A look at the top QHS headlines from 2025

Feature Stories | 17 Dec 2025 | Read time: 4 min | Written by: Laura Dyer

Life-changing clinical trials. Students reimagining how we teach end-of-life care. A new recipe for Indigenous health and education. In 2025, the Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) community came together again and again to question, challenge, and imagine what comes next.

Did you miss any of these popular reads? Dive into the top ten QHS stories and headlines that captured your attention over the past year.

Expanding minds when it comes to cancer care
Our researchers are exploring how psychedelic-assisted therapy could improve mental health and well-being for people living with advanced cancer. Their national research project will conduct clinical trials, train clinicians, and inform policies to integrate this emerging approach to cancer care.
Learn more about CAN-PACT’s groundbreaking work →
Movement as medicine
In a study that made headlines around the world, Dr. Christopher Booth of Queen’s Sinclair Cancer Research Institute showed that structured exercise can significantly improve survival for people with colon cancer.
Exercise matters for cancer recovery →
A nudge in the right direction
It’s a story about a running club, an AI algorithm, a coffee date, and a heart attack misdiagnosis. In one of our most popular reads this year, retired programmer Dennis Christopher shared the unconventional research journey behind ‘PE Nudge,’ the tool he and Queen’s researcher Dr. Kerstin de Wit are developing to help ED doctors better diagnose pulmonary embolisms.
Dennis's story →
"The first time I saw a death in clinical, I didn't know what to do."
There’s no perfect protocol for what follows someone’s final breath. Patient death and end-of-life care remain among the most emotionally and ethically challenging parts of health care delivery. That’s why Queen’s nursing students led a project changing how end-of-life care is taught.
Bridging the gap in end-of-life care education →
The key to better healthcare? Smarter staffing
Researchers Joan Almost and Catherine Donnelly are helping Ontario Health Teams plan smarter, more effective care delivery. They published a strategic guide for managing healthcare human resources in complex, integrated care settings, giving local and regional teams tools that will ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Discover how →
Need some good news?
From earlier cancer detection to tackling mental health stigma, our four-part Reasons to Be Hopeful series highlighted how Queen’s researchers are transforming the world through bold ideas and new discoveries.
The future of health research is now →
Meet the new dean of Queen's Health Sciences
This summer, we welcomed Dr. Lisa Tannock as the faculty’s new dean. In a sit-down interview, she shared what excites her most about QHS and what it means to return home to Canada after living and working in the U.S.
Meet Dr. Lisa Tannock →
A new recipe for Indigenous health and education at Queen’s
Something is cooking at QHS. Indigenous leaders are reimagining research and education, asking how we can take more community-driven approaches. We brought three voices together for a candid conversation about progress, possibility, and what still needs to change.
See what's cooking →
Major federal funding fuels future discoveries
Queen's researchers brought in more than $25 million in federal funding for projects spanning science at the cellular level to real-world patient impact.
See where this investment is taking researchers →
Supporting the next scientific breakthrough
We made it easier for our researchers to run clinical trials. A new centralized Clinical Trial Support Unit (CTSU) launched this year, offering QHS researchers shared services that reduce administrative barriers and strengthen clinical trial capacity across the faculty.

“We want clinical trial investigators to focus on the clinical aspects of the trial, not the paperwork,” says Dr. Stephen Scott, Vice-Dean, Research.
Learn more about how CTSU supports research at Queen’s →

Read time

4 min

Written by

Laura Dyer

A look at the top QHS headlines from 2025

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