Signature of a partnership agreement between Polytechnique Montréal and the CHU Sainte-Justine

The three-year partnership makes official an already well-established collaboration between the two institutions by pooling their respective expertise

MONTREAL, Nov. 7, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Having collaborated for more than 20 years, Christophe Guy, CEO of Polytechnique Montréal, and Dr. Fabrice Brunet, CEO of the CHU Sainte-Justine, have signed a partnership agreement aiming to increase cooperation between Polytechnique Montréal and the CHU Sainte-Justine. The partnership will involve pooling the institutions' expertise for projects in the areas of biomedical engineering, IT engineering, pediatric rehabilitation engineering, industrial engineering and any other field related to their respective missions. The agreement also covers further sharing of a number of laboratories and the joint training of numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

A well-established collaboration
For several years now, the number of projects that bring Polytechnique Montréal and the CHU Sainte-Justine's Research Center together has been steadily increasing. They include, most notably, the work of Carl-Éric Aubin, researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnique, on the biomechanical modelling of the spine for children with deformation pathologies and the development of less invasive orthopedic treatments; and the work of Isabelle Villemure, also a researcher with the CHU Sainte-Justine and an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnique, who works on the mapping and mechanical regularizing of growth and development of bone tissue with a view to treating progressive musculoskeletal pathologies in children and adolescents.

"This collaboration agreement is in keeping with our common teaching and research missions," said Christophe Guy. "Polytechnique is pleased to know that our researcher-professors and students will be able to continue working with the CHU Sainte-Justine specialists and equipment to achieve scientific breakthroughs in health."

"The collaboration between the CHU Sainte-Justine and Polytechnique Montréal will allow us to offer our patients more sophisticated care thanks to the technologies that will be placed at the disposal of clinicians and managers," added Dr. Fabrice Brunet.

About CHU Sainte-Justine
The CHU Sainte-Justine is the largest mother-child centre in Canada and one of the four largest pediatric hospitals in North America. Affiliated with the Réseau universitaire intégré de santé de l'Université de Montréal (RUIS), it has 5,153 employees, including 1,392 nurses and auxiliary nurses, and 1,036 healthcare professionals, 510 doctors, dentists and pharmacists, 196 researchers, 300 volunteers, and 4,000 interns and medical students. The CHUSJ has 489 beds, including 40 at the Centre de réadaptation Marie Enfant, the only exclusively pediatric rehabilitation centre in Québec. The World Health Organization has recognized the CHU Sainte-Justine as a "Health Promoting Hospital" www.chu-sainte-justine.org.

About the CHU Sainte-Justine's Research Center
The CHU Sainte-Justine's Research Center is a leading mother-child research institution affiliated with the University of Montreal, officially known as Université de Montréal. It brings together more than 1200 people, including over 200 researchers and 450 graduate and post-graduate students who carry out fundamental, clinical, translational, and evaluative research on mother and child health. Research work falls under six research axes, namely Health Outcomes; Brain Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases and Movement Sciences; Viral and Immune Disorders and Cancers; Fetomaternal and Neonatal Pathologies; and Metabolic Health. It is focused on finding innovative prevention means, faster and less invasive treatments, as well as personalized approaches to medicine. The Center is part of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, which is the largest mother-child centre in Canada and second most important in North America. More on www.chu-Sainte-Justine.org/research/

About Polytechnique Montreal
Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's leading engineering teaching and research institutions. It is the largest engineering university in Québec for the size of its student body and the scope of its research activities. With over 40,000 graduates, Polytechnique Montréal has contributed to the education of more than 24% of the current members of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. Polytechnique provides training in 15 engineering specialties, and has 242 professors and more than 7,100 students. It has an annual operating budget of over $200 million, including a $72-million research budget. www.polymtl.ca

SOURCE: Polytechnique Montréal

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