Researcher Profiles

Jean-Luc Senécal, MD, FRCPC, is a rheumatologist and member of the CHUM’s Rheumatology department. He holds the Scleroderma Research Chair at the University of Montreal.

Dr. Senécal specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of human systemic autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), systemic lupus erythematosus and autoimmune myositis.

His fundamental research focuses on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these diseases and identifying new treatments.

Theme:

Immunopathogenesis and new therapeutic approaches to human systemic autoimmune diseases.

Research topics:

Identification, characterization and clinical significance of autoantibodies associated with human systemic autoimmune diseases: scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and autoimmune myositis.
Molecular mechanisms involved in the immunopathogenesis of these diseases.
Development of experimental models of scleroderma.
New therapies for scleroderma.

Sabrina Hoa, MD MSc FRCPC, is a rheumatologist at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal and clinician-researcher at the CHUM Research Centre.

Dr. Hoa completed a post-doctoral fellowship in systemic sclerosis and a Masters in Epidemiology at McGill University. The topic of her thesis was on the role of immunosuppressive drugs in the treatment of mild interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis, as well as on the role of these treatments in the prevention of lung disease. Her training was funded by a Master’s award from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and by a post-doctoral award from The Arthritis Society. Her research was selected par The Arthritis Society as being part of the Top 10 Research Advances in 2019.

Research topics:

Therapeutic approaches and predictors of progression in mild forms of interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis
Role of therapeutics in the prevention of complications associated with systemic sclerosis
Clinical significance of autoantibodies associated with systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung diseases
Classification criteria for scleroderma renal crisis.

Dr. Marika Sarfati, MD, PhD, is Director of the Immunoregulation Laboratory at the CHUM Research Centre, and Full Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Montreal.

Laboratory staff

• Marwa Bast, PhD student
• Laurence Anne Chapuy, PhD student
• Heena Mehta, Research Associate
• Amélie Therrien, MSc student
• Shunya Mashiko, Research Assistant
• Manuel Rubio, Research Assistant

Themes

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, scleroderma).

Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis).

Allergic diseases.

Research topic

Characterization and function of innate immune cells and T lymphocytes in tissue of patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Heena Mehta, Scientist seeking to employ my hands-on extensive research experience in infectious diseases, vaccines and autoimmunity in the healthcare industry.

• Independent researcher with strong communication, writing and people managements skills.
• Multi-tasker-management of different research projects, training of graduate students along with paperwork required to maintain compliance with institutional research animal care regulations.
• Clinically oriented research experience places me in a unique position to interact effectively with both clinicians and scientists from diverse backgrounds including immunology, dermatology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and allergy specialists.
• Enthusiastic learner and ready to take on high risk projects.

Tel.: 514-340-8222 ext. 3476

marie.hudson@mcgill.ca

Dr. Marie Hudson
Physician-Scientist, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University

Dr. Marie Hudson is a rheumatologist, epidemiologist, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University. She is a physician-scientist and member of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies at the Jewish General Hospital. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and is funded as a researcher by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé.

Major Research Activities

Dr Hudson pursues research in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. In particular, she is one of the founding members of the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG), a CIHR-funded, multi-centre group of researchers that follows a cohort of over 1400 SSc patients across Canada. She has published landmark studies documenting the magnitude of impairment in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with scleroderma. She is particularly interested in scleroderma lung disease, its natural history, its optimal treatment, and its impact on HRQoL. Dr Hudson is also involved in a number of studies in other rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory myositis. In particular, she is the Director of the Canadian Inflammatory Myopathy Study.

She is the recipient of the 2011 Canadian Rheumatology Association Young Investigator Award.

Recent Publications

Brett D. Thombs, Ph.D.
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University
Senior Investigator, Lady Davis Institute of Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital

Professor Thombs completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Fordham University in 2004, was a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and was appointed Assistant Professor at McGill University in 2006. He is currently a Canada Research Chair and Professor, McGill University, and Senior Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital. Professor Thombs founded and directs the Scleroderma Patient-Intervention Network (SPIN), a collaboration of investigators, health care providers, patients, and patient advocates. SPIN works closely with patient organizations around the world, including Scleroderma Quebec, to develop and test accessible, low-cost tools to help people live better with scleroderma and to make these tools available on an ongoing basis. Professor Thombs is also known for his expertise in research methods and guideline development and was the first non-physician to chair the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (2017-2021). He was one of two inaugural recipients of the McGill Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers and has been awarded lifetime research awards from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals and the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada.

Research Associate
Marie-Eve has a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Université de Montréal, and coordinates SPIN’s daily activities

Marie-Eve Carrier is a Research Associate working with Dr. Brett Thombs since 2013. Marie-Eve graduated from the Université de Montréal in 2006, with a Master’s degree in Anthropology. Between 2006 and 2013, Marie-Eve coordinated many quantitative and qualitative studies in the perinatal mental health research field. Marie-Eve joined the SPIN team in March 2013. She coordinates SPIN’s projects and activities on a day-to-day basis. For the past years, she has been closely involved in the establishment and rapid growth of SPIN, which is composed of researchers, clinicians, and people living with scleroderma from around the world. Marie-Eve and the SPIN research team are working everyday towards fulfilling SPIN’s mission: providing people living with scleroderma free access to support programs to improve their quality of life.