The McGill Department of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Basil Petrof as the new McGill Division Director of Respiratory Medicine, effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Petrof steps into this role with a distinguished career that includes directing the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and co-leading the MUHC Research Institute’s Program for Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases. Internationally recognized for his work on sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory muscle weakness, he has guided the careers of many clinician and PhD scientists worldwide and is committed to advancing patient care, research, and training within the Division.
Dr. Petrof’s vision is to ensure that the McGill Respiratory Division provides state-of-the-art patient care and drives innovations that will foster new applications of fundamental discovery and clinical science to respiratory health throughout life. The Division will also continue to serve as an internationally recognized center of excellence for clinical and research training of the next generation of leaders in respiratory medicine.
More about Dr. Basil Petrof
Dr. Basil Petrof received his MD degree from Laval University and then completed training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at McGill University, and Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. After obtaining a Clinician-Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada, he pursued a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Center for Respiratory Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Since joining the faculty at McGill, Dr. Petrof has led a well funded and productive research program encompassing both basic and clinical research. In addition to his role as Director of the McGill Respiratory Division, Dr. Petrof holds leadership positions as Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and Co-Leader of the Program for Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases at the MUHC Research Institute. He has mentored and fostered the careers of many clinician and PhD scientists from around the world.
Dr. Petrof’s main clinical interests are in the areas of sleep-disordered breathing and neuromuscular causes of respiratory failure. His research program focuses on respiratory muscle weakness in the critically ill, the influence of systemic and local inflammation on diaphragm injury and repair, and the pathogenesis of respiratory failure in muscular dystrophy.