2025 Awards for Excellence Recipients

Now in its 32nd year, we are proud to present the 2025 Award for Excellence Recipients.

Since 1993, we have acknowledged some of the country’s best researchers with our Canadian Cancer Society Awards for Excellence. We are proud to honour these talented individuals who have played a key role in the advancement of cancer research. These individuals have made rich and meaningful contributions, whether in advancing biomedical cancer research or conducting research that has made a major impact on cancer control in Canada.

Congratulations to all our award recipients!

Canadian Cancer Society Lifetime Contribution Prize

Dr Marco Marra
Recipient, 2025 Lifetime Contribution Prize

Professor, Medical Genetics and The Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia
Distinguished Scientist, BC Cancer

“Dr Marco Marra’s contributions to cancer genomics research at the national and international levels are unparalleled,” says Dr Nada Jabado, a childhood cancer researcher at McGill University who supported Dr Marra’s nomination for the 2025 Lifetime Contribution Prize. “His innovative research, leadership, and advocacy have significantly advanced the field of genomics and will have a lasting impact on the cancer research landscape.”

Dr Marra was selected for the Lifetime Contribution Prize thanks to his far-reaching contributions to cancer research in Canada. The prize is given to a researcher whose accomplishments extend beyond traditional research outputs – including building networks, creating resources and training new cancer researchers.

A long-time contributor to the fields of genomics and cancer, Dr Marra was one of the first researchers to show that genetic sequencing could identify new treatment options for people whose cancers had returned. He now co-leads BC’s Personalized Oncogenomics Program, which has helped over 2,000 patients find new treatments. The knowledge gained through that program is also paving the way for personalized therapies matched to each person’s specific cancer and genetic profile.

“Demonstrating remarkable foresight, Dr Marra’s team was the first to show how whole genome and transcriptome sequencing could be used to identify treatment options for a patient with relapsed disease,” Dr Jabado says. “This groundbreaking work has transformed cancer medicine in Canada.” But Dr Marra’s accomplishments go beyond his research. He has mentored trainees who now hold high-profile cancer research positions of their own, built partnerships and collaborations across Canada and the globe and advocated for genomics in health policy and care.

“Dr Marra is a visionary scientist whose pioneering contributions to health sciences have profoundly impacted both Canadian and global society,” says Dr Martin Hirst, a cancer researcher at the University of British Columbia who nominated him for the award. “His contributions have not only enhanced our understanding of cancer biology but also directly influenced clinical practices, leading to better outcomes for cancer patients every day.”

I have been privileged to lead or co-lead numerous cancer projects, revealing new mutations, biomarkers and therapeutic targets to bring benefits to cancer patients and their families. I have been very fortunate to contribute to these and other initiatives in my cancer research journey, which has been graciously enabled by the support of superb leaders, colleagues and – most importantly – patients and their families.

On reflection, I find the increases in scale of genomics technologies to be among the most surprising developments during my career. When I started, production of the first draft sequence of the human genome required the efforts of thousands of individuals from many labs around the world across a time span of years. Now, my students routinely analyze data sets composed of tens, hundreds, even thousands of genome sequences. We can sequence cancer patient genomes on one machine in a single laboratory and return results to their oncology teams in clinically useful timeframes. The technology is now millions of times more cost-efficient and the benefits that this efficiency brings to health and disease research are many.

Strap in and hang on – you are in for a wild ride!

Canadian Cancer Society Inclusive Excellence Prize

Dr Shirin Abbasinejad Enger
Recipient, 2025 Inclusive Excellence Prize

Full Professor and Director, Medical Physics Unit, Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University
Canada Research Chair in Medical Physics

“Dr Enger’s career trajectory is a testament to resilience and excellence,” says Dr Eduardo Franco, a cancer epidemiologist at McGill University who nominated Dr Shirin Abbasinejad Enger for the 2025 Inclusive Excellence Prize. “As the first woman to lead McGill’s Medical Physics Unit and Graduate Program, she has shattered glass ceilings and created pathways for others to follow.”

Dr Enger’s story is one of overcoming obstacles – from her early days as a Kurdish refugee to becoming a global leader in medical physics and a champion for inclusive representation in cancer research.

While still a student, she realized that her lectures and textbooks contained few stories of women in science. “This absence did not embitter her; it galvanized her,” says Yujing Zou, a PhD candidate currently studying under Dr Enger. “Rather than accepting a system that failed to see her, she devoted her career to building a system where others would be seen.”

Now, Dr Enger mentors over 30 trainees at every level from undergraduate to postdoctoral. Her lab welcomes people from groups that are historically underrepresented in physics, engineering and computer science. Students not only appear as first authors on papers but also attend conferences and develop independence and leadership skills to prepare them for successful science careers.

Dr Enger’s impact extends beyond the students and trainees in her lab. She is deeply committed to expanding access to education and training in artificial intelligence (AI), medical imaging and health. Through her lab, she has supported McMedHacks, a free international summer program that introduces students, researchers and clinicians to medical image analysis and deep learning. She also helped support the launch of SPARK (Sprint AI Training for African Medical Imaging Knowledge Translation), an initiative led by Dr Udunna Anazodo. Together with her graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, Dr Enger contributed to this train-the-trainer program, which aims to empower research leaders across Africa to teach and advance AI for medical imaging and cancer-related applications.

Her commitment to accessibility is also reflected in her own medical physics research, where her team develops advanced tools and technologies that can be shared, adapted and built upon by the broader research community.

“Dr Enger is an extraordinary scientist and a tireless advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in cancer research,” says Dr Franco. “Her leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to advancing opportunities for women and underrepresented groups in science exemplify the very essence of this prestigious award.”

A common misconception is that medical physics is mainly about machines or that medical physicists work only behind the scenes in radiotherapy. In reality, medical physicists are highly trained scientists and clinical partners who help ensure that cancer treatments are accurate, safe and tailored to each patient. We work in multidisciplinary environments with radiation oncologists, clinicians, engineers, computer scientists, biologists, and trainees to solve problems that directly affect patient care.

For me, medical physics is not only about delivering radiation accurately; it is about using physics, technology and data to better understand cancer, personalize treatment, reduce side effects and improve patient outcomes.

What has surprised me most is how often important progress in cancer research comes from the spaces between disciplines. Some of the most exciting ideas I have encountered did not come from physics or oncology alone, but from connecting fields like oncology, physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, imaging, scientific computing and artificial intelligence.

I have learned that when people with different expertise come together around an unmet clinical need, they can see the problem from new angles and create solutions that none of us could have developed alone. That has shaped the way I think about research and leadership. I try to stay curious, collaborate broadly and remain open to questions even when we do not yet know where they will lead.

For me, the most unexpected finding has been that uncertainty is often where innovation begins. When we bring different disciplines together, we can transform unanswered clinical questions into new technologies, data-driven tools and treatment approaches that make cancer care more personalized, precise and patient-centred.

Radiotherapy is used in about half of all people diagnosed with cancer, which represents well over 100,000 Canadians each year. My work is focused on making radiotherapy treatments more precise, more personalized and safer for patients. Much of my research aims to improve how radiation is planned, delivered, measured and adapted to each person’s needs.

By developing advanced treatment planning tools, new radiation technologies, radiation detectors and AI-enabled models, my team works to help clinicians better understand each patient’s disease and treatment response. The goal is to improve tumour control while reducing unnecessary side effects so that people affected by cancer can not only live longer, but also maintain a better quality of life during and after treatment.

For me, changing the experience of cancer care means helping move treatment away from a one-size-fits-all approach and toward care that is more individualized, compassionate and informed by each patient’s unique data and circumstances.

Canadian Cancer Society O. Harold Warwick Prize

Dr Marie-Élise Parent
Recipient, 2025 O. Harold Warwick Prize

Professor of Epidemiology, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec
Adjunct Professor of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal

Dr Marie-Élise Parent is a world leader in a notoriously difficult field. She has spent her career working to understand the workplace and environmental factors that contribute to prostate cancer.

“Professor Parent is unequivocally an outstanding scientist of international stature and recognition,” says Professor David Chatenet, who nominated her for the 2025 O. Harold Warwick Prize. “Indeed, she is the only researcher in the world whose primary focus revolves around occupational and environmental causes of prostate cancer.”

The O. Harold Warwick Prize rewards outstanding achievements in cancer control research. Originally, prostate cancer wasn’t believed to have many environmental risk factors – but Dr Parent’s work has identified a number of common chemicals encountered in the workplace and in the environment that can increase people’s risk of developing cancer. Discoveries like these are used to develop new advice and regulations to help prevent cancer.

Now, Dr Parent and her research team are studying other chemicals that may contribute to cancer. They are also leading research into how people’s social environment and lifetime physical activity levels can affect their risk of developing prostate cancer. Not only is this cutting-edge research changing the face of prostate cancer prevention, but Dr Parent is also using her program to develop better ways of studying cancer and train the next generation of scientists who will follow in her footsteps.

“Dr Parent plays an essential role in moving the cancer control field forward with her research, training the next generation of cancer prevention experts and making Canada a key actor in cancer control and prevention,” says cancer epidemiologist Dr Eduardo Franco, who supported her nomination. “The O. Harold Warwick Prize would be a just recognition of a Canadian giant in the science of cancer epidemiology and prevention.”

My work involves identifying exposures in the workplace and in the environment that can increase the risk of developing cancer. Our findings are used by authoritative bodies, such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer – the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization – that classify exposures according to their carcinogenicity. This leads to changes in regulations and policies and to new preventive measures to protect the population against cancer.

Previous research suggested that prostate cancer is not preventable. Despite decades of research on this cancer, its modifiable risk factors have been elusive. We must now recognize that most of the earlier studies had issues that prevented the field from moving forward. Examples include the lack of distinction between non-aggressive and aggressive cancers – which appear to have different causes – or the lack of consideration of detection and screening patterns that resulted in biased results. Most early findings did not provide coherent indicators of better prevention strategies. We now have a much better understanding of how to carry out studies that will provide useful answers.

It is absolutely essential. People in Canada do want to improve the chances of preventing and fighting cancer. CCS has a major role in mobilizing forces to make sure that state-of-the-art cancer research is conducted.

Canadian Cancer Society Robert L. Noble Prize

Dr Vincent Giguère
Recipient, 2025 Robert L. Noble Prize

Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University

Dr Vincent Giguère is an internationally recognized leader in cancer science. He has spent over four decades making pioneering discoveries about how cancer sends and receives signals in the body. His work has led to not only new scientific techniques for studying cancer, but also new tests and treatments that are now part of standard care.

“Dr Giguère’s career embodies the highest ideals of scientific excellence, innovation, and impact,” says cancer epidemiologist Dr Eduardo Franco, who nominated him for the 2025 Robert L. Noble Prize. “His discoveries have reshaped cancer biology, informed clinical practice, and inspired generations of scientists.”

The Robert L. Noble Prize is awarded to a researcher who has made outstanding achievements in biomedical cancer research. Dr Giguère’s influence on cancer research has been – and continues to be – revolutionary.

Early in his career, Dr Giguère discovered a gene called retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA), which guides cells to mature in the presence of vitamin A. This gene is mutated in a type of cancer called acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Knowing about RARA meant researchers could diagnose APL more easily and opened up new possibilities for treatment – turning it from a fatal disease into one of the most curable forms of leukemia.

Since then, Dr Giguère has studied many other genes that control how cells develop and, in some cases, become cancerous. He has also developed a type of lab test called the co-transfection assay, which has been adopted worldwide and has helped researchers identify chemicals to become new cancer drugs.

“I consider Dr. Giguère to be among the most creative and productive scientists in our field, with a career spanning 40 years that has been highlighted by many outstanding discoveries,” says Dr Donald P. McDonnell, a molecular cancer biologist at Duke University who supported the nomination. “He is a pillar of the cancer research community in Canada and internationally who has dedicated his career to advancing basic cancer research and whose numerous discoveries have had tremendous impact in oncology.”

For me, one of the most pressing questions in cancer research is: how, once a normal cell has become a cancer cell, can we reprogram the genetic material of that cell so that it can revert to its normal original state? This would avoid the use of chemotherapy drugs aimed at killing cells and all the serious side effects associated with them.

I have been fortunate to make a few good choices along my career path as a researcher, and I have no regrets about any of them. Based on my own experience, the advice I would give to young trainees starting in science is to join the best team at the right place, be it at the PhD, post-doctoral or first academic position because you cannot do it alone and your chances of success are much greater when working in a rich and stimulating environment.

Canadian Cancer Society Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize

Dr Daniel Schramek
Recipient, 2025 Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize

Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto
Deputy Director for Discovery Research and Tony Pawson Chair & Senior Investigator, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health

“Dr Daniel Schramek exemplifies the innovative, impactful, and collaborative spirit recognized by the Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize,” says nominator Dr Anne-Claude Gingras. “His work has already influenced clinical practice and his bold research vision is reshaping our understanding of cancer development and opening new avenues for prevention and treatment.”

The Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize is given to an early career biomedical researcher whose outstanding work has led to improved understanding of cancer treatments or cures. Dr Schramek, a genomics researcher at the University of Toronto and Sinai Health, has already discovered and analyzed many mutations that help cancer develop and survive.

One of his early discoveries is that the protein RANKL plays a major role in hormone-driven breast cancer. By showing how RANKL drives both the initial phases of the disease and its progression, his work paved the way for new predictive monitoring tools and inspired clinical trials for drugs that block the protein. He has since uncovered other gene mutations that affect breast cancer risk and even developed new technology for finding those genes.

Dr Schramek also studies known mutations to find out how they cause disease. He has profiled the common cancer gene TP53 to understand how it is controlled and analyzed rare mutations to find out how they work together in cancer. When his twin brother was diagnosed with low-grade glioma, a brain tumour, he developed a lab model of the tumour and identified a genetic variant that predisposes people to developing low-grade glioma. These studies may one day lead to better prevention, early diagnosis and treatment for many types of cancer.

“Dr Schramek has distinguished himself with impactful contributions to discovery research that have greatly advanced our understanding of cancer,” says Dr Morag Park, a biochemist and breast cancer researcher who supported his nomination. “There is no doubt in my mind that he is highly deserving of the Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize.”

I would hire the Model T-800 Terminator – he has a great accent, he doesn't sleep, he doesn't eat; he just runs on a power cell and pure determination. He doesn't need a manual or protocol. He is the manual and can probably just “interface” with a broken PCR machine by looking at it. Having a Terminator also means that we don’t just apply for grants; we collect them. Imagine T-800 walking into a funding agency with his leather jacket and sunglasses and saying, “I need $2 million for the cancer project. I’ll be back… for the renewal.”

Some of our research could lead into a better stratification of patients into specific treatment schedules. Some of it is actually identifying novel drug targets or repurposing already exciting drugs.

Very, very important! It allows us to not only do high-risk, high-reward projects, but also train the next generation of high-impact scientists, either through research grants or through direct scholarships and fellowships to the trainees.

Canadian Cancer Society William E. Rawls Prize

Dr Sheila Garland
Recipient, 2025 William E. Rawls Prize

Professor, Department of Psychology and Discipline of Oncology, Memorial University
Senior Scientist, Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Dalhousie University

As many as 6 in 10 people diagnosed with cancer have trouble sleeping – a struggle that can impact their recovery and ongoing health. Seeing this critical gap, Dr Sheila Garland decided to take on the challenge of understanding and addressing sleep disturbances during and after cancer.

“At just 10 years into her independent career, Dr Garland has achieved what many accomplish over entire careers,” says Dr Jun Mao, an integrative medicine specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who supported Dr Garland’s nomination. “Her research directly benefits hundreds of thousands of Canadians living with and beyond cancer.”

Dr Garland was selected for the William E. Rawls Prize, an award given to early career investigators whose outstanding contributions have led to important advances in cancer control. Already, her work has shown that lack of sleep affects people’s quality of life, including their ability to think clearly. Now, she is working on ways to improve sleep for cancer survivors and those currently undergoing treatment.

Fewer than 1 in 5 cancer survivors currently receive treatment for insomnia, so Dr Garland aims to find solutions everyone can access. With funding from a Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar Award, she is conducting a clinical trial of her free iCANSleep smartphone app, which is designed to guide cancer survivors through personalized cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.

“Dr Garland is an internationally recognized leader in cancer control research who has already made transformative contributions to the field,” says Dr Janet Morrison, president of Memorial University, who nominated Dr Garland for the award. “I am confident that she will continue to make fundamental contributions that shape cancer survivorship care for decades to come.”

Sleep is one of the most overlooked aspects of cancer care, yet poor sleep affects the majority of people living with cancer and can persist for years after treatment ends. The future I’m working toward is one where evidence-based assessment and treatment for sleep problems are available regardless of who you are or where you live. Sleep affects everything: mood, cognition, immune function and quality of life. Fixing sleep isn’t a consolation prize at the end of cancer treatment; it’s a genuine pathway to recovery.

Whether poor sleep is a cause or a consequence of poor cancer outcomes – or both. We know the association is strong, but the directionality matters enormously for how we design care. If improving sleep actually changes survival trajectories, that reframes everything about what behavioural medicine should be doing in oncology.

Ted Lasso. He encourages people to do their best work and tell each other the truth. A lab runs on culture and culture comes from how people are treated on a Tuesday when nothing is going well.