leading scientists are choosing a new home for discovery – and it’s in canada

uhn’s canada leads is attracting global talent while investing in canadian researchers to power long-term economic growth

by university health network (uhn)

published aug 04, 2026

last updated aug 10, 2026

4 minute read

dr. valeria ramaglia, scientist, krembil brain institute uhn. supplied

this story was provided by a client for commercial purposes.

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over the last year, there has been a noticeable shift in how canadians see themselves.

what was once an identity defined by quiet humility has evolved into something more assertive: a growing confidence and strength rooted in the belief that canada can and should lead on the global stage.

it’s increasingly visible in everyday decisions, showing up in where canadians choose to invest their time, talent and resources, in the pride attached to what is built at home, and in a broader willingness across sectors to back canadian solutions to global challenges.

in the health care and research sector, that shift is well underway.

at the forefront is toronto’s university health network (uhn), canada’s leading hospital and the top universally accessible hospital in the world. last year, uhn launched canada leads, an ambitious initiative aimed at recruiting 100 world-class scientists and retaining canadian talent to drive the next breakthrough here in toronto.

the initiative is also drawing top talent from across canada, with 23 of the 97 recruits coming from institutions nationwide.

together, these individuals represent a growing community choosing canada as the destination to lead their work, bringing new perspectives and expertise from around the world, including new zealand, japan, the united kingdom, the united states and brazil.

a global call for the world’s brightest minds

the program is designed to remove the barriers that often stop talent from moving across borders and to ensure top canadian researchers have the support to build their careers at home. recruits receive two years of research funding, alongside mentorship, relocation and onboarding support as well as access to one of the most comprehensive research environments in the world.

canada leads is about more than just recruitment. it reflects a growing recognition that investing in science is an investment in economic strength, resilience and long-term sustainability. canada spends an estimated $400 billion annually on health care, including the procurement of pharmaceuticals, equipment and technologies from beyond its borders. however, recent global and economic disruptions have underscored how interconnected, and at times vulnerable, these supply chains can be.

for uhn, this has reinforced the need to not only ensure more discoveries are made in canada, but that they are also scaled and commercialized here. keeping this work within canada means capturing the full economic value of innovation, creating high-quality jobs, strengthening the nation’s health care sector and driving sustained economic growth.

from bold idea to real-world impact

the impact of canada leads is already visible inside the walls of uhn.

one of the scientists recruited through the initiative is dr. valeria ramaglia, who joined uhn’s krembil brain institute and is also an assistant professor of immunology at the university of toronto.

originally from italy, dr. ramaglia’s career has taken her across many countries, driven by one central question: can the immune system influence the nervous system?

once thought to operate independently, these two systems are now known to be deeply interconnected. for example, the immune system plays a critical role in how peripheral nerves (like those in your arms and legs) or the brain respond to traumatic injuries such as those caused by vehicle accidents or sports injuries.

now at uhn, dr. ramaglia is applying this insight to one of the most urgent challenges in health care today: neurodegeneration and memory loss. supported by canada leads, she is investigating how immune activity at the border of the brain may drive cognitive decline across diseases such as progressive multiple sclerosis (ms), alzheimer’s and other dementias.

specifically, her work focuses on the complement system – a group of immune proteins that have been linked to damage in memory-critical regions like the hippocampus in ms. this discovery has opened a new line of research in the ramaglia lab, extending beyond ms to other diseases including alzheimer’s.

through uhn’s canada leads initiative, she was also able to recruit a canadian postdoctoral fellow who trained in the united states, bringing top talent back to canada and further strengthening the country’s research capacity.

“none of this work would be possible without the support of uhn,” said dr. ramaglia. “this kind of investment doesn’t just support a project – it builds people, careers and the future of canadian science.”

dr. ramaglia is not only advancing a new frontier in memory research, but she is also demonstrating why leading scientists are choosing canada and why uhn is a destination for breakthrough discoveries.

as canada’s top research hospital and the world’s top universally accessible hospital, uhn’s scope of research and ability to handle the most complex cases make it a national and international engine for discovery, education and patient care. with a high volume of patients and an increasingly integrated clinical trials environment, uhn provides the real-world conditions needed to not only validate breakthroughs like dr. ramaglia’s but to also scale them.

this means discoveries made at uhn can move more quickly into practice – expanding access for patients across canada while advancing care that benefits people around the world.

building the future, one breakthrough at a time

dr. ramaglia’s work is just one example of what canada leads is making possible.

each new scientist not only brings new research but also global collaborations, new talent pipelines and expanded capacity to translate discovery into real-world impact, from therapies and technologies to a more self-sustaining health care system.

uhn’s initiative is also helping to catalyze broader momentum. in the month following its launch, similar programs to canada leads have emerged, including efforts in quebec and the federal canada global impact+ research talent initiative.

together, these efforts reflect a growing alignment that investing in health research and science talent is not just an institutional priority, it’s a national strategy.

and the stakes are clear.

the countries that invest in science today will shape their health and economic futures tomorrow. one year into canada leads, uhn is helping ensure that canada is not only part of that future but defines it.

learn more about the program at uhnfoundation.ca/canadaleads.

this story was provided by university health network (uhn) for commercial purposes.