C, Sitaras N, Beaudoin F, Leboeuf D, De Guire V, Binet F, Dejda A, Rezende FA, Miloudi K, Sapieha P. Neuron-derived semaphorin 3A is an early inducer of vascular permeability in diabetic retinopathy via neuropilin-1 , Cell Metab. 2013 Oct 1;18(4):505-18.

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated to Canada in 2004. In Vancouver, British Columbia, where I first lived, I pursued my undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU). There, I gained my first research experience under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Rintoul. During this time, I developed a strong interest in the field of neuroscience by studying mitochondrial dynamics in neurons and astrocytes in relation to stroke. I subsequently moved to the east of the country, to Montreal, in 2010, to join a new laboratory, that of Dr. Przemyslaw Sapieha at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR), to pursue graduate studies in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of Montreal. I thus began to study neurovascular interactions in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy. By focusing on one of the most common complications of diabetes, I became increasingly interested in its epidemiological and clinical implications. This inevitably led me to apply my primary experience in basic research to the epidemiological research of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Jennifer Lake , PhD student, molecular and cellular biology, Université Laval
Laboratory: Dr. Sylvain Guérin
Publication: Lake J, Zaniolo K, Gaudreault M, Carrier P, Deschambault A, Bazin R, Germain L, Salesse C, Guérin SL. Expression of the α5 integrin gene in corneal epithelial cells cultured on tissue-engineered human extracellular matrices , Biomaterials. 2013 Sep;34(27):6367-76. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.05.007. Epub 2013 May 30. PubMed PMID: 23727260.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Certificate in Biotechnology from Université Laval. I have also contributed to research in several ways with my various internships and jobs associated with the fields of molecular and cellular biology and biotechnology. In 2001, I participated in the research work of Dr. Alan Anderson on the regulation of cytochrome P450 genes by phenobarbital during my Initiation to Research I-II in molecular biology. In 2002, I collaborated on the research work of Dr. Normand Marceau on the roles of keratins in the response of hepatocytes to stress. During an internship in 2003, I helped advance Dr. Jean Bérubé’s research project on the identification and classification of different species of Armillaria. In 2004, I completed a Master’s degree in Animal Sciences at Université Laval under the supervision of researcher Grant Vandenberg with the project “Towards a new approach to establish the nutritional needs (in particular those in P) of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using genetic chips”. In 2007, I enabled the advancement of Dr. Louis Bernatchez’s research projects during my employment as a research professional by performing qPCR analyses of the expression of 4 genes in white muscle and liver of whitefish and by making comparisons of gene expression profiles of white muscle of pure normal whitefish farmed populations with pure dwarfs and comparisons of dwarf backcross whitefish with normal backcrosses for the project of co-researcher Nicolas Derome. In 2008, I undertook a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Université Laval under the supervision of researcher Sylvain Guérin concerning a project on the influence of extracellular matrix components on the expression of the α5 subunit gene of α5β1 integrin of corneal epithelial cells in a context of corneal healing. I was the recipient of a Master’s Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and a F. Banting and C. Best Canada Graduate Scholarship for a PhD from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

Joëlle Lavoie , Doctoral student, neurobiology, Université Laval
Laboratory: Dr. Marc Hébert
Publication: Lavoie J, Hébert M, Beaulieu JM. Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Overexpression Replicates Electroretinogram Abnormalities of Offspring at High Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder , Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Oct 16. pii: S0006- 3223(13)00827-5. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.08.035. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24138923.

Joëlle Lavoie holds a bachelor’s degree in medical biology from the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières. In 2008, she began a master’s degree in neurobiology at Laval University under the supervision of Marc Hébert and Martin Beaulieu and, since 2009, she has been a doctoral student following an accelerated transition. She is interested in the use of electroretinogram (ERG) as a biomarker of psychiatric illnesses and her research focuses on the study underlying mechanisms of ERG abnormalities observed in patients with psychiatric illnesses. To do this, she works both with patients and with animal models of psychiatric illnesses. Joëlle is the recipient of scholarships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Centre for Research on Brain, Behaviour and Neuropsychiatry (CRCN) and the Canadian Federation of University Women. She has had the opportunity to present her work at several scientific days and international congresses where she has won several prizes and distinctions offered, among others, by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) and the Vision Health Research Network (RRSV). In her latest work published in the prestigious journal Biological Psychiatry, she demonstrates an association between the amplitude of ERG waves and the expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), which is a risk factor for certain brain diseases, which could explain the origin of certain ERG abnormalities found in people with or at risk of psychiatric illnesses. This confirms that ERG is a good tool for investigating mental illnesses and could possibly serve as a biomarker for psychiatric illnesses.

Renaud Manuguerra-Gagné , Doctoral student, biomedical sciences, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Drs Mark Lesk and Denis-Claude Roy
Publication: Manuguerra-Gagné R, Boulos PR, Ammar A, Leblond FA, Krosl G, Pichette V, Lesk MR, Roy DC. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells promotes tissue regeneration in a glaucoma model through laser-induced paracrine factor secretion and progenitor cell recruitment. , Stem Cells. 2013 Jun;31(6):1136-48. doi:10.1002/stem.1364. PubMed PMID: 23495088.

During my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, I developed a keen interest in research, particularly in cellular development. Understanding the mechanisms that allow a stem cell to generate progenitors that can perform an ever-increasing number of distinct tasks is for me a great source of fascination and interest. That is why I embarked on a PhD project that was born a collaboration between the laboratories of Dr. Mark Lesk, ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma, and the laboratory of Dr. Denis-Claude Roy, specialist in hematology-oncology and bone marrow stem cells. My work, published in 2013 in the prestigious journal Stem Cells, demonstrated that bone marrow cells, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are able to restore the function of damaged areas of the eye responsible for the development of glaucoma. This is a discovery of great importance because it demonstrates that it is possible to reactivate dormant regenerative capacities in an organ that does not normally grow back. These extremely encouraging results have allowed me to present at several national (Stem Cell Network Annual General Meeting in 2008 and 2010, ThéCell network annual general meeting in 2010, 2011 and 2013, Till and Mcculloch meeting in 2012, Vision Network Annual Meeting in 2013) and international (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and International Society for Stem Cell Research in 2009 and 2012) conferences, in addition to winning numerous presentation awards.

Hocine Sliman , PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences, School of Optometry
Laboratory: Dr. Maurice Ptito
Publication: Slimani H, Danti S, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Ptito M, Kupers R. Hypersensitivity to pain in congenital blindness , Pain. 2013 Oct;154(10):1973-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.05.036. PubMed PMID: 24040972.

Following my bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences, I began a master’s degree in vision sciences in 2010. Seeing my growing interest in research, I accelerated my PhD in 2011. I work under the supervision of Dr. Maurice Ptito, a researcher recognized worldwide for his work on brain plasticity and understanding the blind brain. His laboratory, the Harland Sanders Chair, is dedicated exclusively to research on the blind and has a reputation for providing quality training to its students. Dr. Ptito maintains a close collaboration with Dr. Ron Kupers of the Panum Institute at the University of Copenhagen and with Dr. Pietro Pietrini of the University of Pisa. I had the chance to accompany Dr. Ptito several times to Copenhagen and Pisa for research internships during which I started my doctoral project and acquired expertise in the use of sophisticated equipment that very few laboratories have at their disposal. During these internships, I had the opportunity to be supervised by experts in the fields of psychophysics and brain imaging. In addition, internships abroad represent unique opportunities to discover other ways of working, other research approaches and, to top it all off, to build close collaborations with laboratories that work in the same direction as ours. Thus, the projects advance more quickly, are much deeper and therefore have more impact on the scientific world. Other trips abroad are planned for the coming years in order to better understand this unexplored research topic that will have great implications on the understanding of blindness and the plastic phenomena it causes.

Summer session

Stephanie Côté (laboratory: Dr. Patrick Rochette)
Bachelor of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal

Camille Couture (laboratory: Dr. Lucie Germain)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Félix Beaudoin (laboratory: Dr Mike Sapieha)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular medicine, University of Montreal

Laurent Elkrief (laboratory: Dr Maurice Ptito)
Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience), McGill University

Véronique Beaulieu (laboratory: Dr Stéphanie Proulx)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Avital Cherniawsky (lab: Dr. Kathy Mullen)
Bachelor of Science (Psychology), University of Victoria

Laurent Capplette (laboratory: Dr Frédéric Gosselin)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Montreal

Gaëlle Simona (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Guérin)
Bachelor’s degree in biopharmaceutical chemistry, Université Laval

Arianne Lechasseur (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Université Laval

Olivier Lefebvre (laboratory: Dr Christian Casanova)
Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering), École Polytechnique de Montréal

Romain Rejasse (laboratory: Dr Elvire Vaucher)
Bachelor of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal

Gabriel Martine (laboratory: Dr Amir Shmuel)
Bachelor of Physics, McGill University

Karen Tong (laboratory: Dr Denis Boire)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal (Trois-Rivières Campus)

Anthony Flamier (laboratory: Dr Gilbert Bernier)
PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Connecticut, School of Pharmacy

Winter session

Jade Pomerleau (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Chemtob)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Sarah Chorfit (lab: Dr Mark Lesk)
Doctor of Medicine, McGill University

Joëlle LAVOIE , Doctoral student, neurobiology, Université Laval
Laboratory: Dr. Marc Hébert
Publication: Lavoie J, Illiano P, Sotnikova TD, Gainetdinov RR, Beaulieu JM, Hébert M. The Electroretinogram as a Biomarker of Central Dopamine and Serotonin: Potential Relevance to Psychiatric Disorders , Biol Psychiatry 2013 Jan 7.

Joëlle Lavoie holds a bachelor’s degree in medical biology from the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières. In 2008, she began a master’s degree in neurobiology at Laval University under the supervision of Marc Hébert and Martin Beaulieu and, since 2009, she has been a doctoral student following an accelerated transition. She is interested in the use of electroretinogram (ERG) as a biomarker of psychiatric illnesses. Her research focuses on the study of underlying mechanisms of ERG abnormalities observed in patients with psychiatric illnesses. To do this, she works both with patients and with animal models of psychiatric illnesses. Joëlle is the recipient of scholarships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Centre for Research on Brain, Behavior and Neuropsychiatry (CRCN). She has had the opportunity to present her work at several scientific days and international conferences where she has won several awards and distinctions offered, among others, by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) and the Vision Health Research Network (VHRN). In his published work in the prestigious journal Biological Psychiatry, she demonstrates that alterations in neurotransmission Central dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors can influence ERG parameters. That said, the ERG can serve tool to learn more about psychiatric illnesses since it can reflect the central abnormalities found in these illnesses.

Kanawarpal SINGH , Doctoral student, physics, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Drs Mark Lesk and Santiago Costantino
Publication: Singh K, Dion C, Godin AG, Lorghaba F, Descovich D, Wajszilber M, Ozaki T, Costantino S, Lesk MR. Pulsatile movement of the optic nerve head and the peripapillary retina in normal subjects and in glaucoma , Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Nov 27;53(12):7819-24.

Kanawarpal Singh holds a Master’s degree in Laser Science and Applications from Devi Ahilya University, Indore (India). During his Master’s degree, he became familiar with the world of lasers and their use in biological sciences. He worked as an exchange student in the Department of Ophthalmology at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital for one year as part of his Master’s degree. The fascinating world of vision motivated him to pursue his PhD program in this field. In order to continue his work, he received PhD scholarships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQNT, 2008-2009) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS, 2009-2012). He received the prestigious Innovation Challenge Prize in 2012 from the Natural Sciences Research Council and Engineering Canada (NSERC) for his contribution to the development of a device for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. He also received an Incubic/Milton-Chang travel grant to present his work at the Conference on Laser and Electro-Optics. He won a travel grant from the Ministère de l’éducation, du loisir and sports in 2009 to visit the Medical University of Vienna in Austria to carry out experiments related to his work.

Joseph BOUSKILA , Doctoral student, biomedical sciences, University of Montreal
Laboratory: Drs Maurice Ptito and Jean-François Bouchard
Publication: Bouskila J, Burke MW, Zabouri N, Casanova C, Ptito M, Bouchard JF. Expression and localization of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 and the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase in the retina of vervet monkeys , Neuroscience. 2012 Jan 27;202:117-30.

Joseph Bouskila holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Vision Sciences from the Université de Montréal. He is currently a PhD student in Biomedical Sciences in the laboratories of Drs. Maurice Ptito and Jean-François Bouchard. He is interested in the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in vision in monkeys. Before starting his Master’s degree, he completed a research internship in the laboratory of Dr. Christophe Faure. This is where he learned different immunolabeling techniques. Armed with good tools, he worked during his Master’s degree on the detection of key proteins that are part of the endocannabinoid system in the monkey retina. Thus, he discussed in his 2012 thesis the expression and localization of the endocannabinoid system in the monkey retina. The main goal of his doctoral thesis is to characterize the cannabinoid signaling system in the central nervous system (CNS) with emphasis on all visual structures, including the retina, lateral geniculate gyrus, and primary visual cortex. Cannabis is an important drug of abuse and has played a role in human history for thousands of years. The CB1 receptor, the main receptor of the cannabinoid system, is ubiquitous in the CNS and represents one of the most highly expressed G protein-coupled receptors in the brain. It is involved in several brain functions such as learning, memory, and motor coordination. However, its involvement in vision and visual system development remains unknown.

Summer session

Camille Couture (laboratory: Dr. Lucie Germain)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Caroline Arsenault (laboratory: Dr. Solange Landreville)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, Université Laval

Diana Arias (laboratory: Dr Dave Saint-Amour)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal

Fatma Zaguia (laboratory: Dr. Isabelle Brunette)
Doctor of Medicine, McGill University

Félix Beaudoin (laboratory: Dr Mike Sapieha)
Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular medicine, University of Montreal

Jonathan Gagnon (laboratory: Dr. Jean-François Bouchard)
Bachelor of Pharmacology, Sherbrooke University

Jonathan Partouche (laboratory: Dr Maurice Ptito)
Doctorate in Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Claude Bernard Lyon1 University

Karen Tong (laboratory: Dr Denis Boire)
Doctorate in Medicine, University of Montreal (Trois-Rivières Campus)

Marie Guimond (laboratory: Stéphanie Proulx)
Doctorate in medicine, Laval University

Olivier Roy (laboratory: Dr Sylvain Chemtob)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Raefat El-Jammal (laboratory: Dr Stéphane Molotchnikoff)
Bachelor of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal

Valérie Thibault (laboratory: Dr Patrick Rochette)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Université Laval

Victor Dubus (laboratory: Dr Leonard Levin)
Bachelor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, University of Montreal

Wyston Chadwick Pierre (laboratory: Dr Pierre Lachapelle)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Montreal

Winter session

Sohen Blanchet (laboratory: Dr Denis Boire)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Edith Léveillé (laboratory: Dr Dave Saint-Amour)
Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

Tamara Boutin (laboratory: Dr Elvire Vaucher)
Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Montreal

Alex Bouchard (laboratory: Dr Jean-François Bouchard)
Bachelor’s degree in medical biology, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières