The Luc Bélanger Distinction Scholarship, awarded annually as part of the CRC scholarship competition, aims to highlight the societal involvement and engagement of student members as well as their determination to pursue graduate-level research. This prestigious award pays tribute to Dr. Luc Bélanger, a passionate researcher-builder dedicated to advancing oncology research in Québec. The scholarship is made possible through the Cancer Research Fund of the Université Laval Foundation.
This year, the CRC awarded this scholarship to Joanna Mbuya Malaïka Mutombo, a student in Professor Lynn Gauthier's team. Here is her inspiring profile..
Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and an MBA with a focus on pharmaceutical management, both from Université Laval. She is currently pursuing a master’s in clinical and biomedical sciences in Professor Lynn Gauthier’s laboratory. Joanna’s research focuses on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a side effect of taxane-based chemotherapy, allowing her to make a tangible impact on the lives and recovery of people with cancer.
Joanna is deeply involved in her community. She has been volunteering since the age of 12 and continues to do so today. She participated for two years in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition with the Université Laval team on a project aimed at repurposing a by-product of maple syrup production. She even gave a Radio-Canada interview to present this project. After serving as a delegate and student representative, she became, from 2024 to 2025, Research Coordinator for the Graduate Students’ Association at Université Laval (ÆLIÉS) and Executive Director of the ÆLIÉS Public Chair. In these roles, she organized more than a dozen university writing retreats, an interdisciplinary research day, and an international symposium addressing issues such as the internationalization of universities and the professional integration of Quebecers, Canadian Indigenous populations, and international students. She also served as a student representative on Université Laval’s Research Commission.
After working with Quebec-based companies as an e-commerce advisor, Joanna co-founded in 2024 the Ubora Educational Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes scientific disciplines among young people, encouraging values of excellence, curiosity, creativity, and self-improvement. More recently, she served as Oncology Ambassador for the CRCHU Summer Program in Health Communication and as Vice President of Communications for the Association of Student Researchers at the Faculty of Medicine (ACCEM).