BMO & Ménard Legacy Fuel $10M Transplant Revolution at Montreal Hub

MONTRÉAL – June 15, 2026 – A landmark $10-million philanthropic gift has established the largest endowed research chair in the history of Université de Montréal, creating a powerful new engine for medical innovation. The BMO – L. Jacques Ménard Chair in Thoracic Surgery, Organ Perfusion for Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine is set to accelerate breakthroughs at a critical juncture for transplant science, leveraging a potent collaboration between corporate finance, family legacy, and institutional research.

Fueled by the Fondation pour la recherche en chirurgie thoracique de Montréal with major support from BMO Financial Group and the family of the late L. Jacques Ménard, the chair promises to move beyond incremental advances. It aims to fundamentally reshape the landscape of organ availability and patient outcomes, positioning Montreal as a global leader in a field where the stakes are life and death.

"Every 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... The potential of this new chair is enormous."

A Legacy of Action: The Man Behind the Chair

To understand the gravity of this endowment, one must understand the man it honors. L. Jacques Ménard (1946-2020) was not merely a name in the annals of Canadian finance; he was an architect of modern Montreal. As the long-time President of BMO Financial Group in Quebec and Chairman of the BMO Nesbitt Burns Board, his influence in the corporate world was immense. Yet, his legacy is equally defined by a profound sense of civic duty.

Ménard was a tireless philanthropist and a passionate advocate for education, health, and the economic vitality of his city. From his role as Chancellor Emeritus of Concordia University to his campaigns to lower high school dropout rates, his work was always forward-looking. His contributions to the Montreal Heart Institute and fundraising for Sainte-Justine's Hospital Foundation underscored a deep commitment to healthcare. This new chair, directed toward the pulmonary transplantation program at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) where he was cared for, is a deeply personal continuation of that commitment by his family.

"Inspiring medical, financial and human creativity through generosity was central to his way of thinking," said his widow, Marie-José Ménard. "Turning hope into concrete achievements was the reason behind his commitments." This ethos is echoed by BMO, his long-time corporate home. "True to Jacques Ménard's vision--to dream and to act--BMO is proud to contribute to the advancement of science and medicine here in Montreal," stated Grégoire Baillargeon, President of BMO, Québec.

The Race Against Time: Confronting the Organ Shortage

The chair's establishment arrives at a pivotal moment. The primary obstacle in transplantation is not surgical skill, but a stark lack of viable organs. In 2022 alone, 270 Canadians died while on a waiting list that numbered over 3,000. Even in Quebec, which saw a record 204 deceased donors in 2023, 60 people died waiting. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that many potential donor organs are discarded because they are deemed "marginal"—damaged or unable to withstand the harsh limitations of traditional preservation.

For decades, the standard has been static cold storage—placing an organ on ice. This method slows decay but does nothing to assess or improve the organ's health. It's a race against the clock that too many patients lose. The BMO – L. Jacques Ménard Chair is designed to change the rules of this race entirely.

From Icebox to ICU: The Promise of Organ Perfusion

The core of the chair's scientific mission lies in advancing ex vivo organ perfusion (EVOP). This technology effectively creates a portable intensive care unit for organs outside the body. Instead of being frozen into metabolic stasis, an organ is connected to a machine that continuously supplies it with a warm, oxygenated, nutrient-rich solution. This revolutionary approach has three profound impacts.

First, it dramatically extends preservation time, easing logistical pressures. Second, it allows clinicians to monitor the organ's function in real-time, providing a definitive assessment of its viability before transplantation. But it is the third impact that holds the most promise: reconditioning. During perfusion, therapeutic agents can be administered to repair cellular damage, flush out inflammatory molecules, and resuscitate organs that would have previously been discarded. This could dramatically expand the donor pool, turning marginal organs into life-saving gifts.

Building a Medical Powerhouse

This $10-million chair is not a starting point, but a powerful accelerant for an already formidable research ecosystem. It builds on a two-decade partnership between UdeM's Faculty of Medicine and the Fondation pour la recherche en chirurgie thoracique de Montréal, which has already established three other successful research chairs. This track record of success was clearly a key factor in attracting an endowment of this magnitude.

"This chair is the culmination of many years of mobilization and conviction," noted Dr. Pasquale Ferraro, a co-founder of the Fondation. "Today, that vision is reaching an exceptional scale."

The investment will do more than fund lab equipment; it will serve as a magnet for top-tier global talent, support ambitious cross-disciplinary projects, and train the next generation of clinician-scientists. The research will not be confined to thoracic surgery, as insights gained in lung perfusion are expected to benefit heart, liver, and kidney transplantation as well.

By integrating this work with precision medicine strategies—using biobanks, biomarkers, and artificial intelligence to create personalized transplant solutions—the chair aims to foster a true centre of excellence at the CHUM. It represents a strategic convergence of philanthropy, corporate responsibility, and academic ambition, solidifying Montreal's standing on the world stage of medical research and turning the hope for a new organ into a tangible, life-affirming reality for more patients than ever before.