The IDIGH Program's Research Day, held on April 30, 2024 at the Research Institute of the MUHC, was a great success, bringing together over 200 students and researchers for a day of high-level scientific exchange. The event, organized in the context of Immunization Week, highlighted the crucial importance of vaccination and immunization research for public health.

Two local, but internationally renowned, speakers graced the event with their presence: Caroline Quach (Chair of the Quebec Immunization Committee (INSPQ), Medical Lead for Infection Prevention and Control at CHU Sainte-Justine, and Professor at the University of Montreal) and Tim Evans (Director and Associate Dean of the School of Population and Global Health, Associate Vice-Principal of Global Policy and Innovation, McGill University, and Executive Director of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force).

The scientific program was also enriched by contributions from two program researchers, Brian Ward and Giada Sebastiani, as well as 6 students: Carlos Villalba (Martin Olivier's team), Leah Flatman (Évelyne Vinet's team), Jason Gravett (Brian Ward's team), Harshita Katiyar (Chen Liang's team), Stephane Isnard (Jean-Pierre Routy's team), and Poshan Thapa (Madhukar Pai's team).

Research Day also provided a platform for students and researchers to present their ongoing work during a scientific poster session. Over 40 posters covering a wide range of topics related to infectious diseases, immunity, and global health were displayed.

Beyond presentations and posters

Research Day is also an opportunity to learn about others' research and to discover products and services from companies. Part of the IR-CUSM atrium was set up as an exhibitor hall where participants could interact with various companies, including our sponsors (Avantor, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Stemcell, Ultident, Cedarlane, MilliporeSigma, Cytiva, Eppendorf, Cedarlane, Pfizer, Chromatographic Specialties, BD, and Wisent).

Undoubtedly, one of the most enjoyable moments was the networking session held at the end of the event, where attendees congratulated the winners of presentation awards and travel scholarships. For the occasion, we welcomed pianist Changchun Du from McGill's Schulich School of Music. Refreshments prepared by Presse Café and various beverages facilitated interactions between students and researchers.

Cocktail
Research Day is a great networking opportunity.

Congratulations to the winners

Judges toured the poster presentations throughout the day. They determined that the following presentations stood out (a $200 prize was awarded):

  • Myriam Beaulieu (Leishmania RNA Virus LRV2 Infecting Leishmania major: Impact on Macrophages, Inflammation and Infection Persistence)
  • Zhiyang Liu (Modeling of human thymic Treg development in vitro using artificial thymic organoids)
  • Lauren Perlman (Is Emergency Department Transfer Always Required Following Anaphylaxis and Epinephrine Use?)
  • Yichun Sun (Unraveling ICOSL Deficiency: Insights into Neutrophil-T Cell Interactions)

As for the oral presentations, the following presentations stood out:

  • Jason Gravett (400$, Improving the immunogenicity of plant-made virus-like particle influenza vaccines using oil-in-water adjuvants)
  • Stéphane Isnard (300$, Circulating Acyl-CoA-Binding Protein impedes T-cell function in people living with HIV on ART)
  • Leah Flatman (200$, Rotavirus Vaccine in TNF inhibitor Exposed Offspring Does Not Increase Diarrhea-Associated Healthcare Events)

In conjunction with Research Day, students and staff were able to submit their abstracts for travel awards. The recipients of the $500 awards are:

  • Stéphane Isnard (Circulating Acyl-CoA-Binding Protein impedes T-cell function in people living with HIV on ART)
  • Lauren Perlman (Is Emergency Department Transfer Always Required Following Anaphylaxis and Epinephrine Use?)
  • Leah Flatman (Rotavirus Vaccine in TNF inhibitor Exposed Offspring Does Not Increase Diarrhea-Associated Healthcare Events)
  • Ariana Arduini (Unraveling differences in the secretory mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV ORF8)
  • Dominic Chu (Exploring the link between sociodemographic factors and barriers to adherence: survey data collected from people with HIV)
  • Luz Esther Ramos Ballesteros (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and metabolic function of the microbiota in people with HIV)
Récipiendaires des prix
Award recipients: Leah Flatman, Ariana Arduini, Lauren Perlman, Luz Esther Ramos Ballesteros, Stéphane Isnard, Jason Gravett, Zhiyang Liu, Myriam Beaulieu and Yichun Sun.
Commanditaires
Sponsors are essential to Research Day.

In closing, we would like to thank the members of the student committee who put together the scientific program and recruited sponsors (Mariam El Sheikh, Céleste Pilon, Mélanie Bédard, Yichun Sun and Evelyne Côté). Thanks also to Cal Koger-Pease and Yichun Sun, who were the principal photographers for this year's event, and all the volunteers without whom the day would not have been possible:

  • Mariam El Sheikh
  • Céleste Pilon
  • Mélanie Bédard  
  • Joel Ishak
  • Mariana Orlova
  • Fio Vialard
  • Angie Massicotte
  • Line Lariviere
  • MariaLuisa Vigano
  • Rojine McVea
  • Evelyne Côté
  • Maysaloun Mokaddam

Finally, we would like to highlight the contribution of the administrative team, Eric Béliveau and Vicky Barrera, for publicity, the website, recruiting and maintaining relationships with sponsors, as well as overseeing all aspects of the day. 

You can view the photos here.