Laboratory Director
Canada Research Chair in Child Neuropsychology and Brain Imaging
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal
I completed a master’s degree in psychology at Université Laval and a doctorate in clinical neuropsychology at Université de Montréal. I then completed postdoctoral training in pediatric neurology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the early 2000s, I established the NIRS lab at CHU Saint-Justine, a laboratory that I now manage. My research program focuses on the cognitive and cerebral effects of various pediatric diseases and clinical conditions, such as epilepsy, prematurity and congenital cardiac abnormalities. My research includes various methods, including neuropsychological assessment and brain imaging in order to better understand these pathologies and their effects on brain development, to identify predictive markers of developmental prognosis and to develop pre-surgical evaluation techniques for use in these populations.
Neuropsychologist and Research Coordinator
I am a neuropsychologist and a member of the Ordre des Psychologues du Quebec since 2016. I completed my doctoral training (PhD) in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Montreal under the direction of Dr Maryse Lassonde and Dr Anne Gallagher. My doctoral thesis focused on the evaluation of language and attention development in children born prematurely or at term. During my doctoral training, I also completed several internships in clinical neuropsychology with various pediatric populations, including children with epilepsy, anxiety disorders or in child psychiatry. After completing a three-year postdoctoral training (2016-2019) in pediatric neuro-imaging at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles in California, I am back in Quebec to pursue my clinical practice in the private sector and my research work at the CHU Sainte-Justine research center with Dre Anne Gallagher. My current work specializes in the assessment of early language and attention development in infants and young children. I am also interested in the early detection of speech, attention or learning disorders with children with various risk factors (prematurity, congenital heart disease, etc.). During my training, I gained considerable experience with brain investigation techniques, such as EEG, NIRS and MRI.
Research Coordinator
With a Master’s degree in human physiology, and a specialization in medical neuroelectrophysiology in Algiers, my interest in brain mechanisms naturally led me towards neuroscience. I began my journey at the University of Montreal with a second-cycle microprogram in neuroscience, followed by a Master’s degree in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Sherbrooke, where I consolidated my skills in brain electrophysiology, particularly in EEG. Driven by a passion for clinical research and the study of pathologies impacting cognitive and motor functions, I joined the LIONLab as a research coordinator. Currently, my work focuses on the Synchro project dedicated to a better understanding of executive function, the quality of parent-child relationships, and underlying brain mechanisms in children with congenital heart disease. In the context of this project, we use behavioral measures as well as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and parent-child hyperscanning (simultaneous recording of the brains of multiple individuals interacting). Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the understanding of the subtleties of brain function, with the hope of improving the quality of life for children facing various neurological challenges.
Project Manager and Research Coordinator
Phetsamone has officially retired in June 2023. We wish many loving moments with her family for the years to come and thank her for her hard work and dedication.
Having worked in several fields related to electrophysiology (EEG, EMG, ECG and evoked potentials) in various adult health centers, my interest to work with the pediatric population allowed me to join the CHU Sainte-Justine in 1993 as a research coordinator. Since 2003, I was appointed as a project manager for the LION team. I am mainly responsible for the implementation of research protocols, the data acquisition and the data analysis for all research projects going on in the lab. Furthermore, I am involved in teaching the technical aspects of acquiring, analyzing and interpreting NIRS and EEG data to students of our lab. Over the years, I have set up a state of the art multimodal recording platform combining EEG, NIRS, eye tracking and electrodermal systems. Moreover, in order to remedy certain difficulties encountered with the application of NIRS to our pediatric population and to optimize data quality as well as participants’ comfort during data acquisition, I have designed and built adjustable helmets adapted to children and adults with different clinical conditions (prematurity, epilepsy, severe cognitive deficits, etc.).
Recipient of the Justine Award for Recognition for the Development of Academic Life at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center.
Research Engineer
I have been a research engineer with the laboratory team since 2007. I provide team members with technical programming assistance. My main task is to create and adapt analysis software so that we can answer our many research questions. Over the years, I have gained experience with a range of imaging techniques, including NIRS, EEG (surface and intracranial), MEG, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, DTI) and cerebral connectivity analyzes. I have had the opportunity to develop several tools to facilitate and automate analyses for projects at the LION Lab, notably on the localization of language and epileptic foci, study of the visual system and normal brain development. I like problem-solving and hope to continue contributing to the success of this dynamic laboratory with future projects.
PhD Candidate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
After obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the Université de Sherbrooke, I started my PhD in Neuropsychology in September 2018 at the Université de Montréal. I joined the LIONLab because I had a strong interest for the neurodevelopment of children with clinical conditions. Since then, I have been studying cognitive and cerebral development of children with congenital heart disease. More specifically, my project aims to identify early predictive markers of neurodevelopment in children with congenital heart disease by investigating the association between resting-state functional connectivity measures, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and developmental outcomes.
Recipient of the scholarship for direct doctoral access from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of the University of Montréal (2018).
Recipient of the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR – 2019).
Recipient of the Jean-Marc Chevrier Scholarship from the University of Montreal psychology department (2020).
Recipient of the Doctoral training scholarship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS – 2021).
PhD Candidate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
My strong interest in brain development and brain imaging techniques motivated me to join the LIONlab team in 2017. At that time, I was completing an Honors thesis during my third year of a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Montreal. During this one-year internship, I studied the recognition of the mother’s voice in newborns using electroencephalography (EEG). I am currently pursuing doctoral studies at the LIONlab as part of the PhD research-intervention program in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. My thesis project aims to study the impact of malnutrition during the first year of life on adult brain function using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and EEG.
Recipient of the excellence scholarship from the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, master’s category (2019).
Recipient of the International Internships Québec-Cuba scholarship of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT – 2019)
Recipient of the Mitacs Globalink Research Award (2020).
Recipient of the Doctoral excellence scholarship from the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation (2019).
Recipient of the Doctoral training scholarship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS – 2021).
PhD Candidate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
After obtaining my bachelor’s degree in psychology – neuroscience option at Bishop’s University, I did a master’s degree in health sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke. I then started, in September 2018, my PhD in Psychology – Research and Intervention, Clinical neuropsychology option, at the Université de Montréal. I now pursue doctoral studies within the LIONLab. It is my interest in children’s health and neurodevelopment that motivated me to join, in 2018, the LIONLab led by Dr. Gallagher. I highly value and care for research in pediatric neuropsychology, neurology and neuroimaging. My thesis project aims to study the impact of neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy or born prematurely, using electroencephalography and neurodevelopmental assessment. This research project aims to improve our understanding of brain and visual development in newborns.
Recipient of the Doctoral Training Award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé (FRQS – 2019)
Recipient of the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award (2020).
Ph.D student in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
I started my bachelor’s in psychology at the University of Montreal in January 2018 after graduating with a bachelor’s in biology from Concordia University in April 2016. In my academic and research career, I have always been fascinated by the atypical development of several pediatric populations. I joined the LION team in May 2019 as a research assistant then as a research intern. Subsequently, in the fall of 2020, I started my doctoral studies in clinical neuropsychology (research and intervention profile) at the University of Montreal and my project aims to understand the impact of an early and systematic multidisciplinary intervention on the neurodevelopment of school-aged children (8 to 11 years old) born with congenital heart disease.
Recipient of the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC – 2020).
Recipient of the Masters Award of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR – 2020).
Recipient of the scholarship for direct doctoral access from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of the University of Montréal (FESP – 2020).
Recipient of the excellence scholarship from the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation (2021).
Recipient of the Doctoral Training Award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé (FRQS – 2021).
PhD Student in Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
I joined the LIONlab team as a research intern in fall of 2020 at the beginning of the last year of my bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Université de Montréal. I completed my first cycle honors thesis by conducting a retrospective study on parenting stress as a predictor of anxiety in preschool-age children with congenital heart disease. My work within the lab has allowed me to discover this clientele and I was fascinated right away. In the context of my PhD in clinical neuropsychology, I am investigating the associations between motor, executive and behavioral developmental at school entry. I am also interested in the potential impact of parenting stress and other psychological variables on neurodevelopment. I am actively involved in the elaboration of a parent-child yoga intervention aiming to compensate attentional and motor impairments in preschool-age children with congenital heart disease. I am also taking part in various collaboration initiatives with parents of young patients followed at the hospital’s Clinique d’investigation neurocardiaque (CINC).
Recipient of the Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC – 2021)
Recipient of the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s Award of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR – 2021).
Recipient of the Excellence scholarship – Doctorate from the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation (F-CHUSJ – 2022)
Recipient of Scholarship for direct doctoral access from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of the University of Montréal (2022).
Recipient of the Gabrielle Clerk Student Award from the Association québécoise pour la santé mentale des nourrissons (AQSMN – 2022).
Recipient of the Doctoral Training Award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé (FRQS – 2023).
Recipient of the Student Life Enhancement Fund Commitment Scholarship from the FAS (2024).
PhD Candidate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
For several years now, I have worked amongst preschool and primary school aged children, as well as with adolescents. My interest in child neurodevelopment research came to fruition when I joined LIONlab as a research intern in the summer of 2023. I completed my undergraduate honors thesis there, in which I focused on biological sex differences in the development of brain functional networks. I am continuing my academic career in the laboratory as a PhD student in clinical neuropsychology. I’m mainly interested in the development of language networks in children, from birth to age 3, as part of the ÉLAN project.
Recipient of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation doctoral scholarship (2024).
Recipient of the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (2024).
Recipient of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation Scholarship for Interns (2023).
PhD Candidate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow in Scotland in 2020, I pursued a Research Master’s in Neuropsychology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. My master’s thesis, conducted at the McGill University Health Centre, focused on observing brain development in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy using MRI. Following my master’s degree, I undertook a neuropsychology internship at a children’s hospital in Nice, France, where I developed clinical skills working with pediatric populations. My fascination with neurodevelopment from both clinical and research perspectives led me to join the LIONlab, specifically the Synchro project, in June 2024. Within this project, we will investigate executive functions, parent-child relationships, and underlying brain mechanisms in children with congenital heart disease using hyperscanning as an imaging method. I will commence the PhD in Research and Intervention in Clinical Neuropsychology in autumn 2024.
Doctoral Candidate in Neuropsychology (D.Psy)
I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Montreal in April 2024. During my academic journey, I conducted an honors thesis at LIONlab. My involvement in the lab strengthened my interest in child neurodevelopment. I am currently pursuing my D.Psy in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. I am contributing to a feasibility study on a parent-child yoga intervention aimed at addressing attention and motor deficits in preschool-aged children with congenital heart disease.
Research intern in cognitive neuroscience (Honors)
Currently a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience, with a specialization in Neuropsychology, at the University of Montreal, I joined the LIONlab team in the summer of 2023 as a research intern. I am now involved as a technical assistant and will begin my honor thesis in autumn 2024 on the Prémasucré project. The projects I am engaged in at the lab align perfectly with my interests in neurodevelopment, especially atypical development, and brain imaging techniques. I aspire to continue my academic journey with a PhD in Research and Intervention, focusing on Clinical Neuropsychology.
Research intern in cognitive neuroscience (Honors)
I am now entering my third year of undergraduate studies in Cognitive Neuroscience, specializing in Neuropsychology. I joined the LIONlab team in winter 2024 and have been involved in several projects, including the Yoga project, the Prémasucré project, and the Synchro project. I will begin my Honor’s program in fall 2024. I am particularly interested in cognitive development in children and neurodevelopmental disorders. My goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in research and intervention, specializing in clinical neuropsychology.
PhD Student in Neuropsychology, Research Program
I earned my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in psychology, with a specialization in cognitive sciences and neuropsychology, from University of Zurich. My thesis was on executive functions in premature children, more specifically on the relationship between working memory and brain size. I went on to work as a neuropsychologist at the Zurich Epilepsy Centre, a position that helped me expand my clinical knowledge. I am fascinated by brain plasticity during development, a phenomenon that allows cognitive function despite certain traumas and neurological diseases. That is why I joined the LION Lab team to continue my scientific training. My project examines the reorganization of language networks in children with epilepsy using NIRS and EEG.
Recipient of the Scholarship for foreign students from the Quebec Neuro-Imaging Network (QBIN – 2019).
Recipient of the Scholarship for the end of doctoral studies from the University of Montreal (2020).
Recipient of the Doctoral scholarship from the Savoy Foundation (2020).
Recipient of the Maternity scholarship from the University of Montreal (2021).
PhD Student in Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
After completing a two-year of European bachelor’s degree in psychology at Université Paris V-Descartes, I completed a one-year university exchange at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Wanting to pursue my adventure in Montreal, I earned a master’s degree in psychology at Université de Montréal, during which I studied facial recognition strategies developed by people with prosopagnosia. Since 2014, I have been a PhD student in clinical neuropsychology under the supervision of Dr. Anne Gallagher. My research interests focus on the motor and cognitive development of children with congenital heart disease. More specifically, my thesis project aims to identify, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), cerebral markers to predict the cognitive and language development of these children.
Recipient of the RBIQ International Student Scholarship, the Caisse Desjardins “Coup de pouce santé” Scholarship and Université de Montréal’s FESP Scholarship
PhD Student in Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
I hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and began my doctoral studies in neuropsychology at Université de Montréal in September 2015. My interest in the use of functional brain imaging methods as a tool to understand the cognitive function of young children prompted me to join the LION team in September 2016. I am also interested in congenital heart disease and its impact on neurodevelopment. Accordingly, my research project aims to identify predictive markers of language development using a specific recording technique, electroencephalography (EEG), in newborns suffering from congenital heart disease. I would like to see how functional connectivity can predict language development.
Doctoral Candidate in Neuropsychology (D.Psy)
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Université de Montréal, I joined the LION team as a master’s student in 2016 and started my doctorate in 2017. My interests have led me to work with the pediatric and adolescent population. I am fascinated by early neurodevelopment, and also by early environemental factors that affect the child’s cognitive and cerebral development. My research project focuses on the development of functional cerebral networks for language from birth to early childhood and influences of the linguistic prenatal environment. I use NIRS to measure functional connectivity in a resting state—a technique I find very stimulating as it is relatively new.
Recipient of the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral Program (NSERC).
Recipient of the FRQNT Doctoral Training Award.
Technical assistant in neuropsychology
I joined the LIONlab team in summer of 2022 as a research intern. Il will pursue my work at the LIONlab during my third year of a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience (neuropsychology orientation). As part of my honours thesis, I will study the development of the language brain networks from birth to the age of three. I have a great interest in the pediatric population, brain imaging techniques and the factors that influence neurodevelopmentexplaining why. I feel so engaged in the LIONlab research projects. I am currently beginning my Master’s degree in speech therapy while pursuing my activities within the lab.
Recipient of the IVADO Undergraduate Introduction to Research Scholarship and the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation Scholarship for Internships.
Master's student
I first joined the LionLab during the 3rd year of my bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Montreal. At that time, I was an intern and worked on a project studying the impact of congenital heart disease on neurodevelopment which fascinated me and made me discover a great interest for the pediatric clinical population. I then left Montreal for a semester abroad at the Paris-V Descartes University. Now that I am back, I reintegrated the Lionlab team as a research assistant on many of our lab’s projects, mainly assisting on NIRS data acquisition and administering neurodevelopmental assessments to the subjects. As part of my Master’s thesis I will be working on the impact of neonatal hypoglycemia on the cerebral and visual development in premature children.
I am a third-year student in cognitive neuroscience (neuropsychology orientation) at Université de Montréal. My avid curiosity regarding atypical neurodevelopment motivated me to join LIONlab in 2022. During my baccalaureate, I quickly developed a keen interest in cognitive processes in children who, at birth, are like books that have not yet been written. As part of a summer internship and the completion of my honors thesis, I will work on the Premasucré project, which focuses on the impact of neonatal hypoglycemia on brain, cognitive, and visual development in children born prematurely.
Recipient of the Summer Internships Program scholarship of the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre (2022).
Master's student
I first joined the LionLab in winter 2020 as part of my Lab 2 class. I was then studying cognitive neuroscience at the University of Montreal and had a strong interest in language and development. Therefore, my interest was piqued when I first heard of the ELAN project which aims to study the influence of prenatal language environment on the cerebral language networks’ development in children. Having now obtained my Bachelor’s degree, I have integrated the LionLab’s team as a technical assistant (Summer 2020) as well as a Master’s student (Fall 2020) on the ELAN project. I am currently taking part in the acquisition of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) data as well as conducting the neurodevelopmental assessments on our subjects. My intention is to eventually achieve a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Research Assistant
I am a undergraduate student in cognitive neuroscience at the Université de Montréal. With my experience as a clinical nurse specialized in pediatrics and neonatology, I have a particular interest in childhood neuropsychology, notably in neurodevelopmental disorders and factors influencing the cognitive development of children. In fall 2020, I joined the LIONlab to satisfy my scientific curiosity and foster my knowledge. I am currently assisting other members of the team in the ÉLAN project, in order to study the effects of the prenatal language environment on cerebral language development in children. I intend to start a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology after my bachelor’s degree.
I joined the LIONlab team during the summer of 2020 as a research intern as part of the CHU Sainte-Justine summer internship program. I continued my work at the lab as a 3rd year undergraduate student in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Montreal as part of the Honor path. As part of my Honor thesis, I am currently doing a systematic review of the literature on the development of functional and structural neural networks in young children in the antenatal and neonatal periods. My work with the LIONlab team only confirmed my interest in research with a pediatric population. I therefore intend to continue my university career in this field and pursue to a Ph.D in neuropsychology. My ambitions for the future are to work with children with autism spectrum disorder to better understand the neurodevelopmental causes of this disorder. I also want to develop intervention programs that can improve the quality of life of these children and their families.
I joined the LIONlab team in the winter of 2021 as a research assistant while I was completing my second year of a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Montreal. I work on a project measuring the impact of congenital heart disease on the neurodevelopment of children. My work alongside members of the LIONlab team only confirms my interest in neurodevelopmental research in pediatric patients as well as in brain imaging. In the future, I would also like to work with young individuals with epilespsy, to better understand the neurological bases associated with this disorder and to help them have a better quality of life. Finally, I wish to pursue my studies joining the PhD program in clinical neuropsychology.
PhD Student in Neuropsychology, Research and Intervention Program
I graduated from Université de Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and have been pursuing a PhD in clinical neuropsychology since 2012. During my undergraduate degree, I acquired electrophysiology (EEG) skills for adults and, since 2011, have been continuing my scientific training at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center under the supervision of Drs. Maryse Lassonde and Olivier Collignon. In 2014, I joined the LION team led by Dr. Anne Gallagher, who is also co-supervisor of my doctoral dissertation. My project focuses on the development of cerebral mechanisms of multisensory integration in healthy infants and children using EEG. I am particularly interested in the cerebral and cognitive development of healthy brains in order to better understand the impact of neurodevelopmental disorders on the brain and to identify predictive markers for the occurrence of these disorders.
Recipient of the FRQS doctoral training award and a doctoral fellowship from the FESP
Bachelor Student in Psychology
I completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Université de Montréal in May 2017. I am interested in child and adolescent neuropsychology and, more specifically, in neurodevelopmental disorders and factors affecting neurodevelopment. I joined the LION Lab in winter 2017 as part of a project studying the association between neonatal hypoglycemia and visual function in premature children using visual evoked potential (VEP).
D.Psy Student in Neuropsychology
After earning a European “Master 2” degree from Université de Lille 3 in clinical neuropsychology, specializing in peri-surgical assessment and functional rehabilitation, I completed my clinical internship in the Epileptology Unit at Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris, France. In 2015, I began my doctoral studies in clinical neuropsychology at Université de Montréal. My research interests are emotions, music and epilepsy. More specifically, my doctoral dissertation project examines the recognition of emotions elicited by music in children with median frontal lobe epilepsy. I am working under the supervision of Dr. Gosselin at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research and of Dr. Gallagher at CHU Sainte-Justine.
Trainee and Research assitant
I graduated from the University of Montreal with a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience in the spring of 2020. I joined the LionLab in September 2019, and for a period of four months I did an introductory research internship as part of a course. This experience allowed me to work in close collaboration with several members of the laboratory, in addition to learning about good practices related to the acquisition and pre-analysis of optical imaging data. To date, my duties in the laboratory consist mainly of assisting in the recruitment, along with the completion of neurodevelopmental assessments and the acquisition of NIRS data from young children. I am particularly interested in research on pediatric populations, which led me to join the LionLab. My research interests also include neurodevelopment and the impact of prenatal and perinatal complications on development. I intend to start a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology in the fall of 2021.
Research Assistant
I started a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience at Université de Montréal in September 2016. I am fascinated by brain development and pediatric neuropsychology. I joined the LION Lab in winter 2017, helping with database management and administrative tasks related to various research projects.
Research assistant
After earning an European master’s degree in Psychology of Child and Adolescent Development at the University of Caen Normandy, I worked as a clinical psychologist, particularly in the child protection field, but also in psychological consultation centers for children and adolescents. Arriving in Quebec in the summer of 2019, I joined the LionLab in September to provide technical support. My activities ranging from recruiting participants, to carrying out developmental assessments, through the collection of raw data and longitudinal monitoring of participants. My interests are mainly focused on perinatology and the dynamics between parents and children relationships. I plan to undertake a doctorate upon my return to France, this experience is therefore an excellent first approach to the world of research!
