2022 Maud Menten Prize recipients

Jason Roberts

Jason Roberts is a Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), an Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at McMaster University, and a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences. He finished his cardiac electrophysiology training at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and his fellowship in cardiology at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. At UCSF, he earned a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics.

Roberts' research is advancing our clinical understanding of genetic arrhythmia disorders. As a clinician researcher, he is interested in investigating potential genetic contributions to cardiac arrhythmias and assessing the therapeutic value of new medications and gene-based therapies as treatments for rare and common cardiac arrhythmias. Roberts received $2.7 million from the CIHR’s in early 2023 for his clinical trial, Targeted Therapy with Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Inhibition for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (TARGETED-ARVC) looking to develop the first therapy for the genetic heart disorder which often manifests as sudden cardiac death in teenagers and people in their 20s.

Roberts received a 2022 Maud Menten New Principal Investigator Prize in Genetics for his project titled: RYR2-targeted Gene Therapies for Treating Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT). This project will examine the RYR2 gene copies linked with CPVT and the effect of deleting the abnormal functioning copy of the RYR2 gene in mice. Working with basic scientist Wayne Chen in Calgary, and at PHRI with the genetics research team led by Guillaume Paré, Roberts will also investigate whether injecting molecules (antisense oligonucleotides) may correct electrical defects in mature CPVT mice. This study will lay the groundwork for future human clinical studies to improve CPVT treatment.

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Yun Li

Dr. Yun Li is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto and a Scientist at SickKids Research Institute since 2018. She completed her Ph.D. training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2008 and pursued postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute and MIT from 2009-2017.

Her research is aimed at understanding the development of the human brain, its distinctness in comparison to other species, and the impacts and mechanisms of various mental health disorders (e.g., autism and epilepsy) on brain development and function. Dr. Li is interested in understanding human-specific neural cell types and cortical features, and investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental brain disorders.

Dr. Li was awarded the Maud Menten Prize in the biomedical research area on her granted project titled: The role of outer radial glia in human brain expansion and cortical malformation disorders. Her team will generate human brain cells from stem cells grown in the dish, and investigate the impacts of mutations found in cortical malformations on their behaviour. They believe that understanding brain functioning and its diseases is crucial to the development of novel treatments.

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Yvonne Bombard

Dr. Yvonne Bombard is an interdisciplinary genomics health services researcher and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is a Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, where she directs the Genomics Health Services Research Program. Dr. Bombard holds the Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services and Policy. She holds a PhD degree from the University of British Columbia and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the University of Toronto. Dr. Bombard is a current member of the CIHR Institute Advisory Board for CIHR Institute of Genetics, provides strategic leadership as a board member of the American Society of Human Genetics, and advises on funding recommendations for Ontario's new genetic testing technologies.

Her research focuses on evaluating and translating genomics technologies into healthcare by assessing health outcomes, equity and policy implications on patients, providers, and the health care system. She also develops digital tools for genomic medicine and conducts patient engagement to advance health technology assessment and service delivery.

Dr. Bombard is the 2022 Maud Menten Prize recipient of the health services/social, cultural, environmental and population health research area, awarded on her project titled: Toward equity in cancer genetics: identifying racial disparities in cancer genetics services. Her team will assess the nature and degree of the genetic disparities in cancer in Ontario for early detection, cancer prevention, and genetic testing for family members at risk.

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Sandra Meier

Dr. Sandra Meier is an Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Psychopathology and Youth Mental Health (Tier 2). She is a psychologist and holds a Master's degree in Psychology from Basel University and a PhD in Human Sciences from Heidelberg University.

Her research aims to improve youth mental health outcomes by identifying at-risk individuals and developing smartphone applications to provide access to early intervention and preventative measures.

Dr. Meier is a 2022 Maud Menten awardee in the clinical research area based on her research project named The GAYA Study - Exploring the Genetic Architecture of Youth Anxiety. This Pan-Canadian study will evaluate anxiety disorder's symptoms, comorbidities, and antecedents amongst 13,000 Canadian youths and assess the genetic underpinnings of the disease.

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