Kathleen Houlahan selected as winner of 2024 Gairdner Early Career Investigator competition

Kathleen Houlahan, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, has been selected as one of the winners of the 2024 Gairdner Early Career Investigators (ECI) competition. 

The Gairdner ECI competition invites promising Canadian researchers to submit an application to present their research as part of Gairdner Science Week events in October. Houlahan was selected from among the field of applicants by the 2024 recipients of the Canada Gairdner International Award, who are being recognized for their work developing next generation sequencing technology. At Gairdner Science Week, Houlahan will present her own research alongside world leaders in the field, build new scientific connections and represent the exceptional work being done at all levels of the Canadian research ecosystem. 

Houlahan’s research focuses on using advanced statistical methods to study extensive sets of cancer genetics data. She aims to understand how inherited genetic differences affect cancer development and growth. By looking at these links, her work seeks to explain why tumours vary so much between people and to create novel blood tests that can improve cancer screening and early detection. 

“Despite having similar diagnoses, tumours can look very different on the molecular level from individual to individual which can impact how they respond to treatment. Our work demonstrates that our inherited DNA is, in part, responsible for these differences. We believe inherited DNA variants may predict not only an individual’s risk of being diagnosed with cancer but also what the tumour will look like, molecularly, and how aggressive it will be should it develop,” says Houlahan, who is also a principal investigator with the Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research (CDCR) at McMaster. 

Houlahan completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She was awarded both the CIHR Vanier Scholarship and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2024, she was named an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) NextGen Star as well as a Protostar by ScienceAdvisor. 

“Dr. Houlahan is a remarkable scientist and scholar. Being named a 2024 Gairdner Early Career Investigator is a fitting honour that recognizes her already impressive research accomplishments and also her rising trajectory in her field. The Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences is delighted to have her among our ranks,” says Brian Coombes, professor and chair of the department. 

The mission of the Gairdner Foundation is to celebrate, inform and inspire scientific excellence around the globe. The Gairdner Foundation, established in 1957, is dedicated to fulfilling James A. Gairdner’s vision to recognize major research contributions to the treatment of disease and alleviation of human suffering. Through annual prestigious Canada Gairdner Awards, the Gairdner Foundation celebrates the world’s most creative and accomplished researchers whose work is improving the health and wellbeing of people around the world. Since 1957, 418 awards have been bestowed on laureates from over 40 countries, and of those awardees, 96 have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes. 

“It is a true honour to be selected for the Gairdner ECI Award and have the opportunity to share my work alongside world experts,” Houlahan says.