Molly Towell Fellows
In accordance with Molly Towell’s wishes and directions, the philosophy of the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation is to provide financial encouragement for young scientists to pursue training in basic biomedical mechanisms of Perinatal health and disease and to provide financial assistance to help launch the academic careers of such individuals. The Foundation’s objective is to provide one Fellowship and one New Investigator award annually, though this is contingent on the quality of the applications and Foundation resources.
Since its inception in 1988, the Foundation has provided more than $1.4 million to support these programs. In addition, The Foundation has contributed more than $200,000 to support educational conferences that are focused on dissemination of research information to clinicians and scientists.
The following is a list of Fellows who have been recipients of MTPRF Awards. An asterisk (*) beside the name indicates that papers acknowledging the MTPRF-supported work have been appended in the MTPRF-supported Research section.
Dr Pierre-Emmanuel Girault-Sotias (2024-2025)
Dr Girault-Sotias studies how high levels of oxygen, often needed to keep very premature babies alive, can also affect the developing heart. Working at CHU Sainte-Justine and the University of Montréal, he uses a newborn rat model to understand how excess oxygen may limit blood-vessel growth in the heart. His work builds on earlier research showing that adults born extremely early sometimes have hidden heart problems. By uncovering how and why these changes happen, his goal is to find ways to protect the hearts of babies born too soon and reduce their risk of heart disease later in life.
Dr Jing Zheng (2024-2025)
Between 75 and 200 trillion bacteria naturally live in and on our body, having profound effects on our health. Dr Zheng’s research looks at how a mother’s body and the bacteria that naturally live in it can influence the baby’s developing brain during pregnancy. At the University of Calgary, Dr Zheng studies how changes in the mother’s microbiome might affect brain regions that control sleep and daily rhythms. Early findings suggest that when these helpful bacteria are missing, brain development is altered. By discovering which substances produced by the mother’s microbiome support healthy brain growth, this work may one day help prevent sleep and behavioural challenges in children.
Dr Michelle Asbury (2023-2024)
The health of preterm babies is strongly related to the composition of microbes living in their gut Dr Asbury explores how a mother’s milk supports the growth and health of premature babies. Her research at the University of Calgary examines how the nutrients and natural bacteria in breast milk shape the baby’s gut and immune system. Building on her earlier discoveries about how milk composition influences early gut development, Dr Asbury now uses advanced lab techniques to understand which milk components are most important for healthy digestion and protection from infection. Her findings may help guide better nutrition for preterm infants.
Dr wojciech durlak (2023-2024)
Babies born with a serious condition called congenital diaphragmatic hernia often struggle with high blood pressure in their lungs. At the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Dr Durlak received funding to study special cells from the umbilical cord that help blood vessels grow. He compared cells in healthy babies and those with the condition to learn why lung blood vessels sometimes fail to develop properly. His goal is to find new ways to encourage vessel growth and improve outcomes for these newborns.
Dr shuhiba mohammad (2023-2024)
The placenta is vital for a healthy pregnancy. When placental cells form, their program gets set through “epigenetic” modification of the genomic material, prompting some genes to be active in a cell and tissue-specific manner. Dr Mohammad received funding to study the epigenetic ground state of the placental cells, and how their epigenetic program changes as these cells differentiate into different placental cell types. Working at the University of Calgary, she uses new stem-cell models that mimic early placental growth to see how genes are turned “on” or “off” as cells form. This work could lead to new ways to prevent or treat placental problems and related pregnancy complications.
Dr rhandi christensen (2022-2023)
Children born prematurely can face long-term learning or developmental challenges. Dr Christensen, a pediatric neurologist at the University of Toronto, studies brain scans of children born preterm to see how their brains grow from infancy to age 8. She also compares results between boys and girls to learn why outcomes differ. This research could guide better long-term care and support for children born early.
After completing her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr Christensen joined a position as pediatric neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, in 2024.
Dr katherine kennedy (2022-2023)
Group B Streptococcus is common bacteria that many women carry without symptoms but can sometimes pass to their babies during birth. Sometimes this bacteria is passed on to the newborn at the time of delivery. In rare cases this can lead to life-threatening infections in the baby. Dr Katherine Kennedy, a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster University, received funding to study the transmission of this bacteria from the mother to the baby. This study could shed light on the factors inherent to specific bacterial subtypes that promote transmission of Group B Streptococcus from the mothers to their infant.
Radha Dutt Singh (2021-2022)
Everyday chemicals used in plastics, like BPS, a replacement for BPA, may affect health during pregnancy. At the University of Calgary, Dr Singh studied how early-life exposure to BPS influences body fat and metabolism later on, using a mouse model. She also looked at how diet can worsen or reduce these effects. Her research could help understand the potential effects that contamination of our environment with these synthetic chemical plasticizer substitutes may have during pregnancy, lactation and on babies exposed in early life.
Dr Emily Nichols (2021-2022)
About 5% of pregnancies can result in poor fetal growth due to a problem with the placenta. Severe placental dysfunction increase long-term health risks to the baby’s brain, including language delays. Dr Nichols, from Western University received funding to study the effect of placental dysfunction on fetal brain structures and language outcomes in the child using “functional” magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Her research could lead to novel approaches for monitoring of fetal well-being and help clinicians make the best decisions regarding when to deliver babies adversely affected by placental dysfunction to maximize their health.
After her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr Nichols joined a research scientist and adjunct research professor position in the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario.
DR Shreyas Kumbhare (2020-2021)
Dr. Kumbhare was awarded a Fellowship Grant to study the effect of human-derived human milk fortifiers on gut microbiota development and oxidative stress in premature infants at the University of Manitoba. This research looked at whether milk fortifiers support healthy bacteria in the baby’s intestines and reduce stress on the body. The findings help improve nutrition for preterm infants who rely on donor or fortified milk for growth.
Dr Kumbhare later joined a health-tech company in California as a Senior Scientist at Digbi Health in California, where he applies microbiome research to personalized nutrition.
dr Roberto Villalobos Labra (2020-2022)
Working at the University of Alberta, Dr Villalobos Labra received funding to examine how substances released from the placenta in pregnancies with high blood pressure can harm blood vessels. His project focused on finding why these placental signals damage blood flow and how this contributes to complications such as pre-eclampsia. The research brings scientists closer to treatments that could protect both mother and baby during pregnancy.
Dr Meredith Brockway (2019-2021)
Dr Brockway studied whether matching donor breast milk to a mother’s genetic milk type could improve gut health for premature babies. Her research, done at the University of Manitoba, explored how this personalized approach might help infants develop a stronger, healthier microbiome. Now an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, she continues to study how early feeding and family experiences influence babies’ health and development.
In 2022, Dr Brockway obtained a Canada Research Chair and became an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. Her research looks at how early life experiences and infant feeding shape a child’s physical, emotional, and social development.
dr samantha wilson (2019-2020)
At the University of Toronto, Dr Wilson used blood samples from pregnant women to look for early signs that might predict complications such as preterm birth or poor growth. Her project combined genetic and health data using computer models to improve early screening. Her proposed studies will utilize machine learning technology to assess several maternal clinical and biochemical factors to predict the occurrence of preterm birth.
In 2019, Dr. Wilson received a CIHR Fellowship Award. In 2022, she joined the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, at McMaster University where she continued to study how the placenta develops and supports healthy pregnancies.
dr flore lesage (2018-2020)
Dr Lesage explored new cell-based therapies to help premature infants with serious lung disease associated with pulmonary hypertension. Her research tested whether special stem-like cells could support lung growth and prevent dangerous high blood pressure in the lungs. This work adds to efforts to develop safer treatments for babies born with breathing problems.
In 2023, Dr. Lesage joined a senior advisor position, Research and Program Support, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa.
dr laura reyes martinez (2018-2020)
Dr Reyes Martinez received funding to study how the body’s reflexes that control blood pressure may be overactive in women with pre-eclampsia, at the University of Alberta. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to better prevention and management of pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
After completing this post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Reyes Martinez joined the Women's Health at Women & Children's Health Research Institute as Clinical Research Program Lead.
Dr FLoor Spaans (2017-2019)
Dr Spaans received funding for a project on “the role of placental extracellular vesicles in the development of vascular dysfunction in preeclampsia”. At the University of Alberta, she investigated how small particles released by the placenta might contribute to blood-vessel problems in pre-eclampsia. By identifying which signals cause damage, her work aimed to uncover new ways to monitor or treat this serious pregnancy condition.
Dr amin shah (2016-2018)
In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta, Dr Shah studied how stress in early life may increase the risk of heart disease. The project tested whether a natural compound found in red grapes, called resveratrol, could help protect the developing heart. This research highlights how early nutrition and exposures can shape long-term health.
In 2018, Dr Shah joined the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, as a faculty member, where he studies heart disease, obesity, and how conditions during pregnancy can influence long-term health. He is now an associate professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr Nicole Barra (2015-2017)
Dr Benton received funding for a project focused on improving early detection of pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure. She studied molecular “signatures” in the blood that could identify different forms of the disease before symptoms appear. This work supports safer pregnancies through more personalized care.
Dr Samantha Benton (2015-2017)
Dr Benton received funding for a project focused on improving early detection of pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure. She studied molecular “signatures” in the blood that could identify different forms of the disease before symptoms appear. This work supports safer pregnancies through more personalized care.
Dr Megan O’Reilly (2014-2016)
Dr. O’reilly received funding to study mechanisms and potential preventive strategies for hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the Neonatal Research Unit in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta.
Dr Marie-Amelie Lukaszewski* (2013-2015)
Dr Lukaszewski received funding to investigate the impact of oxidative stress on neonatal circadian rhythm of energy metabolism at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre and Universite de Montreal. After her MTPRF-funded post-doctoral fellowship she went to Concordia University to work as a research associate, and began working as Clinical Research Coordinator in 2018. View Dr Lukaszewski’s paper
Dr Jane Ng (2012-2014)
Dr. Ng received her M.D. degree from McGill and completed a residency in Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Her studies at the University of Alberta Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, working alongside the Accessible Resource for Integrated Epigenetic Studies (ARIES) project from Bristol University.
Dr Nardhy Gomez-Lopez* (2011-2013)
Coming from Mexico, Dr Gomez-Lopez was awarded a Fellowship to study immunoregulation during pregnancy in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta and at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
After a her fellowship, Dr Gomez-Lopez was appointed as assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the C S Mott Centre for Human Growth and Development at Wayne State University and is the Director of the Perinatal Immunobiology Unit, Perinatology Research Branch of the NICHD/NIH/DHHS. View Dr Gomez-Lopez’s papers: Gomez-Lopez-2014-2, Gomez-Lopez-2014-1, Gomez-Lopez-2013, Gomez-Lopez-2011.
Dr Sascha Drewlo* (2010-2012)
Following his Ph.D. studies at the University of Cologne, Dr Drewlo was awarded a Fellowship to investigate the effects of heparin on placental function at the University of Toronto.
After his Fellowship, Dr Sascha Drewlo was appointed as assistant professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the C S Mott Centre for Human Growth and Development at Wayne State University to continue his research regarding placental abnormalities in human pregnancy. View Dr Drewlo’s paper: Drewlo-2013, Drewlo-2012, Drewlo-2011-3, Drewlo-2011-2, Drewlo-2011-1
Dr Shannon Bainbridge* (2008-2010)
Dr. Bainbridge received her Ph.D. from Queen’s and completed a post-doctoral Fellowship with at Magee-Women’s Research Institute in Pittsburgh, Dr. Bainbridge was awarded a MTPRF Fellowship to study placental growth and development at the University of Toronto. In 2009, she obtained CIHR Fellowship and was subsequently appointed in the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences and as an affiliate investigator in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at the University of Ottawa. Of interest, Dr. Bainbridge also received a MTPRF New Investigator award to continue her studies on pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. View Dr Bainbridge’s paper: Bainbridge-2012-2
Russell Friesen* (2002-2005)
A Fellowship was awarded to Mr. Friesen for post-graduate studies of maternal-fetal lipid metabolism with Dr. Sheila Innis in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Mr. Friesen is now a registered dietician working with Providence Health Care in Vancouver. View Friesen’s papers: Friesen-2006-2, Friesen-2006-1.
Dr Chun-Yuan Guo* (1997-1998)
A fellowship was provided for Dr. Guo to study the effects of corticosteroids on growth and skeletal delay in the neonatal period View Dr Guo’s paper
Dr Tino Piscione* (1997-1998)
Dr Piscione’s research explored the role of BMP-2 in branching morphogenesis in the developing kidney. Dr Piscione became a faculty member in the Department of Nephrology at Sick Kids to study renal development.
In 2023, he joined the Canadian Medical Protective Association as Senior Physician Advisor and his now an adjunct faculty with Telfer Executive Programs, a leadership development organization. View Dr Piscione’s paper
Dr Carlos Fernandez-Patron (1996-1997)
After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Fernandez-Patron embarked on a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Sandra Davidge in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta. His studies provided exciting and novel data regarding the role of metalloproteinases in metabolism of endogenous vasoconstrictors.
He subsequently was appointed to the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta, continuing his research in the area of matrix metalloproteinases in vascular remodeling.
Dr Ande Karimu (1995-1997)
Following completion of his M.D. degree in Nigeria, Dr. Karimu received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. He then came to the University of Alberta to perform post-doctoral studies with Dr. Peter Mitchell, to investigate the role of estrogen in the regulation of oxytocin receptor gene expression in the human uterus in late gestation. He went on to complete his clinical residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale and the University of Cincinnati and has practiced for many years as a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology in northern Manitoba.
Dr Yunlong Zhang* (1994-1995)
Dr. Zhang was an M.D. from China who came to the University of Alberta Department of Physiology and Perinatal Research Centre to complete his Ph.D. with Dr. Susan Kaufman. His research was directed towards establishing an animal model for the study of pre-eclampsia. After graduating, he worked as a post-doctoral with Dr. Sandra Davidge in the Perinatal Research Centre where he continued his studies in pre-eclampsia. His career has been in the medical device industry and he currently works in California. View Dr Zhang’s Paper.
Dr Vera Boros* (1993-1994)
Dr Boros was a Neonatologist from Budapest, Hungary who worked with Dr David Olson in The Perinatal Research Centre and at the University of Alberta to study the effects of hypoxia on lung development in newborn rats. She returned to Hungary and has been a national leader in Neonatal Intensive Care Medicine. View Dr Boros’s paper: Boros-1997, Boros-1996
Dr Teresa Davidson* (1991-1993)
A Biomedical Engineer, Dr Davidson was a Fellow with Dr James Fewell at the University of Calgary. Her studies focused on the arousal response to upper airway obstruction in young lambs. View Dr Davidson’s paper: Davidson-1995,Davidson-1994
Dr Drew Sadowsky* (1991-1994)
Dr. Drew Sadowsky, from Cornell University was a post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta. His studies explored the role of cytokines and prostaglandin production from human fetal membranes in the initiation of labour. Dr. Sadowsky has gone on to have a productive career as a faculty member in the Division of Reproductive Sciences at the Oregon National Primate Centre. His studies have contributed important information regarding the mechanisms controlling the onset of labour in non-human primates. View Dr Sadowsky’s paper
Ms. Natalya Moiseeva (1991-1992)
Ms. Natalya Moiseeva from the University of Moscow School of Biology studied amino acid metabolism with Dr Sam Bessman at the University of Southern California.
Sarah Dickstein (1990-1992)
Sarah Dickstein from Israel, received a Fellowship to perform graduate studies with Dr. Stanley Zlotkin at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Her research studied the effect of abnormal amino acid profile on appetite regulation in rats with chronic renal failure.
New Investigator Awardees
From 1988 until 2018 the MTPRF granted new investigator awards. An asterisk (*) bedside the name indicates that papers acknowledging the MTPRF-supported work have been appended in the “MTPRF-supported Research” section.
dr souvik mitra (2018-2020)
Dr. Mitra is a neonatologist who received funding for his project: “Effect of Common Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Medications on Cerebral Perfusion and Hemodynamics of Preterm Infants”. He is now an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, member of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health. He studies how to give the best care to fragile newborns, especially those with a common heart condition called patent ductus arteriosus, using research and teamwork across hospitals to ensure care is based on solid scientific evidence.
dr robin clugston (2017-2019)
Dr. Clugston joined the Department of Physiology at the University of Alberta. The major focus of Dr. Clugston’s lab is the role of the essential micronutrient vitamin A in health and disease. In 2017, Dr. Clugston was awarded a MTPRF New Investigator Grant titled “Abnormal vitamin A signalling as a causative factor in the development of congenital diaphragmatic hernia”. This work tests the hypothesis that abnormalities in the vitamin A signaling pathway in the developing diaphragm causes its malformation and the subsequent development of diaphragmatic hernia. In broader terms, this work speaks to the importance of maternal micronutrient status and the risk of congenital birth defects. View Dr. Clugston’s paper here.
Dr Kristen Connor (2017-2019)
Dr. Connor received funding for her project: “Uncovering the mechanisms that contribute to neurodevelopmental impairment and preterm birth in malnourished pregnancies”.
She is a professor of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease in the Department of Health Sciences at Carleton University, and vice-chair on the Advisory Board for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health.
Dr john ussher (2016-2018)
Dr. Ussher received funding for his project: “targeting epigenetics via perinatal interventions to prevent early onset obesity”.
He is a professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Alberta, where he was also appointed as Canada Research Chair in Pharmacotherapy of Energy Metabolism in Obesity.
Dr Simon Hirota (2014-2016)
As a new assistant professor in the Departments of Physiology & Pharmacology and Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Calgary, Dr. Hirota received funding to investigate mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis. His hypotheses suggest interactions between orphan nuclear receptors and the immune system that result in the intestinal pathology of this common disease in newborns. He was appointed as a Canada Research Chair of Host-Microbe Interactions and Chronic Disease at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. He is a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, Dept of Physiology and Pharmacology and associate dean of Research Infrastructure at the Cumming School of Medicine of the University of Calgary.
Dr Shannon Bainbridge (2013-2015)
Dr. Bainbridge is the first MTPRF Fellow (2007-2008) who has gone on to receive a New Investigator award in 2013-2025. Following completion of post-doctoral Fellowships at Magee-Women’s Research Institute in Pittsburgh and the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute in Toronto, she was appointed as assistant professor in the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences and as an affiliate investigator in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at the University of Ottawa. She continues her research into pathologic mechanisms in the placenta that result in fetal growth restriction. View Dr. Bainbridge’s paper: Bainbridge-2018
Dr Jorge Soliz* (2012-2014)
Dr Soliz was appointed as assistant professor at Laval University in the Department of Pediatrics, Centre de Recherche de l’Hopital St-Francois d’Assise. He received a New Investigator award to study the role of erythropoietin in the regulation of breathing in newborn infants. View Dr. Soliz’s papers: Soliz-2013, Soliz-2013-2, Soliz-2013
Dr Richard Keijzer* (2011-2013)
Dr Keijzer is clinician-scientist trained as a surgeon, who then completed his Ph.D. at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. He completed is Pediatric Surgery training at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Surgery, and Pediatrics and Child Health, and Physiology at the University of Manitoba. He was awarded a New Investigator grant to study the functional role of specific micro-RNAs in the abnormal pulmonary development that occurs in babies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. View Dr Keijzer’s paper
Dr Pascal Lavoie* (2009-2010)
Dr. Lavoie is a neonatologist and clinician-scientist, professor in pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Lavoie’s special interests are in the field of immunology. He was awarded a New Investigator grant to study systemic inflammation in preterm neonates at risk of lung and brain injury (see ). Following his MTPRF award he also has received a Career Investigator award from the Michael Smith Foundation.
He is now a professor at the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. In 2019, he joined the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation Board of Directors.
Dr Martin Frasch* (2010-2012)
Following his M.D. and residency training in Germany and completion of his Ph.D. studies at Western University, Dr. Frasch was appointed as assistant research professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Sainte-Justine Research Centre, University of Montreal. He was awarded a New Investigator award to study interactions between the fetal autonomic nervous system and inflammatory mediators in determining perinatal health following intrauterine sepsis.
He is now a professor at the University of Washington (Seattle, US).
Dr Justine Turner*(2009-2011)
Dr. Turner is a clinician-scientist in Pediatric Gastroenterology. Following post-doctoral training at the Hospital for Sick Children, she was appointed to the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and was awarded a New Investigator grant to characterize an animal model for the study of intestinal adaptation to short bowel syndrome in piglets. View Dr. Turner’s paper
Dr Daniel Hardy* (2007-2009)
Following a post-doctoral Fellowship with Dr. Carol Mendelson at the University of Texas Southwestern, Dr. Hardy was appointed as assistant professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology and Pharmacology at Western University. Dr. Hardy’s research is focused on the role of nuclear receptors and genetic mechanisms of fetal programming.
He is now a professor in Physiology and Pharmacology at Western. View Dr. Hardy’s paper
Dr Sarah McDonald (2005-2007)
Dr. McDonald was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University and received a New Investigator award to establish her research program to study mechanisms underlying the development of postnatal obesity in children born with fetal growth restriction.
She now is an professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, at McMaster University.
Dr Denise Hemmings (2004-2005)
A new assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta, Dr. Hemmings received start-up funding for her project studying the role of receptors for sphingisine-1-phosphate in the vascular adaptations to pregnancy.
She is now a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr Janet Brunton (1999-2000)
Dr Brunton received funding to study arginine requirement in piglets at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. Dr. Brunton is now professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Dr Sheila Innis (1998-1999)
Dr. Innis was awarded a start-up grant for her research program to study maternal lipid nutrition and the implications of essential fatty acid transfer to the fetus. At the time, Dr. Innis was already a highly respected professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Having trained as a registered dietitian, Dr. Innis rapidly established herself as a world authority nutrition and mentored a large cohort of scientists and faculty who are now established in academia, industry and health care and government.
Following a courageous battle with cancer Dr. Innis passed away in 2016.
Dr Michelle Mottola (1997-2000)
Dr. Mottola was awarded funding to study the effect of chronic exercise (stair-climber program) in pregnant women in the Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy and School of Kinesiology at Western University.
In 2020, Dr. Mottola was appointed Chair of the Division of Maternal, Fetal, and Newborn Health at the Children's Health Research Institute. She was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for "shaping the importance of exercise and physical activity for pregnant and postpartum women.
Dr Colin MacCalman (1995-1996)
Dr. MacCalman received funding to establish his laboratory in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia.
Throughout his career at UBC, Dr. MacCalman studied placentation in normal and pathologic pregnancies with support of several national funding agencies until his untimely death in 2011.
Dr John Greer* (1993-1994)
Dr. Geer received funding to study the ontogeny of the neural control of breathing, in the Department of Physiology and Director of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Alberta. His studies have contributed to understanding of the central nervous system control of breathing in neonates and adults. He also has studied the role of abnormal neural development leading to congenital diaphragmatic hernia. View Dr. Greer’s paper
Dr. Geer was a co-supervisor of Megan O’Reilly (2014-2016 MTRPF awardee).
Dr Joan Hodgman (1990-1991)
Dr. Hodgman received funding as a new investigator, to study the role of deficiency of non-essential amino acid synthesis in failure to thrive, at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California (USC). She remained a Faculty at USC Medical Center for 60 years, 30 of which as director of its newborn division. She published more than 300 articles and books, collaborated with Polish physicians to establish Neonatology as a recognized specialty (late 1980s), taught Pediatric Medicine at USC and established the Division of Neonatology at LA County-USC, the first in LA, and one of the first in the nation.
She remained an active CMCF Board Member until her passing in 2008.
Dr Sugantha Govindarajan (1990-1991)
Dr. Govindarajan received funding to study the ability of premature infants to synthesize essential amino acids at the Department of Pathology at the University of Southern California.
Dr Johann (John) Krisinger* (1990-1991)
Dr. Johann (John) Krisinger, a new investigator in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia received funding to study the function and regulation of the calbindin-D9k gene in the human uterus and placenta during pregnancy.
Dr. Krisinger became a professor at Northwest Community College in Prince Rupert, B.C.