MUHC in the Media - November 9, 2026

In January 2027, a peer support service will be offered to families of children with multiple disabilities who attend the Complex Care Department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. This is a partnership with L’Étoile de Pacho. At the official launch, Dr Audrey Lafontaine, Medical Director of Complex Care at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, praised this added human touch to her team’s efforts. Radio-Canada

An alarming percentage of commercial antibodies used by researchers do not perform as expected, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions and the publication of questionable studies. A new initiative led by scientists at The Neuro offers a solution. Courrier Frontenac

Poverty and discrimination can make young people more vulnerable to domestic violence, according to Dr. Cécile Rousseau, a child psychiatrist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She also highlighted the key role that healthcare professionals play in identifying and addressing violence experienced by young people, during an interview with CBC News about new guidelines from the Canadian Pediatric Society. CBC News

More and more teenagers online are being targeted by a terrorist group that forces them to inflict violent and degrading acts upon themselves. Nihilist extremists use gaming platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft to recruit their victims. Dr. Rousseau describes this as a problem that has reached epidemic proportions. She has been analyzing similar cases for five years and reports seeing three new victims every week. La Presse 98,5 fm

A weakened immune system and chronic stress increase the risk of shingles, said Dr. Earl Rubin, a pediatrician and infectious diseases specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. He gave an interview to CBC Montreal about shingles, which remains particularly prevalent among young adults. He pointed out that children today, who are now vaccinated against chickenpox, are less likely to develop shingles as they get older, although the risk remains. CBC Montreal

Quebec is no longer reimbursing the cost of the flu vaccine for everyone this year, as the virus is circulating earlier than usual in the province. According to Dr. Donald Vinh, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Centre, there are five times as many cases as last year. The policy change could discourage vaccination and exacerbate inequalities for those who cannot afford it. Furthermore, a new flu vaccine, combined with a COVID-19 vaccine, has been approved by Health Canada. Dr. Jesse Papenburg, an infectious disease specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, believes the combined vaccine could be effective. CBC Montreal, La Presse

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, Senior Scientist in the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program at The Institute, co-led a clinical trial on type 2 diabetes remission at The Institute. As reported in The Lancet Regional Health Americas, more than half of the young adults with type 2 diabetes who participated in the study achieved remission after six months of a program combining a low-calorie diet and supervised exercise.  Dr. Dasgupta discussed the results with CNN Newsource. The report was broadcast by several US local news stations.

Detailed results from a clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of a melanoma treatment using messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology were recently presented at the ESMO Congress in Spain. Dr. Ramy Saleh, a medical oncologist at the MUHC and medical director of oncology clinical trials at The Institute’s Centre for Innovative Medicine, commented on the news. CBC

A study conducted in Ontario on the measles outbreak that caused Canada to lose its measles elimination status shows that high vaccination coverage helped protect the population, while substantial immunity gaps in certain communities allowed measles to spread for a prolonged period. Dr. Brian Ward, a senior scientist at The Institute who did not participate in the study, shared a few thoughts on how Canada can improve vaccination uptake to help prevent future outbreaks and their consequences. Medscape

A four-year-old boy had to be hospitalized last week after unwittingly eating a chocolate bar containing cannabis. He had received the sweet as a Halloween treat. Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist at the McGill University Health Centre, emphasized the importance of taking this sort of incident seriously. Parents should consult a healthcare professional or contact the Quebec Poison Control Centre. CTV News, Noovo Info