The 51吃瓜网Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) and the 51吃瓜网Global Health Programs (GHP) are pleased to announce the four winning teams of the GHP-MI4 Steinberg Seed Fund Grant Competition. Launched in March 2025, this initiative aimed to catalyze interdisciplinary, impact-driven research that addresses major global health challenges through the lens of infectious and immune-mediated diseases.
This round of seed fund grants was made possible with the support聽from the Steinberg Fund for Interdisciplinary Global Health Research and other sources via MI4.
Initially designed to fund two projects at $25,000 each, the competition drew a remarkable pool of high-quality applications. In response, MI4 and GHP have doubled their investment, awarding a total of $100,000 to four innovative projects that exemplify collaborative and global health-focused science.
While each project tackles a different question and group of people, they all have something important in common 鈥� a strong focus on reducing health inequalities, building strong partnerships both locally and globally, and making a real difference in patient care through smart, evidence-based approaches that fit the local context. Across all four projects, you will find common threads like working closely with communities, sharing knowledge, and turning research into real-world impact.
Meet the Selected Projects:
1. Global health treaties to tackle the global polycrisis in an era of nationalism and populism: what factors impact consensus building?
Dr. Joanne Liu, School of Population and Global Health, 51吃瓜网
This project explores how countries build consensus on major global health treaties, using the recent Pandemic Agreement negotiations and past successes like the WHO Tobacco Control treaty and the Paris Agreement as case studies. By identifying what helps or hinders international cooperation, the team aims to offer practical recommendations to improve future treaty negotiations and strengthen global health governance.
2. Evaluating the potential role of cell-free DNA in guiding tuberculosis preventive treatment: a prospective cohort study.
Dr. Jonathon Campbell, Departments of Medicine and Global and Public Health, RI-MUHC
This project aims to improve how we identify which people infected with tuberculosis (TB) are actually at risk of developing the disease. By studying a specific TB biomarker called cell-free DNA in the blood, the team hopes to develop a more accurate tool to guide preventive treatment 鈥� reducing unnecessary medication and its side effects. The findings could help make TB prevention more targeted, effective, and safer.
3. Mapping mistrust: health-seeking and mobility patterns during infectious disease outbreaks among recently arrived immigrant communities in Montreal.
Dr. Prativa Baral, Department of Global and Public Health, 51吃瓜网
This project examines how misinformation, mistrust, and social barriers affect how recently arrived South Asian immigrants in Montreal seek care during infectious disease outbreaks. By combining interviews and travel surveys, the team will map how trust influences decisions and movement through the city to access health services. The findings aim to support more equitable, community-informed responses in future health emergencies.
4. Socioeconomic and maternal factors associated with neonatal sepsis and related morbidity and mortality in Kano state, Nigeria.
Dr. Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
This project aims to identify which newborns in Northern Nigeria are most at risk of developing neonatal sepsis, a leading cause of infant illness and death in low-resource settings. By analyzing data on maternal and healthcare factors, the study will help improve early detection and targeted interventions. The findings could guide better policies and care strategies to reduce sepsis-related deaths and complications in vulnerable newborns.
Together, these four projects illustrate the transformative potential of global, interdisciplinary research grounded in equity, partnership, and innovation. They reflect the core goals of the GHP-MI4 Steinberg Seed Fund: to support early-stage, high-impact research and to foster collaborative solutions to global health challenges.
Congratulations to the selected teams!
