MUHC in the Media - August 24, 2026

The Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) has become the first pediatric hospital in Quebec and the second in Canada to offer in-house bariatric surgery for adolescents as part of its multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to the management of severe obesity.

Previously, patients were referred to adult centres for their surgery and postoperative care. Dr. Etienne St-Louis, a surgeon at the MCH, is the only pediatric surgeon in Canada with a subspecialty in bariatric surgery. At other institutions, adult surgeons perform the procedure.

The first surgery took place at the MCH on May 19 and was a success. Journal de Montréal

The 23rd annual Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation Radiothon took place on August 20. The total amount raised this year was $1,425,921. Interviews with Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director of the MUHC, on the importance of these donations for patients at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. CTV, CJAD

“Squishy” toys—those small, soft figurines that you can squeeze for fun or to relieve stress—are very popular. However, a new trend on social media is causing concern: children have suffered severe burns after handling a “squishy” that had been heated to a high temperature. Interview with Liane Fransblow, trauma coordinator for the MCH Injury Prevention Program, on what you need to know about this trend. Le Soleil

Pharmaceutical companies Merck and Modernant have announced encouraging results from their clinical trials using mRNA vaccine technology to treat skin cancer. At the MUHC, trials using this technology are currently underway for bladder cancer and lung cancer. Dr. Ramy Saleh, Medical Director of Oncology Clinical Trials at The Institute, discusses the hope this technology inspires. CBC Radio One, CBC

According to a new study led at McGill and The Institute, generic semaglutide could substantially improve the cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 therapy for high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Abhinav Sharma, a cardiologist at the MUHC and Scientist at The Institute who col-led the study, notes that declining generic semaglutide prices could expand access to therapies that reduce cardiovascular risk—not just control blood glucose—in high-risk patients with T2D. Pharmacy Times

Microplastics are everywhere — in food, air, and water — yet there's growing evidence that they may contribute to rheumatic and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, an MUHC rheumatologist and scientist at The Institute, says more research is needed to understand how environmental exposures can influence immune dysregulation and potentially contribute to autoimmune rheumatic diseases.  Medscape Medical News

Results of a phase 1/2 clinical trial conducted in Amsterdam suggest that guanabenz, an older antihypertensive medication, could help children with Vanishing White Matter, a type of leukodystrophy, preserve their ability to walk with support. Dr. Genevieve Bernard, a neurologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and a scientist at The Institute, discussed these results in a commentary published in The Lancet Neurology and in an article by Medscape Medical News.