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Dr. Marie-Josée Hébert

2016 Medal for Research Excellence
Canadian National Transplant Research Program
“Everyone at the Quebec branch of The Kidney Foundation is delighted that Dr. Hébert received this well-deserved award. Dr. Hébert has always been a strong supporter of The Kidney Foundation and our cause. This award is a wonderful acknowledgement of her outstanding contribution to the fight against kidney disease.”
- Sylvia Charbonneau, president of the Quebec branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada

Marie-Josée Hébert earned a specialized degree in nephrology at the Université de Montréal, followed by postdoctoral studies at Harvard. Dr. Hébert is a researcher and nephrologist-transplant physician at CHUM, professor in the faculty of medicine and holds the Shire Chair in Renal Transplantation and Regeneration. She is also co-director of the Canadian National Transplant Research Program (CNTRP) and founder of numerous interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research groups. Her work has enabled the discovery of new mechanisms at work in the rejection of transplanted organs.

Dr. Hébert is a prolific scientist and renowned transplant researcher whose leadership has culminated in her role as co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian National Transplant Research Program (CNTRP). Her major research focus is related to the pivotal role of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease and transplant rejection. She has translated her experimental findings into the clinical realm. Her research has been described as a “quantum leap for understanding renal fibrosis.” Her research has also yielded many presentations and extensive publications in many high impact journals. It is expected her work will be widely cited and will influence the work of many others in the same field for years to come.

Dr. Hébert is also a keen mentor and a superb educator who has shepherded several of her trainees to first authorship on a number of high impact papers from her laboratory. She is making substantial contributions in training new scientists, which is necessary to maintain momentum in kidney-related research.

Over the years, Dr. Hébert has been a huge advocate for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. She has given numerous presentations to the Foundation Board, has acted as a reviewer for multiple peer review committees, and most recently was the Chair of the Biomedical Research Grant committee. In 2015, Dr. Hébert received the Dr. John B. Dossetor Award from The Kidney Foundation of Canada in recognition of her outstanding contribution to research in kidney diseases.