Drs. Genevieve Bernard, Maryam Oskoui, and Pia Wintermark Awarded FRQ-S Chercheur-Boursier Clinicien Senior Award
Congratulations to Drs. Genevieve Bernard, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Maryam Oskoui, Division of Pediatric Neurology and Pia Wintermark, Division of Neonatology (MCH), three Departmental Clinician Investigators on receiving an FRQ-S Chercheur-Boursier Clinicien Senior Award!
Dr. Genevieve Bernard is a pediatric neurologist who has migrated to genetics, specifically exploring the basis of a complex group of disorders known as leukodystrophies. These disorders involve a myriad of genetically programmed defects in the formation and maintenance of myelin. Clinical presentation and radiologic findings are complex and Dr. Bernard has done much to bring order and understanding to this field. She has also turned her investigative lens on outcomes and improving care in these frequently progressive and degenerative disorders.
Dr. Maryam Oskoui is also a pediatric neurologist who is among the few who are also qualified as an epidemiologist. Maryam’s research focus has been on neuromuscular disorders; one mediated centrally (cerebral palsy [CP]) and the other peripherally (spinal muscular atrophy [SMA]). Dr. Oskoui has done much to flesh out the richness of the causal mechanisms and determinants underlying CP and its phenotypic variability, including genetic mechanisms. She has also done cutting edge work refining our understanding of the natural history of SMA and had led the charge in advancing gene therapy for this disorder from the research to clinical context. What has occurred is truly a revolution that has transformed a uniformly fatal disease to one that is chronic with the new promise of good outcomes for affected children. Dr. Oskoui has also extended her reach as a consulting methodologist and evaluator for practice guidelines, clinical trials, and the approval of new interventions.
Dr. Pia Wintermark a neonatologist, while not formally a neurologist, has focused her career on neonatal neuroscience. Dr. Wintermark’s NeoBrainLab focuses on the newborn brain and seeks to identify causal mechanisms of acquired brain injury, in particular birth asphyxia, that lead to therapeutic interventions to prevent injury or improve outcomes. Dr. Wintermark has developed a multi-modal approach that includes basic, imaging, and clinical modalities that enables crossreferencing and synergy. She has leveraged well, collaborating with investigators from a variety of disciplines. Her work has been internally recognized at McGill by her being recently named a William Dawson Scholar. She has also been active as a research mentor to pediatric trainees.