WE-SPARK Invites Applications for Cancer Research Program Leads WE-SPARK Health Institute is inviting applications for two Cancer Research Program Leads, one academic and one clinical, to help shape the future of cancer research in Windsor-Essex.Working in partnership, the Program Leads will bring researchers and healthcare professionals together to advance cancer research across the region. They will advance strategic priorities, foster collaborations, attract new opportunities, and help continue to build a vibrant and sustainable cancer research ecosystem.“Building a strong and sustainable cancer research ecosystem takes dedicated leadership, collaboration and a commitment to bringing people together around common goals,” says Dora Cavallo-Medved, Director of WE-SPARK Health Institute. “We’re grateful to the Cancer Research Collaboration Fund and Play for a Cure Pro-Am with funds stewarded at the WindsorEssex Community Foundation for investing in these roles and the future of cancer research in our region.”Applications are due November…
Terry Fox Research Institute’s Dr. Jim Woodgett to Speak in Windsor on October 30 About the Next Generation of Cancer Care How is precision oncology transforming cancer care, and what role is Windsor-Essex playing in this national effort?Join Dr. Jim Woodgett on October 30, 2026, for The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network – The Next Generation. Everyone is welcome to attend.Dr. Woodgett is President and Scientific Director of the Terry Fox Research Institute, Senior Investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and Professor of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.He will share how the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is advancing precision oncology, an approach that uses the unique characteristics of a person’s cancer to help guide treatment. The presentation will also explore Windsor-Essex’s contributions to the network and how this collaboration is helping bring cutting-edge cancer research closer to home.Event detailsDate: Friday, October 30, 2026Time: 1:00–2:00 p.m.Location: Toldo Health Education Centre, Room 200, 455 California Avenue, Windsor, OntarioPlease…
WE-SPARK awards $522,000 to advance 33 local health research projects From wearable technology that could help detect movement disorders earlier to improving emergency care in rural communities, 33 newly funded research projects are exploring ways to improve health and healthcare in Windsor-Essex and beyond.WE-SPARK Health Institute and its funding partners celebrated this year’s grant recipients at an awards ceremony on September 16 at the Ambassador Golf Club. The grants total $522,000 and involve 203 researchers and trainees across the region.The investment includes 19 Igniting Discovery Grants, 11 IDEA Grants, one Incentive Grant and two Student Research Training Grants. It brings the total awarded through WE-SPARK’s grants program to more than $2.8 million since its launch in April 2020.“These grants provide research teams with the opportunity to explore new ideas, build partnerships and generate the early evidence needed to move important projects forward,” said Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved, Director, WE-SPARK Health Institute. “The range of projects…
Share Ideas and Make Connections at WE-SPARK’s October Think Tank WE-SPARK Health Institute’s next virtual Think Tank takes place on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m. Topics include managing chemotherapy side effects, improving access to care for older adults, and using data to solve healthcare and community challenges.Think Tanks bring researchers, healthcare providers, students and community partners together to exchange ideas and help move research forward. Anyone who enjoys solving problems is welcome to take part.This month, three presenters will lead the following discussions. Participants are invited to choose one breakout session based on their interests and expertise. Biology, Prevention, and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced NeuropathyPresenter: Vikas Garg, MD, Windsor Regional HospitalChemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common and often persistent side effect of certain chemotherapy treatments. Dr. Garg will introduce a research program at Windsor Regional Cancer Centre focused on improving its prevention, early…
Foundation funds cancer research WE-SPARK Health Institute received $150,000 to help advance research focused on cancer prevention, cancer risk, survivorship and youth engagement in cancer care. Pictured from left to right: Houida Kassem, Dr. Ayman Sayyed, Dr. Vikas Garg, Dr. Kathy Pfaff, Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved, Dr. Lisa Porter and Dr. John Hudson. (PETER MARVAL/University of Windsor) Five WE-SPARK Health Institute members are receiving funding from the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation to advance research focused on cancer prevention, cancer risk, survivorship and youth engagement in cancer care.The investment, provided through the Dr. Hakam Abu-Zahra Research Fund, is part of a $150,000 commitment to support locally led projects selected through WE-SPARK Health Institute's 2026 Igniting Discovery Grants competition.At UWindsor, the funding will support projects led by Dr. Phillip Karpowicz and Dr. Lisa Porter from the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Dr Joanne Tay from the Faculty of Nursing.Karpowicz will…
Connect with the Health Research Community at WE-SPARK After Dark WE-SPARK Health Institute invites the Windsor-Essex health research community to connect at its next WE-SPARK After Dark on Thursday, October 1. This monthly gathering offers a relaxed setting to meet new people, exchange ideas and start conversations that could lead to future collaborations. Everyone is welcome.Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026Time: 5–7 p.m.Location: The Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa Street, WindsorThe event is free. Registration is encouraged but not required. Please click here register.
National cancer research investment to advance work in Windsor-Essex Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved, director of WE-SPARK Health Institute, speaks at the September 24 announcement in Ottawa of a $160 million investmentin the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network. A $160 million national investment in the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network will help expand precision oncology research, including work underway in Windsor-Essex through the University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital. The Government of Canada is investing $80 million over four years, matched by the Terry Fox Foundation and participating institutions. The network brings researchers and clinicians together to study the genetic and biological makeup of cancers and use that knowledge to inform more personalized care. The University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital partnered to become the first community hospital-based site in Canada to join the network. With support from WE-SPARK Health Institute, local researchers and clinicians are contributing to a national effort to share…
UWindsor freshwater researchers earn Royal Society of Canada recognition University of Windsor researcher Dr. Catherine Febria, centre, conducts field work with students in the Sydenham River as part of herfreshwater restoration research. (MIKE WILKINS/University of Windsor) From tracking fish across the Great Lakes to restoring the streams that connect land, water and communities, University of Windsor researchers Dr. Aaron T. Fisk and Dr. Catherine Febria are advancing understanding of how freshwater ecosystems are understood, managed and protected.Their work has now earned national recognition from the Royal Society of Canada.Fisk, professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Changing Great Lakes Ecosystems, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in recognition of his contributions to aquatic research and leadership.Febria, associate professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Restoration Ecology, has been elected to the RSC’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, which recognizes emerging researchers, artists…
UWindsor researcher’s nanoparticle microscopy image named finalist in national photo contest Dr. Scott Harroun’s microscopy image, Nanoscale signaling, is a top 20 finalist in the Acfas La preuve par l'image photo contest.(SARA ELLIOTT/University of Windsor) The glittering gold and red image titled Nanoscale signaling is in striking contrast to the research behind it.What appears to be a thing of beauty is, in fact, lung cancer cells studded with gold nanoparticles.The image was captured by University of Windsor chemistry researcher Dr. Scott G. Harroun, along with his colleague and former advisor, Dr. Michel Meunier of Polytechnique Montréal, during Harroun’s post-doctoral work in an engineering physics lab.“Each of these nanoparticles is chemically bound to antibodies, which allow them to attach to proteins expressed on the surface of the cells,” says Harroun.“Because each type of antibody only attaches to one type of protein, by using different antibodies, in principle, we could determine the type of cancer cell involved and the best treatment to fight it.”“Using…
