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TEAM

Team
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Canada Research Chair in Brain and Child Development

Principal Investigator / Lab Director

Marie Brossard-Racine, PhD

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Marie Brossard-Racine is a neuroscientist at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre. She founded the ABCD Research Lab in 2015 as she took on her position as an Associate Professor at McGill University’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. She is also an Associate Member of the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery.

 

Dr. Brossard-Racine worked for many years as a pediatric Occupational Therapist here in Quebec. In parallel to her clinical practice, she completed her PhD in rehabilitation sciences at McGill University. She then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in diagnostic imaging and radiology at the Children’s National Health System in Washington DC, where she trained with advanced quantitative magnetic resonance imaging techniques applied to the fetal and newborn brains. Using her interdisciplinary expertise, she is now building new knowledge to better understand the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders and delineating critical time periods of brain plasticity in children with brain-based disorders. 

Watch Marie Brossard-Racine talk about her research:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fddvuu9975Q

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Post-doctoral Researcher

Sarah Palmis, PhD

Sarah joined the ABCD research laboratory as a Postdoctoral Fellow in February 2021. She completed a PhD in Neurosciences at Université de Aix-Marseille. During her PhD she developed an expertise in functional MRI technique as a proxy to study neural and motor development. During her postdoctoral training, Sarah is interested in using a variety of quantitative structural MRI techniques to characterize brain growth in a variety of clinical populations. In her free time, she enjoys doing sport in particular basketball, reading, listening to music, and cooking.

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PhD Student

Nan-Hao Chen, MSc

Nan-Hao joined the ABCD Research Lab in August 2023 as a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees through the dual Bachelor-Master program at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. He is interested in developing novel neuroimaging techniques for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and applying them to monitor microstructural alterations in the human brain. In his current research, he employs MRI to investigate myelinic and neuronal changes within the brains of patients with neonatal encephalopathy. Outside of the lab, Nan-Hao enjoys playing badminton, listening to music, and spending time with his friends.

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PhD Candidate

Camille Héguy, BSc

Camille joined the ABCD Research Lab as a Master’s student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University in August 2022 and fast-tracked into the PhD program in May 2024. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from McGill University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Interdisciplinary Life Sciences. For her PhD project, she uses magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the effects of respiratory morbidities on the development of the hippocampus and its subfields in preterm neonates during infancy. Outside of the lab, Camille enjoys staying active, reading and spending time with her friends, her family, and her cat.

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MSc Student

Olivia Pietrovito, BSc

Olivia joined the ABCD Research Lab as a Master’s student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University in August 2025. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from McGill University, where she majored in Neuroscience. Her research uses magnetic resonance imaging to study hippocampal development and function in children with neonatal encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Outside the lab, Olivia enjoys drinking matcha, travelling, and trying new foods.

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Clinical Research Coordinator

Helin Polat

Helin joined the ABCD research laboratory as Clinical Research Coordinator in August 2024. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto St. George, where she double-majored in Health Studies and Ethics, Society & Law. She supports the laboratory's various research projects and coordinates the activities of the research ethics committee. Outside the lab, Helin enjoys reading mystery novels, playing guitar, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen.

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Parent Partner

Dr. Angela White

Dr. Angela White is excited to be joining the research team as a parent partner. As the mom of a child born with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), she is passionate in her support of research that can further knowledge about not only HIE but other neurological disorders affecting children. Angela is a full time practicing small animal veterinarian in Oakville, Ontario, and the proud mother of two young boys. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, hiking, camping, and spending quality time with her husband and children. 

Alumni
  • Aliona Fezoua - Clinical Research Coordinator (2022-2023)

  • Alyson Jiang - U3 Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2018-2019)

  • Amanda Pedriks - Research coordinator (2017-2021)

  • Assil Abda - M2 Student (2016)

  • Athena Buckthought - Research Associate (2018-2019)

  • Bristena Tache - Undergraduate Research Assistant (2022-2023)

  • Dylan Vatcher - M2 Student (2016)

  • Eliane Dionne (2017 - 2025)

  • Elly Htite - MSc in Neuroscience (2019-2022) 

  • Emma Somer - U3 Neuroscience (2018-2019)

  • Fatima Abboud - MSc in Neuroscience (2021-2023)

  • François Courtin - MSc in Bioinformatics (2019)

  • Jihong Lee (2025)

  • Kaitlyn Easson - PhD in Neuroscience (2017-2023)

  • Kalista Perri - Volunteer Research Assistant (2023-2024)

  • Kimberly Fontes - MSc in Neuroscience (2016-2019)

  • Lee Hill - Research Coordinator (2023)

  • Lotfi Kesraoui - Research Assistant (2016-2017)

  • Marianne Doucet - Research coordinator (2019-2022)

  • Marie-Eve Bolduc - PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences (2016-2022)

  • Monica Salas - U3 Biomedical Engineering (2019)

  • Nafisa Husein - Research Coordinator (2024)

  • Olivia Leones - U3 Cognitive Sciences (2016)

  • Rita Itani (2025)

  • Sossy Sahakian - Research Assistant (2016)

  • Sylviya Ganeshamoorthy - U3 Neurosciences (2016-2017)

  • Veronique Mallet - U3 Cognitive Sciences (2021-2022) 

  • Wren Boehlen - U3 Neurosciences (2018-2019)

Want to join our team? 

Check out available opportunities.

 

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