Research Week 2025: Celebrating discovery, impact and everyone who has the courage to try

Research Week at The Ottawa Hospital was a great success, full of groundbreaking science, interactive learning opportunities and inspiring stories.

Organized by The Ottawa Hospital’s Research Institute (OHRI), the week also included surprising moments and heartfelt reflections that reminded us why we all work so hard to realize discoveries and bring them to life for patients.

Dr. Nancy Maltez kicked off the week with a keynote lecture highlighting The Ottawa Hospital’s leadership in stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases. She also described plans for an innovative clinical trial of CAR-T therapy for patients with systemic scleroderma, which will be part of the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative.

The week also included interactive tours of cancer and neuromuscular research labs, led by Dr. Zaid Taha and Rebecca Yaworski, with support from many others. Both tours showcased some of the incredible work happening behind the scenes at OHRI, including a visit to the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre, an in-depth look at the facilities and tools used to develop new therapies and an opportunity for visitors to try their hand at pipetting. Many of the participants expressed how amazing it was to see the passion that drives discovery and how an idea comes to life in the lab.

Dr. Peter Greenstreet of the Ottawa Methods Centre highlighted platform trials, an innovative and adaptive approach for comparing different treatments, while Amal Al Zayadi from TOH Analytics and Dr. Tetyana Kendzerska from Respirology showcased Cosmos (internal link) - a vast pool of global health data that will equip researchers with the tools to drive meaningful discovery.

A highlight of the week was the launch of The Ottawa Hospital’s INSPIRE Interprofessional Research Community of Practice (internal link), designed to foster and support research conducted by nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists and other health professions. This session featured an inspiring talk from nurse-scientist Dr. Dawn Stacey, an interactive workshop led by Nursing Professional Practice coordinator of research Sophia Gocan and a presentation on interdisciplinary health research from Dr. Stephen Daniels, Clinical Research Liaison for nursing and health professions.

OHRI’s Clinical Research Training Day also featured a variety of educational sessions on topics such as clinical research quality, contracts, patient engagement, consent and regulatory oversight. These sessions featured presentations from research staff (including Pascale Juneau, Talston Scott, Rebecca Porteous and Emily Hladkowicz), as well as from OHRI administration staff (Stephanie Myers, Ivy Salter and Jennifer Cox).  

Many of the Research Week speakers touched on the theme of “Research is care,” highlighting how research often provides the best or only treatment option for patients. Researchers, clinicians, staff and patients also shared their perspectives on research in a video, highlighting how everyone at The Ottawa Hospital and OHRI plays a role in research.

Patient partners bring their unique perspective

Patients and patient partners played a major role in Research Week, with Casey Delaney, a former critical care patient and clinical trial participant sharing her story at OHRI Research Day.

“The fact that I’m standing here today is proof of how powerful medical research can be - how every study, every trial, every dedicated researcher contributes to saving lives like mine,” said Delaney, after being introduced by Dr. Shane English. “I feel proud to have been part of that ongoing story. To all of you who dedicate yourselves to science, discovery and care - thank you.”

Another clinical trial participant shared their story at OHRI’s Clinical Research Training Day and for the first time ever, six patient partners judged trainee posters as part of a special session at OHRI Research Day.

Celebrating our trainees

The 25th annual OHRI Research Day, which focused on celebrating trainees, was the largest event of the week, with more than 500 people filling the Infinity Convention Centre.

In total, more than 150 postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, residents and other trainees presented their research results, which spanned from the lab bench to the bedside to practice and policy.  

OHRI Research Day also celebrated OHRI’s top two trainees of the year, Dr. Cory Goldstein (supervisor Dr. Monica Taljaard) and Dr. Julie Ouellette (supervisor Dr. Baptiste Lacoste).

Dr. Goldstein, who received the Grimshaw Researcher in Training Award, reflected on his journey from studying philosophy to developing international ethics guidance for complex clinical trials, showing that a humanist among scientists can make a lasting impact when guided by passion, persistence, healthy boundaries, and thoughtful mentors. Dr. Ouellette, who received the Worton Researcher in Training Award, also gave an inspiring presentation, touching on successes, failures, collaboration and learning over the course of her PhD.

The keynote Grimes Lecture from Dr. P.J. Devereaux of McMaster University was another Research Day highlight. Dr. Devereaux spoke candidly about his career in perioperative research, highlighting the many large scale international practice-changing clinical trials he has led or contributed to over many years.

Research Day was co-chaired by Dr. Paul Albert (Neuroscience Program) and Dr. Justin Presseau (Methodological and Implementation Research Program) with Natasha Hollywood as administrative lead.

Top trainee presenters recognized with awards

Trainees posters and oral presentations were evaluated by scientists, clinician investigators, postdoctoral fellows and others with advanced degrees, and prizes were awarded in several categories.

Organizers and sponsors

Research Week was organized by a dedicated team of OHRI staff, trainees and scientists, listed on this internal webpage.

Research Week was sponsored by:

Thank you to The Lord Elgin, the Canadian Museum of Nature, BATL Grounds and Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng for donating prizes that were awarded to people who took part in Research Week activities.