A single evening of Baroque elegance in Montreal has generated more than $2.2 million to fuel the next wave of medical breakthroughs at the McGill University Health Centre. The 9th edition of Le Bal Rouge, held at La Nesra in Griffintown, brought together philanthropists and business leaders to support urgent priorities in women’s health, cancer care, precision medicine, and other high-impact research areas.
Every dollar raised at this year’s gala is directed toward the MUHC’s most pressing needs. These include closing the gap in women’s health research, advancing precision medicine, revolutionizing cancer treatment, and accelerating “boundary-defying” discovery across all medical fields. Since the event launched in 2016, Le Bal Rouge has now raised more than $13 million in total to support innovative research and patient care at the hospital.
The gala was co-chaired by Jérôme Pécresse, chief executive of Rio Tinto Aluminium and Lithium, Laurence Levy, senior vice president at TD Bank Group, and Christiane Bergevin, senior advisor at Roland Berger. Pécresse noted that the partnership between the MUHC Foundation and the Rio Tinto Canada Fund is helping turn groundbreaking research into better treatments, including novel solutions to antibiotic resistance. Bergevin emphasized that while technology and science drive progress, it is the people supporting researchers and care teams who truly transform lives.
A Community Committed to Breakthroughs
The evening also drew former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who served as co-chair of the MUHC Foundation’s Dream Big Campaign, which surpassed its $200 million goal in April 2025. Charest praised the community’s continued dedication to advancing care, research, and teaching across the province. Dr. Lucie Opatrny, president and executive director of Santé Québec at the MUHC, reflected on how donor support has helped the Glen site spark new possibilities in clinical care and education since it opened just over a decade ago.
Looking ahead, the funds from Le Bal Rouge will support state-of-the-art equipment, prestigious research grants, and patient-centered initiatives that empower MUHC experts to turn bold ideas into real-world impact. With the momentum of this year’s gala and the success of the Dream Big Campaign, the foundation remains focused on tackling humanity’s most pressing health challenges, from ending cancer as a life-threatening disease to closing the women’s health research gap. For patients in Quebec and beyond, the investments made tonight are expected to accelerate discoveries that will shape the future of medicine for generations to come.