Awards and scholarships: nurturing talent and accelerating impact

This article is adapted from the sixth edition of the Foundation’s magazine.

Every year, the MHI Foundation provides tangible support to those working to advance cardiovascular care. Through awards and scholarships, the Foundation fosters medical advancement, supports higher education, promotes the training of future nurses, and recognizes clinical excellence. 

These distinctions all have one thing in common: they put human talent at the heart of healthcare innovation.

A dedicated supporter of the Foundation, Tony Meti created the Bourses du Cœur Tony-Meti in the late 1990s as a way of making a sustainable investment in medical training. These scholarships enable MHI physicians to hone their skills abroad and then leverage their newfound expertise to benefit the teams and patients at the Institute. To date, more than 40 scholarship recipients have pursued professional development opportunities outside of Canada. Over the years, these experiences have helped to improve in-house medical practices, particularly in electrophysiology, imaging, and specialized interventions.

In 2025, two new winners joined the list of honourees, namely Dr. Ana Stoica, a radiology resident, and Dr. Zahra Sohani, who will receive leading-edge training in microbiology. A dedicated fund is in place to support the program and its vision to transform healthcare through professional development.

Every year, a bequest left to the Institute by Marc Y. Bruneau helps to support the next generation of medical specialists. Through these funds, they can further develop their specialty and enhance their practice with additional clinical training or targeted professional development, helping maintain a high level of expertise within the MHI. 

The 2025 recipient was Dr. Cynthia Carbonneau, a hematology specialist. This support continues Mr. Bruneau’s legacy and further strengthens the Institute’s impact.

Scholarships from the Fondation Famille Le Blanc encourage nursing students to undertake university studies, particularly at the graduate level. Recipients can use these funds to support their higher education aspirations or develop specialized expertise, thereby helping to shape the next generation of clinical nurses and leaders in cardiovascular care. 

In 2025, 12 of the MHI’s nurses received one of these scholarships. By easing the financial burden associated with pursuing academic goals, these funds will help foster nursing expertise and sustain a high standard of care at the Institute.

The Dr. Denis Roy Awards for Excellence highlight the remarkable work of nurses and other essential team members at the MHI, including physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social workers, and perfusionists. Because they are peer-nominated, these honours carry special meaning and a strong human dimension. 

The awards originated from a personal initiative by Dr. Roy to transform individual recognition into a collective source of momentum. Now sustained by the commitment of donors, they continue to evolve and promote excellence throughout the Institute.