IDIGH

09/03/2026

Our IDIGH Research Townhall Series began today with an excellent presentation by Dr. Marcel Behr.

We still have four more Townhalls this fall, each highlighting the work of one of our IDIGH investigators.

We hope to see you at the next Townhall!

📅 October 1 – Dr. Carl Boodman
📅 October 15 – Dr. Bertrand Lebouché
📅 October 29 – Dr. Sasha Bernatsky
📅 November 12 – Dr. Matthew Cheng

08/18/2026

We had a very interesting seminar today presented by Dr. Marissa Ledger titled "Reconstructing the Epidemiology of Ancient Parasite Infections."

Thank you, Dr. Ledger, for an engaging presentation, and thank you to everyone who joined us for the first IDIGH Seminar of this new season. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming seminars!

08/17/2026

We are pleased to invite you to our IDIGH Seminar tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., featuring Dr. Marissa Ledger!

Dr. Ledger is a Medical Microbiology Resident at McMaster University and a Clinician Investigator postdoctoral researcher. She completed her M.D. and Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, where her research focused on paleoparasitology and parasite infections in the Roman Empire.

Her work combines ancient DNA, microbiology, and anthropology to explore how human parasites have evolved and spread over time, offering fascinating insights into how climate, diet, human-animal interactions, and migration have shaped infectious diseases throughout history.

We hope you will join us!

Learn more about Dr. Ledger: https://pathologymolecularmedicine.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/marissa-ledger/

08/14/2026

🩺 Le test sanguin utilisé en première ligne passe à côté de plus du tiers des cas de fibrose hépatique significative chez les personnes vivant avec le VIH.

C'est ce que révèle une vaste étude internationale menée auprès de près de 5000 participants, publiée dans Hepatology par Felice Cinque, premier auteur et ancien stagiaire postdoctoral à L'Institut, et la Dre Giada Sebastiani, scientifique principale au sein du programme MIISM.

🔬 Leur solution : le score FIB-HIV, un outil qui intègre des facteurs métaboliques et propres au VIH pour mieux repérer les personnes à risque, à partir de données cliniques déjà recueillies en routine.

🔗 En savoir plus : https://rimuhc.ca/fr/-/maladies-du-foie-et-vih-une-etude-revele-d-importantes-lacunes-dans-le-depistage-de-la-fibrose-hepatique-et-propose-une-solution-prometteuse

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🩺 The first-line blood test misses more than one third of significant liver fibrosis cases in people living with HIV.

That is the finding of a large international study of nearly 5,000 participants, published in Hepatology by Felice Cinque, first author and former postdoctoral fellow at The Institute, and Dr. Giada Sebastiani, senior scientist in the IDIGH Program.

🔬 Their solution: the FIB-HIV score, a tool that incorporates metabolic and HIV-specific factors to better identify people at risk, using clinical data already collected in routine care.

🔗 Learn more: https://rimuhc.ca/en/-/liver-disease-and-hiv-study-reveals-major-gaps-in-liver-fibrosis-screening-and-offers-a-promising-solution

Centre universitaire de santé McGill - McGill University Health Centre McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences McGill University

07/28/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the IDIGH researchers awarded funding through the CIHR Spring 2026 Project Grant competition!

This round, 32% of IDIGH applications were selected for funding, significantly exceeding the national success rate of 13.1%.

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our principal investigators, co-applicants and collaborators:

🔹 Madhukar Pai
🔹 Bertrand Lebouché
🔹 Alexandra de Pokomandy
🔹 Todd C. Lee
🔹 Sasha R. Bernatsky
🔹 Giada Sebastiani

This remarkable result reflects the strength of our research community and the collective efforts of everyone who contributed through internal reviews, chalk talks, feedback and continued support.

Congratulations to all the recipients and their teams! 👏

Learn more about the funded projects: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/54787.html

06/25/2026

A sincere thank you to Dr. Nadine Kronfli for an insightful seminar on May 21 as part of our IDIGH Research Townhall Series.

Her presentation, “STI Research in Prison,” explored an important area of public health research and generated thoughtful discussion among attendees.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this final townhall session of the season and helped make it a success. We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you at future IDIGH events!

05/21/2026

A sincere thank you to Dr. Matthieu Allez for an engaging seminar last Thursday, May 11, as part of our IDIGH Research Townhall Series.

His presentation, “Unraveling Microbe-Driven Mechanisms of Uncontrolled Inflammation in Crohn’s Disease,” sparked great discussion and brought valuable perspectives to the session.

Thank you as well to everyone who attended and participated in another successful townhall session.

05/08/2026

A sincere thank you to Dr. Inés Colmegna for an engaging seminar on April 22 as part of our IDIGH Research Townhall Series.

Her presentation, “Patient-Derived Stem/Progenitor Cells: From Clinical Challenge to Clinical Trial,” led to thoughtful discussions and highlighted important work in the field.

Thank you as well to everyone who attended and participated in another successful townhall session.

04/30/2026

04/27/2026

Join us tomorrow for the 10th Annual IDIGH Research Day!
A full day of inspiring talks, research, and innovation.
📅 April 28 | ⏰ 8:00–18:00