Toronto, ON — The Banting Research Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Discovery Awards, which recognize outstanding Canadian early-career researchers in health and biomedical sciences. The awardees will each receive up to $30,000 in support of their innovative and impactful research.
In 2025, we will be celebrating a milestone — our centenary. Founded in honour of Sir Frederick Banting, the first Canadian and the youngest Nobel laureate in the field of Physiology or Medicine, the Banting Research Foundation has a long history of supporting trailblazing research in health and biomedical sciences. As we approach this milestone, we invite you to join us in celebrating the achievements of past awardees and to support the future of Canadian health research.
Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded 1,366 Discovery Awards to support early-career health and biomedical researchers across Canada.
“We are thrilled to support these outstanding Canadian early-career researchers and to help launch their programs of discovery and impact,” said Dr. Catharine Whiteside, Chair of the Banting Research Foundation. “Their commitment to improving human health and well-being is truly inspiring, and we are confident that their research and leadership will make a lasting impact.”
The 2023 Discovery Awardees are:
- Faith Brennan, Queen’s University, Center for Neuroscience Studies, for research on promoting neurological repair by understanding region-specific and sex-specific microglial phenotypes, funded by a Banting Discovery Award.
- Brice Batomen Kuimi, University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, for research on Vision-Zero Policies and Road Traffic Crashes in Toronto, funded by a University of Toronto 100th Anniversary Discovery of Insulin Banting Award.
- Sergio Crespo-Garcia, Université de Montréal, École d’optométrie, for research on the therapeutic merit and cellular mechanisms of folate during age-related macular degeneration, funded by a William and Nona Heaslip-Banting Discovery Award.
- Andrew Harris, Carleton University, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, for research on the hydrodynamics of platelet shedding in macrothrombocytopenia, funded by a Banting Discovery Award.
- Eva Kaufmann, Queen’s University, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, for research on mould exposure-induced reprogramming in hematopoietic stem cells, funded by a Mitacs-Banting Discovery Award.
- Erwan Pernet, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Biologie médicale, for research on unravelling the role of type I interferons in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, funded by a Banting Discovery Award.
- Marie-Claude Sincennes, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, for research on the function of PABPN1 in muscle stem cells and myogenesis: implications for oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, funded by a Jarislowsky Fellowship-Banting Discovery Award.
Each awardee was selected through a rigorous peer-review process and was chosen for their exceptional potential to make significant contributions to their field.
“I would like to take a moment to express how thankful I am to the Foundation and to the committee for this award and for believing in my research,” said Crespo-Garcia. “This award will be decisive to help me produce pilot data and to obtain long-term funds so that my team and I can advance the field of vascular retina disease while educating a new generation of scientists.”
“At Mitacs, we’re committed to supporting innovation, and that’s why we’re proud to partner with the Banting Research Foundation year after year. Through the Mitacs-Banting Discovery Postdoctoral Fellowship, some of the brightest postdoctoral scholars researching today are pushing boundaries and shaping the future of biomedical science and human health. Congratulations to the 2023 winners on this tremendous achievement!” said Dr. John Hepburn, CEO, Mitacs.
To learn more about the Banting Research Foundation and its important work, please visit https://www.bantingresearchfoundation.ca/. For more information on the 2023 Discovery Awardees, please visit https://www.bantingresearchfoundation.ca/2023-discovery-award-winners/.
About the Banting Research Foundation
The Banting Research Foundation is a Canadian charity that provides funding to early career health and biomedical researchers who have demonstrated excellence and creativity in their fields. As we approach our centenary, we are reminded of the significant impact of our grants on supporting discoveries that continue to improve the health of Canadians, and we are committed to fostering the next generation of health and biomedical researchers.
About Mitacs
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon. For information about Mitacs and its programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.
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