MONTR\u00c9AL, June 15, 2026 – Thanks to a major $10-million gift, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al’s Faculty of Medicine is creating the BMO \u2013 L. Jacques M\u00e9nard Chair in Thoracic Surgery, Organ Perfusion for Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This new chair, the largest endowed chair in the university’s history, will help accelerate the development of innovative approaches aimed at improving the quality of organs available for transplant and the health outcomes of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funded by the Fondation pour la recherche en chirurgie thoracique de Montr\u00e9al, with the support of BMO Financial Group, the M\u00e9nard family and major donors, the new chair consolidates UdeM’s reputation as a vibrant hub of internationally recognized expertise in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery time we create a research chair, we open up space for discovery,” said UdeM rector Daniel Jutras. “We give our best talent the time and resources they need to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When research touches the field of health, it takes on another dimension. We think of the lives that will be saved. We think of families who will get back a father, a mother, a child. We create tangible hope where illness once prevailed. The potential of this new chair is enormous.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Added Dr. Patrick Cossette, dean of the Faculty of Medicine: \u201cThis chair shows what can be achieved when philanthropy, research and care move in the same direction. It will give our teams the means to accelerate innovation, train the next generation and, ultimately, improve patients\u2019 lives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fourth chair in 20 years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The creation of this new chair marks an important step in the history of a partnership that, for more than 20 years now, has connected the Faculty of Medicine with the Fondation pour la recherche en chirurgie thoracique de Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originated by Drs. Pasquale Ferraro and Andr\u00e9 Duranceau, the Fondation has seen the creation of three other research chairs at UdeM: the Alfonso Minicozzi and Family Chair in Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation; the Marcel and Rolande Gosselin Chair in Oncological Thoracic Surgery; and the Famille R\u00e9gis Morissette\u2013Fransyl Chair in Thoracic Surgery and Esophageal Diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new chair “is the culmination of many years of mobilization and conviction,” said Dr. Ferraro. “We have always believed that philanthropy can play a decisive role in advancing research, innovation and care in thoracic surgery. Today, that vision is reaching an exceptional scale.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honouring the memory of Mr. M\u00e9nard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The chair is named in honour of the late L. Jacques M\u00e9nard, a prominent Montreal business leader and well-known philanthropist who was cared for by teams at the Centre hospitalier de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al (CHUM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n After his death in 2020, his family and his widow, Marie-Jos\u00e9 M\u00e9nard, wanted to make a meaningful gesture to honour his memory and carry forward his legacy. That major philantropic project is now a reality with the creation of the BMO \u2013 L.-Jacques-M\u00e9nard Chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis $10 million endowment marks a pivotal milestone for the BMO \u2013 L.-Jacques-M\u00e9nard Chair. It reflects an exceptional collaboration between the Foundation, the M\u00e9nard family, and our partners, and will help accelerate major advances in transplantation and regenerative medicine, benefiting patients today and tomorrow. True to Jacques M\u00e9nard\u2019s vision\u2014to dream and to act\u2014 BMO is proud to contribute to the advancement of science and medicine here in Montreal,\u201c explained Gr\u00e9goire Baillargeon, President of BMO, Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThrough the creation of this chair, the exceptional donors and BMO recognize Louis Jacques\u2019s philanthropic contribution,” said Marie-Jos\u00e9 M\u00e9nard. \u201cInspiring medical, financial and human creativity through generosity was central to his way of thinking. Turning hope into concrete achievements was the reason behind his commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n