Dr. Marie-Hélène Pennestri
Canada Research Chair Tier 2
- Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Education, McGill University (2022-2025)
- Director of Clinical Training, Counselling Psychology and School Applied Child Psychology Programs, McGill University (2023-2025)
- Directrice scientitifique adjointe aux affaires académiques, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (2022- )
- Psychologue, Clinique du sommeil, Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière-des-Prairies (2017- )
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal (2016- )
- Co-directrice de l’axe Sommeil et bien-être, Réseau québécois de recherche sur le sommeil (2024- )
- Vice Chair, Scientific Review Committee, Sleep Research Society (2024- )
- Development and consolidation of the sleep-wake cycle in infants and children
- Mental health
- Parental expectations
- Families
- Sleep disorders
- Child development
- Attachment
- Polysomnography
- Autonomic nervous system
- Heart rate variability
- Premature birth
Dr. Pennestri investigates the development of the sleep-wake cycle in infancy, in association with physical and mental health, family functioning, and parental expectations. She also investigates associations between sleep and mental health in equity-deserving populations. Dr. Pennestri completed a Ph.D. in Psychology at the Université de Montréal and was trained at the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, where she specialized in sleep disorders and cardiovascular function. She pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, where she worked on developmental psychology. In addition, Dr. Pennestri is a clinical psychologist working with children, adolescents, and their family (Ordre des Psychologues du Québec; Hôpital en santé mentale Rivières-des-Prairies). Her multidisciplinary program is funded by all three tri-councils (SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC) and her projects integrate both physiological and psychological measures. She currently holds a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 (CIHR) in Pediatric Sleep and has been previously named as a FRQS Research Scholar Junior 1 and Junior 2 Scientist. A former William Dawson Scholar, Dr. Pennestri received the Bourse Yvon Gauthier Award from the Association Québécoise pour la Santé Mentale du Nourrisson, the Wayne Hening Young Investigator Award from the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group and the Faculty of Education Distinguished Teaching Award. In October 2024, Dr. Pennestri was a finalist for the Prix Hubert-Reeves - Relève scientifique, part of the Prix du Quebec.
- Postdoctorate Fellowship, Douglas Research Centre / McGill University
- Ph.D., Université de Montréal: Research/Clinical Psychology
- M.Ps., Université de Montréal: Clinical Psychology
Selected
- (2023-2027) Sleep equity reimagined: An intersectional theoretical framework to optimize sleep health for all Canadians; Co-Principal investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- (2022-2027) Inter- and intra-variability of sleep patterns in infancy and early childhood; Principal investigator; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Discovery Grant
- (2022-2026) Social-emotional wellbeing and sleep quality in preschoolers after a parental relationship dissolution; Principal investigator; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- (2021-2026) The associations between infant sleep, parental sleep and the quality of the parent-infant relationship: a longitudinal study in mothers and fathers; Principal investigator; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- (2021-2024) Sommeil après une commotion cérébrale : Impact sur le bien-être et le fonctionnement familial; Co-investigator; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- (2021-2025) Comprendre et soutenir les besoins des enfants en contexte de vulnérabilité ou de négligence – Groupe de recherche et d'intervention auprès des enfants vulnérables et négligés (GRIN); Co-investigator; Fonds de recherche du Québec - société et culture (FRQSC)
- (2019-2022) Améliorer le sommeil de son enfant: une intervention innovante et bénéfique pour les familles vivant en contexte de vulnérabilité; Co-investigator; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- (2018-2026) Transition to parenthood: realistic sleep-related expectations as a protective factor for mothers' and fathers' mental health; Principal investigator; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, Project Grant)
- (2018-2022) Mieux comprendre les liens entre le sommeil du nourrisson, les interactions mère-enfant, la santé mentale des parents, et la santé mentale et physique des enfants: une perspective familiale; Principal investigator; Salary Award - Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé Grant (FRQS)
-Michon, T.-L., Kheirdariyar, S., Vandenberg, A., Ilesanmi, R., Soroush-Asghari, N., Hershon, M., Ly, M., Pennestri, M.-H., Keys, E. (in press). An inductive content analysis of behavioral sleep information in Canadian online infant sleep resources. Paediatrics & Child Health.
-Butler, B., Laganière, C., Hershon, M., Vandenberg, A., Thauvin, C., Gaudreau, H., & Pennestri, M.-H. (2025). Maternal-reported shorter total sleep duration but not consecutive sleep duration in infancy is associated with future sleep problems in preschoolers. Sleep Health, 11(5), 631–639.
-Laganière, C., Gaudreau, H., Kenny, S., Meaney, M., & Pennestri, M.-H. (2025). Disorders of arousal in children and associated emotional-behavioural problems: Results from a non-clinical longitudinal cohort. Journal of Sleep Research, e70207.
-Butler B, Burdayron R, Mazor-Goder G, Lewis C, Vendette M, Khoury B, Pennestri MH. (2024). The Association Between Infant Sleep, Cognitive, and Psychomotor Development: A Systematic Review. Sleep. 2024 Aug 19:zsae174. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsae174.
-Hershon M, Kiafar A, Laganière C, Pokhvisneva I, Gaudreau H, Pennestri MH. (2024). To sleep or to breastfeed: Associations between feeding method and sleep in infants and children. Acta Paediatr. 2024 Jul;113(7):1540-1545. doi: 10.1111/apa.17237. Epub 2024 Apr 10. PMID: 38597251
-Lannes ÉEM, Kenny S, Hershon M, Talwar V, Kiafar A, Pennestri MH. (2023). Associations between parental relationship dissolution and child sleep: A systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2023 Aug;70:101804. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101804. Epub 2023 Jun 16. PMID: 37390636.
-Pennestri MH, Burdayron R, Kenny S, Béliveau MJ, Dubois-Comtois K. (2020). Sleeping through the night or through the nights? Sleep Med. 2020 Dec;76:98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.10.005. Epub 2020 Oct 10. PMID: 33130350.
-Pennestri MH, Laganière C, Bouvette-Turcot AA, Pokhvisneva I, Steiner M, Meaney MJ, Gaudreau H; Mavan Research Team. (2018). Uninterrupted Infant Sleep, Development, and Maternal Mood. Pediatrics. 2018 Dec;142(6):e20174330. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-4330.
Counselling Psychology
On sabbatical until September 2026.
