IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on May 17, 2021

Trang Hoang, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and Full Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal is the recipient of the 2021 Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) Jeanne Manery Fisher Award.

This award recognizes an eminent Canadian woman scientist who has a distinguished career in the fields of biochemistry, molecular or cellular biology or genetics, resulting from her outstanding contributions to research, teaching or society. It also celebrates role models who have actively mentored or promoted women or increased diversity in STEM. The award is given in honour of the late Jeanne Manery Fisher, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Fisher was not only an outstanding biochemist, but a remarkable teacher. She was instrumental in creating the Society’s Equal Opportunity Committee and fought diligently for the position of women in science.

“Dr. Hoang epitomizes the values of excellence in research and teaching, of service to the broader community and of equity and diversity”, states Marc Therrien, Scientific Director at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer.

Trang Hoang is an Officer of the National Order of Québec (Ordre National du Québec, 2019) and a Commander of the Order of Montréal (Ordre de Montréal, 2019) for her pivotal work in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and for developing and nurturing multidisciplinary skills in cancer research to train the next generation of scientists.

Moreover, throughout her distinguished career, she has been a remarkable role model for young women and men aspiring to a career in the life sciences. She has trained over 72 students and postdoctoral fellows who later held leadership positions in academia, in biotech companies or in funding agencies. Throughout her career as mentor, she has fostered creativity in women and encouraged them to pursue careers in research.

Recognized for her expertise at the forefront of normal and leukemic stem cell biology, Dr. Hoang has also served on Canadian and international grant review panels, as well as advisory boards of the Québec Health Research Funds (Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé) and of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC). Her current research involves quantitative analysis of chemical-genetic interactions in mammalian cells, using high throughput functional assays for the systematic identification of pre-leukemic stem cells (pre-LSC) vulnerabilities.