The Division of Palliative Care is composed of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) and the Palliative Care teams who work with a child’s care team to find solutions specific to the child’s needs and help minimize hospital visits.
The Palliative Care Program offers resources for issues related to life-threatening illness in childhood including decision making, easing pain and symptoms, coordinating home care, as well as end-of-life care and bereavement.
History
The Pediatric Palliative Medicine Division at the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH) has grown into one of Quebec's leading programs for children living with serious illness. Established as an interdisciplinary consultation service, the division works alongside primary medical teams to improve quality of life through symptom management, care coordination, family support, advance care planning, and bereavement services. Our Pediatric Palliative Care Team (PaCT) provides clinical care within the hospital and across the community, streamlining services for families across all locations of care.
A defining feature of the MCH program has been its commitment to family-centred care. The team brings together physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, and other professionals to support children and their families throughout the course of illness. This support extends to bereavement care after a child's death, reflecting a comprehensive approach to pediatric palliative care.
Beyond clinical care, the division has become an important centre for teaching and research. Pediatric palliative care specialists at MCH, including leaders such as Dr. Stephen Liben and, more recently, Dr. Naomi Goloff, have contributed to education, scholarship, and the advancement of pediatric palliative care practice across Quebec and Canada. The division supports Quebec's only Royal College-accredited pediatric palliative medicine subspecialty residency program, led by Dr. Kyle St-Louis, and welcomes residents and medical students for clinical electives. Division members contribute regularly to educational and scholarly activities, and our research program was recently strengthened by the recruitment of Dr. Fyeza Hasan, a clinician-researcher who will lead pediatric palliative medicine research at the MCH.
Today, the Pediatric Palliative Medicine Division serves children from the Greater Montreal area and across Quebec, continuing the MCH's long tradition of innovation and compassionate care while ensuring that children living with serious illness receive support focused not only on treatment, but also on comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
Mission Vision and Values
The Pediatric Palliative Medicine Division at the Montreal Children's Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of life of children living with serious illness and to supporting their families throughout the course of illness and into bereavement. Through the Pediatric Palliative Care Team (PaCT), an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, therapists, and other specialists, the division provides compassionate, family-centred care that addresses physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs.
The division's vision is to ensure that every child with a serious illness receives coordinated, holistic care that maximizes comfort, dignity, and quality of life, wherever that care is provided: in hospital, at home, or in the community. By partnering closely with families and healthcare teams across Quebec, the division strives to make expert pediatric palliative care accessible, integrated, and responsive to each child's unique needs.
The division's core values are compassion, respect, collaboration, excellence, and partnership with families. It emphasizes shared decision-making, relief of suffering, continuity of care, education, research, and ongoing support for families, recognizing that caring for a child with a serious illness requires a holistic approach that honours the goals, values, and lived experiences of both the child and the family.
Services
We can help with:
- Controlling pain and other distressing symptoms
- Streamlining healthcare access in times of crisis
- Making wise treatment decisions
- Finding alternatives to hospital-based care (e.g. The Lighthouse for Children and Families)
Education
Coming Soon
Bereavement Services
Bereavement support is available for families who have experienced the death of a child who has received care through the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
Division Members
We are health care specialists specialized in the care of children with serious advanced illness, sometimes called pediatric palliative care.
naomi.goloff.med [at] ssss.gouv.qc.ca (Dr. Naomi Goloff), Division Director
Margo Miller, MUHC Administrative Agent
Dr. Kyle St-Louis, Pediatrician
Dr. Fyeza Hasan, Pediatrician
Dr. Marie-Pascale Ethier, Pediatrician
Matthew Park, SW Bereavement Follow Up Coordinator
Vanessa Wrzesien, Nurse Practitioner
Resources
- The Lighthouse for Children and Families (Respite and hospice services in Montreal)
- Canadian Virtual Hospice
- Kidsgrief.ca
- Courageous Parents Network
- Resources for adults and family grief
For more information about support groups and other resources: 514-412-4400 ext. 24406
