Marc-Olivier Deguise, a MD/PhD student in Dr. Rashmi Kothary’s lab, will receive the 2018 Jim Glionna Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award for medical students in a ceremony in Montreal on May 2, 2019. This award recognizes medical students with a track record of community leadership, superior communication skills and demonstrated interest in advancing knowledge. Deguise’s research focuses on the fatal neurological disorder called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It was thought that SMA affected only the nerves controlling the muscles, but his discovery suggests that it also impacts many other organs, including the skeletal muscles, the immune system and the liver. He was previously awarded The Ottawa Hospital’s 2017 Worton Researcher in Training Award for this work. To help bridge the gap between clinical and research training in medical school, Deguise also established an annual event in collaboration with CHEO to introduce medical students to prospective research supervisors in a speed-networking model. See story by uOttawa for details.

The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion 

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.

University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas

The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca

Media Contact

Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca