The Division of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, based at the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH), treats infants, children and adolescents with a wide variety of respiratory disorders. We provide an active in-patient consultation service within a busy tertiary care children’s hospital, including consultation on the general pediatric wards, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and our emergency room. We perform both elective and urgent flexible bronchoscopies and often collaborate with our colleagues in Otolaryngology and Gastroenterology to perform “triple scope” procedures. In addition, we have an extensive ambulatory care service as highlighted below.
In addition to our general consultation and follow-up chest clinics, the Respiratory Medicine department houses a multitude of specialty clinics including Tuberculosis Clinic, Asthma clinic (both tertiary and in the community), Infant respiratory/home monitoring clinic, Apnea Evaluation/CPAP Clinic , Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) clinic (pediatric and adult), and a Subspecialty Resident (Fellow) Continuity clinic. In addition, we have many multidisciplinary clinics in which the respirologist plays a pivotal role, including Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and Home Oxygen Clinic, Neuromuscular Clinic, Chronic Home Ventilation Clinic (including patients with invasive ventilation via tracheostomy and non-invasive ventilation such as BPAP), Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) clinic, Esophageal Atresia-Tracheoesophageal Fistula (EA-TEF) Clinic, and Sickle Cell Disease clinic. Individual members of our staff are also involved in the Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery team and in the care of adult lung transplant recipients.
In 2015 the Montreal Children’s Hospital moved to a new state-of-the-art facility at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) Glen site, which combines both adult and pediatric clinical hospital buildings, the Research Institute and the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM) all under one roof at the Glen site.
- History
- Research
- Education and Training
- Community Outreach Services
- Additional Programs
- Montreal Children's Hospital
- Division Members
History
The Division of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, within the Montreal Children's Hospital, was founded in the mid-1960s by Drs. Pierre Beaudry and Mel Wise. In its early years, Respiratory Medicine specialized primarily in the treatment of tuberculosis, and housed one of the first cystic fibrosis treatment centres in Canada.
Today, the Division has expanded to offer patient- and family-centred care to children with many other respiratory and chronic lung diseases. Our physicians work closely with nearly every other department in the hospital, providing consultation, diagnosis and treatment for infants, children, and adolescents with breathing problems. This commitment to collaboration and innovation with other specialties has been a hallmark of the department since its inception.
Research
Many of our division members are actively involved in research, including basic science, translational and clinical research. The details of each division member’s research interests, achievements, and selected publications can be seen in their bios linked in the “Division Members" section.
Education and Training
The Division of Respiratory Medicine offers both a subspecialty residency program and fellowship program. For more information postgraduate medical education in Respiratory Medicine please visit Education and Training.
Community Outreach Services
The Division of Respiratory Medicine has demonstrated leadership in the area of community outreach programs throughout the province, allowing patients to receive respiratory care closer to their home communities. These programs include:
- Respiratory consultation service for the northern Quebec communities via telemedicine and in person: This encompasses consultations for Tuberculosis, recurrent respiratory infections, aspiration, and bronchiectasis. The consultation process has allowed most patients to remain in their communities, and only those patients requiring special investigation such as a CT scan or bronchoscopy needs to travel to the MCH for treatment.
- Rouyn-Noranda: Dr. Lands provides consultation and direct clinic involvement to the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic in Rouyn-Noranda, attending four times per year. Members of the hospital’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic have also joined Dr. Lands on visits to remote outposts on a rotating basis. This is done to provide better integration of care and to share recent clinical advances. Dr. Lands also conducts pediatric general respirology consultation clinics four times a year in Rouyn Noranda.
- Gatineau: Dr. Côté conducts consultation clinics four times a year in Gatineau, Quebec.
- Lakeshore General Hospital: Dr. Canakis and Dr. Zielinski perform community asthma clinics on the West Island of Montreal.
- Dr. Côté has developed an extensive provincial network with neonatal and pediatric units for remote monitoring, and interpretation of oxygen saturation and apnea recordings. She also provides telehealth consultations for these cases.
Additional Programs
In addition to the clinical services we provide, members of our division are involved in running the following programs:
- The Jeremy Rill Centre for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), run by Dr. Côté, provides bereavement counselling and support for parents and families, as well as outreach education on prevention. For more information please visit The Jeremy Rill Centre.
- The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Program, run by Dr. Canakis, ensures access to palivizumab vaccination for at-risk infants.
Montreal Children's Hospital
For more information about Respiratory Medicine services offered through the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH), please visit MCH Respiratory Medicine (Pulmonology).
Division Members
Director
Faculty
Dr. Anne-Marie Canakis, Residency co-Program Director
Dr. Aurore Côté
Dr. Kimberley Kaspy
Dr. Lianne Kopel, Residency co-Program Director
Dr. Adam Shapiro
Dr. David Zielinski
Dr. Zofia Zysman-Colman
Associate Members
Dr. Nurlan Dauletbayev, Adjunct Professor
Dr. Jocelyn Lavigne, Faculty Lecturer
Dr. Julie St-Pierre, Associate Professor
Fellows and Residents
Our Respiratory Medicine Training Program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. We also have medical students, residents, nurse practitioner students, and physician assistant students rotating with us at various times.
Nursing Staff (Montreal Children's Hospital)
Sophie Vallée-Smedja, Pediatric nurse practitioner (Asthma)
Deborah Fertuck (TB and CF)
Maria Harvey (RSV prevention program)
Philip Van (TB and Sleep)
Shazia Khan (Sleep)
Sylvie Pilon (home monitoring program)
Respiratory Therapists (Montreal Children's Hospital)
Diana Zinno, assistant chief RT
Isabelle Guevin
Lidia Miriello
Manager Respiratory and Anesthesia Services (Montreal Children's Hospital)
Lori Seller
Division Director
Dr. Larry Lands
Postgraduate Medical Education
Subspecialty Residency Program Co-Directors
Dr. Anne-Marie Canakis
Dr. Kimberley Kaspy (interim)
Dr. Lianne Kopel (on leave until Feb 2024)
Pediatric Respirology Research Fellowship Program Director
Dr. Larry Lands
Administrative Staff
Residency Program Coordinator
programadmin.pedsresp [at] mcgill.ca
For Medical Student and General Pediatrics Residents:
Administrative Assistant: therese.caissie [at] muhc.mcgill.ca (Therese Caissie)
Rotation Coordinator: Dr. Adam Shapiro