The Mila and Brian Mulroney Philanthropic Chair in Diabetes at the IRCM is proud to announce the presentation of the first ever John and Marika Wallenburg Publication Prize from Cystic Fibrosis Canada to Heather Girouard, a masters student co-supervised by Dr. Adèle Coriati (researcher and Assistant Professor at the Université de Montréal) and Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, clinician scientist at the IRCM. Awarded for the first time in 2026, this prize recognizes an exceptional peer-reviewed publication.
The excellent highlighted research, led by Dr. Coriati and published in the prestigious European Respiratory Review, comprehensively outlines the effects of a revolutionary cystic fibrosis medication on health indicators for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity by systemically comparing and contrasting 54 published studies. This article is a key springboard for future research as the lifespans for people living with cystic fibrosis are rapidly extending thanks to new medications.
Titular researcher of the Mila and Brian Mulroney Philanthropic Chair, Dr. Adèle Coriati is an early career researcher and leader in cystic fibrosis research. Her expertise and research are focused on improving our understanding of cystic fibrosis and how groundbreaking cystic fibrosis medications impact cystic-fibrosis related diabetes and metabolic health. Her team’s work is at the heart of multiple collaborative, multidisciplinary, and inter-institutional initiatives that contribute to advancing knowledge and patient care.
This award exemplifies both the expertise within the Mila and Brian Mulroney Chair in Diabetes and the importance of rare forms of diabetes, specifically diabetes secondary to cystic fibrosis.
About cystic fibrosis-related diabetes
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects around 1 in 3000 people, mainly impacts the lungs, and whose most common complication is a rare and unique form of diabetes: cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD). With a prevalence ranging from 3% in children to over 50% in adults over 35, and with the improvements to treatments leading to greater life expectancy, CFRD is becoming increasingly common. For this reason, research is greatly needed to improve care.
About the Mila and Brian Mulroney Philanthropic Chair in Diabetes at the IRCM
Founded in 2025, through the IRCM foundation and at the behest of Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, director of the diabetes clinic at the IRCM, thanks to the support from the loved ones of the honorable Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada, among others, the Mila and Brian Mulroney Philanthropic Chair in Diabetes at the IRCM aims to support highly promising multidisciplinary and cross-institutional initiatives in order to prevent the onset of diabetes, alleviate the individual and social burden of this chronic disease, and ultimately promote a cure.
The Chair focuses on specific forms of diabetes, notably type 1 diabetes, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), and rare forms of diabetes, particularly CFRD.
