Significant representation of the UdeM community among the winners of the Prix du Québec

The government of Quebec has revealed the identity of the winners of the 2024 Prix du Québec. Six professors and three graduates from the University of Montreal are part of this prestigious list.

The Prix du Québec constitute the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec in the fields of culture and science. They recognize the exceptional career of people who have contributed to the development of their field of activity, the transmission of knowledge and the influence of Quebec in the world. Those who receive them are models both for their peers and for society and a source of inspiration for future generations.

Françoise Armand receives the Georges-Émile-Lapalme prize (French language)

Françoise Armand, professor emeritus in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Montreal, won the Georges-Émile-Lapalme prize in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the promotion of the French language.

Specializing in second language teaching, pluriliteracy and plurilingualism, she directed the ÉLODiL project, aiming to encourage linguistic diversity in schools. She was also a researcher in the Inclusion and Ethnocultural Diversity in Education Team.

In 2020, she received the Acfas Jeanne-Lapointe prize, then the Monique-Vaillancourt-Antippa prize (2021), the Order of Francophones of America (2022) and the Order of Excellence in Education (2023). In 2024, the Quebec Association for the Teaching of French as a Second Language awarded her the Ghislaine-Coutu-Vaillancourt prize.

Sylvie Belleville obtains the Armand-Frappier prize (development of a research institution or administration and promotion of research)

Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal and holder of the Canada Research Chair in cognitive neuroscience of aging and cerebral plasticity, Sylvie Belleville obtains the Armand-Frappier prize, awarded to a person who has been able to promote the next generation of scientists and arouse public interest in science and technology.

His scientific contributions have been recognized by numerous distinctions (Adrien-Pinard prize and Acfas Léo-Pariseau prize, doctorate for the sake of honor from the University of Mons, among others). Throughout her career, she has worked to better understand the effects of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases on the brain, such as Alzheimer’s, and to look for ways to compensate for cognitive losses. She thus focused on the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and on non-pharmacological interventions which, even at the start of the disease, make it possible to better protect the brain against cognitive damage, work which has been the subject of numerous publications.

René Doyon is winner of the Marie-Victorin prize (natural sciences and engineering)

The Marie-Victorin Prize is awarded to a person who has led a remarkable career in research in the field of natural sciences and engineering.

Director of the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets and the Mont-Mégantic Observatory, René Doyon is not his first major distinction. In 2023, he received the highest mark of recognition from NASA, while the previous year he was crowned scientist of the year 2022 by - for the second time.

The researcher stands out thanks to his unique expertise in the design of astronomical devices aimed at studying these new worlds that constitute exoplanets. He is renowned worldwide for his work leading to the first photograph of a planetary system outside the solar system and for his contribution to the development of the Canadian instrument aboard the space telescope. James-Webb.

Denis Gougeon wins the Denise-Filiatrault prize (performing arts)

Professor emeritus of the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal, Denis Gougeon obtains the Denise-Filiatrault prize for his marked contribution to the performing arts. A very talented composer whose reputation has crossed the country’s borders, he has more than 120 works to his credit. He has composed music for chamber, orchestra, theater, opera, solo instruments, ballet and even for children. This versatility testifies to his broad aesthetic spectrum and his creativity in terms of both timbres and orchestration. He has collaborated with artists and musical organizations whose reputation is well established and his pieces have been played by the greatest orchestras, notably in Shanghai, Berlin, Munich and Oslo, without forgetting the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

He has obtained several renowned scholarships in the musical world and around twenty awards have also punctuated his career, notably the Juno, Opus, SOCAN and Académie Charles-Cros prizes. Several tributes have paid tribute to his impressive track record, including that of the Société de musique contemporain du Québec.

Anne-Marie Mes-Masson wins the Wilder-Penfield prize (biomedical research)

Anne-Marie Mes-Masson, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal, wins the Wilder-Penfield Prize, awarded to a person who has led a remarkable career in research in the biomedical field.

A member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Anne-Marie Mes-Masson received the Michel-Sarrazin prize from the Quebec Clinical Research Club in 2017 and the Acfas Léo-Pariseau prize for biological sciences and health sciences.

A pioneer in the development of model systems illustrating the different types of cancer, Anne-Marie Mes-Masson is at the origin of several fundamental discoveries in oncology, which relate to the hereditary nature of certain forms of cancer and to the development new therapeutic approaches. She established, with her collaborators, the first biobank of ovarian cancer tumors. She has become a leader in the collection and preservation of biological samples from various types of tumors. In doing so, she ensured that specific standards relating to the ethical practice of research were put in place in her field of practice.

Frantz Saintellemy receives the Innovation prize (scientific, entrepreneurial, economic, social or commercial innovation)

Chancellor and President of the Council of the University of Montreal since 2021, Frantz Saintellemy wins the Innovation Prize, the highest distinction awarded to a person for the scope and quality of his journey leading to the development and implementation of scientific, entrepreneurial, economic, social or commercial innovation.

Multi-entrepreneur with several innovations and patents in the information technology sector, philanthropist and social entrepreneur, Frantz Saintellemy is President and Chief Operating Officer of LeddarTech. He also co-founded Groupe 3737, a center for innovation and entrepreneurial diversity, in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal, of which he still heads the board of directors.

After his college studies, he entered Northeastern University, in Boston, and subsequently the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to continue his training in electrical engineering and innovations. It was there that he began an international career in the field of microprocessors. He will subsequently complete an MBA for McGill-HEC Montréal executives.

Laureate graduates

Raymond Montpetit, Gérard-Morisset prize (heritage)

Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (1968) and a master’s degree in philosophy (1969)

François Cousineau, Guy-Mauffette prize (radio, television and digital or traditional media)

Law degree (1966)

Robert J. Vallerand, Léon-Gérin prize (human and social sciences)

Doctoral degree in social psychology of sport, physical activity and health (1981)

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