The latest investment brings Labarge’s total philanthropic support for McMaster to more than $62 million and strengthens one of the world’s leading aging research ecosystems.
As Canada undergoes a profound demographic transformation, with nearly one in four Canadians expected to be over the age of 65 within the next decade, the need for evidence-informed solutions has never been greater.
Now, a transformative $20-million gift from Chancellor Emerita and alumna Suzanne Labarge, BA ’67, DLitt ’11, will help McMaster University accelerate discoveries that support healthy aging and strengthen one of the world’s leading aging research ecosystems.
The investment will strengthen two flagship initiatives within the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA): the Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging and the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre. Together, these programs are advancing research that helps older adults remain active, connected and independent while ensuring discoveries are translated into meaningful improvements in everyday life.
Labarge’s latest gift will help ensure that researchers, health-care providers, community organizations and policymakers have the knowledge needed to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an aging society.
“I’ve always believed that research has the greatest value when it improves people’s lives,” said Labarge.
“What has impressed me about McMaster is its commitment not only to generating knowledge, but to ensuring it reaches the people who can benefit from it most — older adults, their families, caregivers, health-care providers and communities.”
Since her first gift to the university in 1996, Labarge has contributed more than $62 million to McMaster, supporting research chairs, centres, programs and partnerships that have transformed the study of aging.
“This gift builds on more than three decades of visionary philanthropy that has helped define McMaster’s leadership in aging research,” said Susan Denburg, professor emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, and the former executive vice-dean and associate vice-president, academic for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Suzanne’s commitment has been extraordinary, and having known her for many years, I have seen how thoughtfully and purposefully she invests in work that truly makes a difference. It has been a privilege to work with Suzanne.”
For McMaster President and Vice-Chancellor Susan Tighe, the gift reflects both the strength of what has been built and the importance of the work ahead.
“Aging touches every family and every community,” said Tighe. “Through Suzanne’s extraordinary generosity, together with McMaster’s own commitment to this area, we have built a collaborative network that is generating knowledge, improving lives and helping society respond to the realities of an aging population.”
That commitment to real-world impact has become a defining feature of MIRA. Today, MIRA brings together more than 200 researchers from all six McMaster Faculties, studying aging from biological, clinical, psychological, social and environmental perspectives. Their shared goal is to help people maintain health, independence and quality of life throughout later years.
Mobility: A cornerstone of healthy aging
Established in 2016 through a landmark gift from Labarge, the Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging was founded on the understanding that mobility is one of the strongest hallmarks of healthy aging.
Its work is reshaping how researchers, clinicians and policymakers understand mobility — not simply as movement, but as a foundation for physical health, cognitive function, social connection and overall well-being.
“Mobility in all its forms is one of the strongest indicators of healthy aging,” said Parminder Raina, scientific director of MIRA. “It influences physical and cognitive health, social participation and quality of life.
“This gift will enable us to deepen our understanding of mobility across the aging journey and develop new approaches that support older adults in remaining active and independent longer.”
New approaches will leverage MIRA’s world-leading data platforms and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to detect early signs of mobility decline, predict future risks and develop personalized strategies that help older adults remain active, independent and thriving longer.
Supporting healthy aging in underserved communities
The MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre reflects another defining strength of McMaster’s approach to healthy aging: partnering with community organizations to address the realities of aging among underserved and equity-deserving populations.
Located in Toronto’s Downtown East, the centre brings together researchers, older adults and community partners facing poverty, housing insecurity, social isolation and barriers to care. Through its partnership with Dixon Hall, one of Toronto’s largest social service organizations, the centre ensures that research is grounded in lived experience and responsive to the needs of diverse communities.
The centre has built trusted relationships with communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in research, creating opportunities for older adults to help identify priorities and generate knowledge that reflects their everyday lives.
“What makes this model unique is that research begins with the community,” said Marla Beauchamp, Canada Research Chair in Mobility and Aging and director of the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre. “Older adults help shape the questions we ask, and what we learn is shared directly with the people, organizations and communities working to support healthy aging.”
“Our community is vibrant, resilient and full of wisdom. Yet too often, the older adults we serve, many from equity-deserving communities, have not had meaningful opportunities to share their experiences with researchers,” added Janet Lambert, interim CEO of Dixon Hall.
“Our partnership with the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging is invaluable because it ensures that research is shaped by the voices and lived experiences of older adults in our community, helping to advance programs and policies that support aging with dignity for all.”
Partnerships that helped build a field
The growth of aging research at McMaster has been shaped by a decades-long partnership between Labarge and the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Under the leadership of Paul O’Byrne, vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences and dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, aging has become a major institutional focus, bringing together researchers from across disciplines to better understand the factors that influence how people age.
“One of the most remarkable developments during my time as dean has been the growth of aging research at McMaster,” said O’Byrne, who has led the Faculty since 2016. “Suzanne understood early on that aging would become one of society’s most important challenges and has consistently invested in people, ideas and programs that improve lives. The results of her commitment can be seen across Canada and around the world.”
This gift marks the latest step in a partnership that has helped drive aging research at McMaster for three decades. Over that time, Labarge has also supported the creation of the Raymond and Margaret Labarge Chair in Research and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging, the Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative, the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal and the Aging Brain Research Program.
Those investments have helped build a foundation for research that extends beyond academia into health-care settings, community organizations and policy discussions across Canada and internationally.
For Labarge, impact has always been the goal.
“We do amazing things at McMaster,” she said. “But what matters most is making sure that knowledge reaches people and improves
