Science team

Medical Affairs and Innovation Division

Marc Germain, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC 
Vice-President, Medical Affairs and Innovation

Dr. Marc Germain is a physician specializing in medical microbiology and infectious diseases. He also has a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Washington in Seattle. As Vice-President of Medical Affairs and Innovation, Dr. Germain oversees and ensures the medical and scientific expertise that supports Héma-Québec’s products and services. He also holds several other positions, serving as the Medical Director of the Human Tissues division, the Chair of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Subcommittee on Tissues, a member of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative’s Board of Directors and a member of the CSA Technical Committee on Safety of Cells, Tissues, and Organs. Dr. Germain has conducted extensive research on blood and human tissue donation, boasting more than 70 peer-reviewed publications.

Marc Germain, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC 
Vice-President, Medical Affairs and Innovation

Dr. Marc Germain is a physician specializing in medical microbiology and infectious diseases. He also has a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Washington in Seattle. As Vice-President of Medical Affairs and Innovation, Dr. Germain oversees and ensures the medical and scientific expertise that supports Héma-Québec’s products and services. He also holds several other positions, serving as the Medical Director of the Human Tissues division, the Chair of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Subcommittee on Tissues, a member of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative’s Board of Directors and a member of the CSA Technical Committee on Safety of Cells, Tissues, and Organs. Dr. Germain has conducted extensive research on blood and human tissue donation, boasting more than 70 peer-reviewed publications.

Research department

The Héma-Québec Research Department’s operations are primarily run from its 2,500-m2 Québec City facility on the Université Laval campus. The Department’s dynamic research team is made up of over 50 employees, including researchers, research professionals, a service coordinator, laboratory assistants, a project advisor, specialists and a sample collection coordinator, all working on a wide range of projects across multidisciplinary teams. Héma-Québec also has many key research figures in various sectors of the organization, such as physicians, nurses, statisticians, epidemiologists, and scientific information specialists.

Our scientific staff also helps train undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students. HémaQuébec also hosts and supervises post-doctoral researchers.

Mélanie Dieudé, Ph. D.
Director, Research Operations

Dr. Mélanie Dieudé joined Héma-Québec in January 2022. As head of the Research Department, she leads a team of over 50 highly skilled employees working in multiple fields, such as transfusion medicine, stem cells, mother’s milk and human tissue for transplant. Dr. Dieudé played a leading role in the scientific development of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP), serving as Executive Director from 2020 to 2022. An immunologist by training, Dr. Dieudé is also a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases of the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine and leads an immunopathology research lab at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Montréal’s research centre (CRCHUM). She is also actively involved in many scientific associations, including the American Society of Transplantation (AST) Scientific Review Committee, the Canadian Society of Transplantation Research Committee and the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative.

Lucie Boyer, M. Sc.
Project Advisor

Lucie Boyer plans and oversees laboratory operations to ensure coordination across teams and sectors to support the success of our projects. She also supports and advises research teams in preparing project documents and oversees the Department’s regulatory activities.

Danny Brouard, Ph. D.
Researcher

Dr. Danny Brouard’s multidisciplinary research team is focused on operational development and the exploration and implementation of new technologies (instrumentation, biophotonics, artificial intelligence, software, automation) to help streamline blood collection and distribution. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics in Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Marc Cloutier, Ph. D.
Researcher

Dr. Marc Cloutier’s research projects primarily focus on implementing pathogen inactivation processes, cryopreserving blood products, understanding the contamination of biological products and supporting all of Héma-Québec’s product lines. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics in Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Mélissa Girard, Ph. D.
Researcher

Dr. Mélissa Girard’s research focuses on investigating the biology of granulocyte concentrates as well as optimizing the Public Mothers' Milk Bank’s processes and improving its milk quality and safety. Her team also produces plasminogen-concentrate eye drops for five young patients in Québec with ligneous conjunctivitis. Dr. Girard is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology-Infectiology and Immunology in Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.

Marie-Joëlle de Grandmont, M. Sc.
Senior Operational Research Specialist

Marie-Joëlle de Grandmont is in charge of bringing project work plans into alignment with operational reality. A life-long learner who loves to share her findings, she brings her regulatory expertise and quality process savvy to projects and helps research teams scale up their projects for technology transfers.

Josée Laganière, Ph. D.
Researcher

Dr. Josée Laganière’s research is primarily interested in stem cell treatments and emerging therapies using genetically modified cells. Her team also provides operational support for the development of genetic tests.

Lionel Loubaki, Ph. D.
Researcher

Dr. Lionel Loubaki conducts research on anti-cancer cellular therapy, new applications for mother’s milk, specialized test development and the effects of using certain drugs and products on the quality of blood products. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics in Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Claudia Racine, M. Sc.
Research Services Supervisor

Claudia Racine oversees a multidisciplinary team of laboratory assistants, laboratory services coordinators and sample collection coordinators to deliver high-quality services that support research and innovation activities. These services include centralizing purchase requisitions, collecting samples from donors for research projects, cleaning equipment, checking performance, handling international shipments and ensuring sterilization.

Gary Rockl, B. Sc., CTBS
Tissue Innovation Specialist

Gary Rockl’s team works in multiple research areas, including demineralized bone matrix, heart valve decellularization, osteochondral tissue and automated tissue production. His team is also focused on improving a groundbreaking tissue cryopreservation method.

Nathalie C. Simard, M. Sc.
Biobank and Studies Specialist

Nathalie C. Simard oversees research studies with external partners and manages HémaQuébec’s biobank activities. A wearer of many hats, Nathalie is also responsible for drafting and implementing the Department’s contracts and partnership agreements.

Patrick Trépanier, Ph. D. MBA
Researcher

Dr. Patrick Trépanier is deeply interested in hematopoietic stem cells, cord blood and cellular therapy and in the development of tools for assessing their quality. His team is currently using artificial intelligence for better data interpretation. Dr. Trépanier is also an Associate Professor in the Department of MicrobiologyInfectiology and Immunology in Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.

Science department

Renée Bazin, Ph. D.
Scientific Director, Medical Affairs and Innovation

Dr. Renée Bazin has been on the Héma-Québec team since its inception. Holder of a Ph.D. in biochemistry, she has always done research on the study of blood cells and proteins, more specifically on monoclonal antibodies and serum immunoglobulin. She is also an associate scientific member of the BEST Collaborative, an international research organization focused on transfusion medicine and cellular therapy. Her role as Scientific Director of Medical Affairs and Innovation is to provide advice and support to the many teams working in the Research Department and in the rest of Héma-Québec. Moreover, she oversees the training program for the next generation of scientists. Dr. Bazin is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics in Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Medical department of microbiology and epidemiology

Christian Renaud, M.D., M.Sc., FRCPC
Medical Director, Microbiology and Epidemiology

Dr. Christian Renaud is a pediatric infectious disease specialist and microbiologist. He is both the Medical Director, Microbiology and Epidemiology and the Medical Director at Héma-Québec’s Public Mothers’ Milk Bank. He also works as an Associate Professor in the pediatrics and microbiology, infectiology and immunology departments at Université de Montréal. After completing a fellowship in clinical and diagnostic virology at the University of Washington and at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he led the virology laboratory at CHU Sainte-Justine for ten years before joining the HémaQuébec team. His research areas of interest are diagnostic testing, the epidemiology of pathogens, blood safety and hemovigilance.

Epidemiology, surveillance and biological risk assessment unit

The Epidemiology, Surveillance and Biological Risk Assessment Unit is a hub of expertise that supports every facet of Héma-Québec. The Unit leads epidemiological research projects; performs scientific and strategic monitoring of developments in activity sectors relevant to Héma-Québec; guides Héma-Québec on matters of scientific information, intellectual property and patent portfolio management;supervises graduate students; provides risk assessment expertise for biological products prepared by Héma-Québec, particularly through risk analysis; and provides scientific, biostatistical and methodological support with internal decision making and with designing, completing, analyzing and publishing scientific studies and research protocols. The Unit’s team includes a biological safety officer, a role designated under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act and its regulations. 

Antoine Lewin, Ph. D., M.P.H.
Chief, Epidemiology, Surveillance and Biological Risk Assessment

Since 2017, the Unit has been led by Dr. Antoine Lewin, Ph.D. in epidemiology and biostatistics. His research interests include the statistical and methodological aspects of epidemiological research and population health in the context of blood transfusion and infectious diseases. Dr. Lewin is a member of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group and of the Transfusion Transmitted Infectious Diseases Working Party of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).