Tremplin Award - 2023 Recipients - Research

Lee-Hwa Tai

Medicine and Health Sciences

Hope for treatment-resistant cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer is a highly aggressive cancer that particularly affects women under 40 and those from visible minorities. Those living with this difficult-to-treat disease can count on the pioneering work of a rising star in the field of immuno-oncology, Professor Lee-Hwa Tai. Using cancer cells extracted from each patient, the CRMUS (Centre de recherche médicale de l’UdeS) chairholder for translational immunotherapy research is working on the development of a personalized therapeutic vaccine, a highly innovative approach for treatment-resistant cancers. She hopes to begin clinical studies within the next few years.

Working in the Immunology and Cellular Biology Department of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lee-Hwa Tai is the author of an impressive number of highly cited scientific publications. She is also the acting director of the cancer unit of the CHUS Research Centre.

This young researcher quickly rose through the ranks among the most promising scientists on a national and even international scale in translational immunotherapy research, an integrated and practical approach that bridges the gap between basic and clinical research.

Caroline Fitzpatrick

Humanities and Social Sciences

Effects of screen use on children

Tablets, phones, televisions, computers, gaming consoles: Screens take a large place in our daily lives... and that of toddlers. The growing use of screens among children and its impact on their development have piqued the interest of Professor Caroline Fitzpatrick, Chairholder of the Canada Research Chair in Digital Media Use by Children. With her team, she is investigating whether these digital media habits are beneficial or harmful to the well-being, academic success, and health of children.

Although she only joined the Department of Preschool and Primary School Teaching in 2020, she immediately distinguished herself through her remarkable scientific productivity and excellence in research. At the crossroads of several disciplines such as psychology, education, public health, and pediatrics, her work sheds a much-needed light on today’s complex issues.

Bolstered by a vast network of fruitful collaborations, Professor Fitzpatrick is also a model of commitment in terms of training the next generation of researchers that is actively involved in her research.