CATALIS Board of Directors marks the departure of Danika Laberge

CATALIS, Recent news

24 April 2026

Back to news

Read the last newsletter

Announcement

Montreal, April 24, 2026 – Today marks Danika Laberge’s final day at CATALIS. After nine years at the helm of the organization, Danika had announced her decision to step down in order to pursue new personal projects. The Board of Directors wishes to recognize her commitment and achievements, which have profoundly transformed Quebec’s clinical research ecosystem.

Mandated by the Government of Québec, CATALIS’ mission is to optimize the provincial clinical research environment in order to step up the development of innovative patient care and maximize private investments in Quebec. Since the organization’s inception, Danika successfully mobilized all sector stakeholders to build an impressive network of more than 250 experts, fully integrated into CATALIS’ activities, including:

27 Quebec health institutions active in clinical research.
20 major, world-class pharmaceutical companies.
35 patient associations and patient partners.

In response to the many challenges related to the start-up and conduct of clinical trials, Danika led the development of more than 75 tools designed to optimize clinical research within Quebec’s public health institutions. Among these initiatives is the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, a unique program in Canada that reduced clinical trial start-up timelines by 75%, offering a median institutional authorization time of 10 weeks and 13 weeks for full site activation.

Under Danika’s leadership, CATALIS’ activities significantly exceeded the expectations of the Government of Québec, notably through:

A 61.7% increase in the number of clinical trials in Quebec between 2020 and 2024.
A 40.6% increase in private investment in clinical research in Quebec between 2020 and 2024.

Today, thanks to Danika Laberge, her team, and the public and private members of the CATALIS Network, Quebec has established itself as a world-class hub for clinical research, benefiting the entire sector, including patients.

“I would like to commend Danika’s exceptional leadership, which played a decisive role in the creation and growth of CATALIS. Through her vision, rigor, and remarkable ability to bring stakeholders together, she profoundly transformed the clinical research environment in Quebec. Her contribution has firmly positioned Quebec among the international leaders in clinical research, for the benefit of patients, researchers, and the entire life sciences sector.” said Jean Groleau, Chair of the Board of Directors of CATALIS.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to my Board of Directors and to the Government of Québec for the trust they placed in me to create and lead one of the most significant clinical research initiatives in Canada. Today, looking back on the journey accomplished, I feel immense pride and the conviction of having fulfilled the mission I set for myself. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who was part of this extraordinary journey. Thank you for your trust, your commitment, and your support throughout these nine years. I leave with a strong sense of duty accomplished, and I am confident that Christine Lennon will continue to advance CATALIS by building on a team and a network of experienced, committed, and exceptional partners.” stated Danika Laberge.

About CATALIS

CATALIS Québec is an independent not-for-profit organization formally mandated and funded by the Government of Québec to mobilize and coordinate provincial efforts related to the implementation and optimization of processes, infrastructures, and provincial services supporting clinical research in Quebec. To fulfill this mandate, CATALIS works directly with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (Ministry of Health and Social Services), the ministère de l’économie, de l’innovation et de l’Énergie (Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy), Santé Québec (Health Québec), and a broad Network of public and private partners.

For more information, visit our websites and follow us on LinkedIn: