Jewish General Hospital
- 2 0 2 5 E V E N T -
This Year's Speakers
We at MEMC deeply value the presence of our esteemed speakers, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our conference. Their insightful talks serve as invaluable learning opportunities for students, providing unique perspectives and practical insights into the dynamic field of emergency medicine. Through engaging discussions and thought-provoking presentations, our speakers inspire and empower the next generation of medical professionals to excel in this critical area of healthcare.
We were thrilled to welcome a diverse lineup of brilliant emergency medicine experts to the stage at our upcoming conference. Our speakers brought a wealth of experience and knowledge, representing various specialties within the field of emergency medicine. From seasoned practitioners to groundbreaking researchers, each speaker shared valuable insights, cutting-edge research, and practical strategies to enhance emergency healthcare delivery.​
Join us this year as we learn from more distinguished professionals and explore the latest advancements in emergency medicine together.
Dr. Justine Lessard
MD, MSC, CCFP(EM)
Dr. Justine Lessard completed her medical degree and family medicine residency at the Université de Sherbrooke, followed by a fellowship in emergency medicine at the Université de Montréal. She holds a master’s degree in research from the Université de Montréal, where her work focused on traumatic brain injury management in the emergency department, and a certificate in quality improvement from the University of Toronto. She is an emergency physician and trauma team leader at Hôpital Sacré-Cœur, and a clinical assistant professor at the Université de Montréal. Her professional interests include the use of imaging, quality of care, healthcare equity, trauma, and the application of transoesophageal echocardiography in cardiac arrest. Outside the hospital, Dr. Lessard is an avid runner, passionate gardener (especially when inspired by British gardening shows), and devoted cat enthusiast—firmly believing that both medicine and life are better with curiosity, compost, and the occasional cat nap.
​
​​
​
​
​
​
Presenting
Alternatives to Imaging in the Management of Head Trauma in the Elderly: The Falls Clinical Decision Rule
Dr. Richard Fleet
MD, PhD, MMgt(IMHL) CCFP(EM)
Dr. Richard Fleet is an emergency physician, psychologist, and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval. As a researcher at the VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, he is recognized for his work on equity in access to care between urban and rural settings. For more than fifteen years, he has documented health inequalities in rural areas, particularly in rural emergency departments, and has advocated for concrete solutions adapted to local realities.
Founder of the Rural Medicine Innovation Hub – Living Lab Charlevoix, he created a unique space where citizens, healthcare professionals, researchers, artists, and decision-makers come together to reflect and innovate. Since 2020, the Living Lab’s leadership and innovation internship has hosted more than 120 trainees across 18+ cohorts, offering an immersive and interdisciplinary experience to prepare the next generation of medical and scientific leaders for tomorrow’s challenges.
Through this living laboratory, he has also launched original initiatives such as the show Rural Emergencies 360 (UR360), a knowledge-transfer project inspired by the arts and developed with the circus troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main — funded by the FRQ (Audace Plus – Amplitude stream).
​
Presenting
Leadership and Innovation Training in Rural Emergency Care: The Living Lab Charlevoix Experience
Dr. Sasha Dubrovsky
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Dr. Mher Barbarian
MD, FRCPC
Mher Barbarian graduated with honors from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine, where he is now a faculty lecturer. He is an excellent teacher, a remarkable speaker and a person of heart, who pays particular attention to the notions of teamwork, collaboration and who always prioritizes improving the patient experience.
​​
Mher has evolved as a clinician in both the community and hospital settings, where Dr. Sasha Dubrovsky became his mentor and friend. By noticing the same flaws and opportunities in the system, together they reinvented the relationship of patients with pediatric emergencies by building the first community-based pediatric urgent care network.
​​
He now spends his time as a pediatric emergency physician at UP centre for pediatric emergencies and specialized care.
Pulse Check: Behind the Scrubs of Emergency Medicine
A Lifestyle in EM Panel
This brand-new MEMC panel brings together leading voices in emergency medicine to share their insights on lifestyle, leadership, and the realities of a career in their field.
Dr. Emmanuelle Jourdenais
MD, CCMF (MU)
I have been an emergency physician at the CHUM since 2000 and continue to work full-time in the ER. I have had administrative responsibilities for almost 20 years: I have been the Chief of the Emergency Department at the CHUM for 13 years. I am DMSP-adjointe à la fluidité du CHUM for the last 2 years. I have been a member of the STAT team of MSSS for 4-5 years, which gave me the opportunity to visit almost half of the hospitals of Quebec to try to help them optimize their processes to improve patient flow, and I am still be medical advisor for ER subjects for the MSSS.
Dr. Michael Woo
MD, CCFP(EM), DRPCSC, CHE
Dr. Michael Woo is an Emergency Physician and Trauma Team Leader at the Ottawa Hospital. He is the Medical Director for the ED at Kemptville District Hospital and the Medical Director for the Point of Care Ultrasonography (POCUS) Program at The Ottawa Hospital as well as a Professor at the University of Ottawa. He has been an advocate for POCUS for over 20 years and continues to be excited about the opportunities to innovate in Emergency Medicine and beyond.
Dr. Ilana Bank
MDCM, FRCPC, FAAP
Throughout her career, Dr. Bank has been a passionate advocate for using simulation as an educational tool for learners at all levels of training. Her work has not only advanced patient and staff safety but also facilitated important policy changes by leveraging simulation to proactively identify and address challenges. Dr. Bank’s innovative approach has improved healthcare delivery and helped shape training practices that better prepare future clinicians. As a mentor, she has successfully supervised numerous trainees, nurturing the next generation. Throughout her career, Dr. Bank has been a passionate advocate for using simulation as an educational tool for learners at all levels of training. Her work has not only advanced patient and staff safety but also facilitated important policy changes by leveraging simulation to proactively identify and address challenges. Dr. Bank’s innovative approach has improved healthcare delivery and helped shape training practices that better prepare future clinicians. As a mentor, she has successfully supervised numerous trainees, nurturing the next generation
Dr. Bernard Unger
MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, CSPQ
I am a graduate of Université de Montréal’s medical school and part of McGill’s first CCFPEM cohort. I joined the JGH emergency 38 years ago as an attending and remain full time as associate director. I also spent 7 years part time as a prehospital physician, mostly overnight in downtown Montreal, discovering a city I thought I knew. To keep things varied, I worked 10 years in medicolegal expertise, helped develop national guidelines including CTAS, spent 15 years as residency director, and pursued ED design as a special interest, serving 12 years on the MSSS provincial ED design committee. Outside work, I enjoy cooking, traveling, and exercising. Married 36 years, my fondest life memory is caring for my babies overnight so my wife could rest, then power-sleeping before morning shifts. My favorite EM memory: draining a septic climber’s foot at night on a cliff in Nepal, then later meeting him fully recovered 3 weeks later in Kathmandu.
Dr. Anali Maneshi
MDCM, FRCPC (EM), MSc.
Dr. Maneshi, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at FMHS, is actively involved in educational leadership as Chair of the Emergency Department's Curriculum Committee and previously served on the Competency Committee for the FRCP Emergency Medicine Program. She has also contributed to patient safety initiatives as a member of the MUHC Patient Safety Advisory Committee. In her role as Assistant Dean of Resident Affairs, she oversees wellness initiatives, manages resident services through the Office of Medical Learner Affairs, supervises wellness consultants, and enhances resident life.
- 2 0 2 4 E V E N T -
Last Year's Speakers
Dr. Audrey Marcotte
MDCM, FRCPC
Audrey Marcotte is an emergency physician and trauma team leader (TTL) for adult and pediatrics at the McGill University Health Center in Montreal as well as an associate professor for McGill University.
She completed her FRCPC emergency medicine training with enhanced competency in trauma at McGill University and is completing her Master of Science in Health Quality at Queen’s University.
Her academic interests include ED teamwork, resuscitation, and trauma systems. Outside of work, she enjoys running, playing guitar, and annoying her cat Jo!
Dr. Amélie Bellemare
MD
Dr. Bellemare currently serves as a field physician with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), having completed assignments in Chad and most recently in Haiti.
​
In addition to her MSF work, she is an assistant professor in the global health program at Université de Sherbrooke, participating in clinical internships in Uganda and Senegal. Between assignments, she practices emergency medicine at the Jewish General Hospital and is a clinical assistant professor in McGill University's Department of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Sasha Dubrovsky
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Sasha Dubrovsky enjoys many facets of his profession: he is a doctor, a researcher, a teacher, and above all, he is a father of three boys. Sasha is a medical graduate from McGill University, with notable contribution in education and innovation in the areas of pediatric injuries, point-of-care ultrasound, and quality improvement.
​
When one of his boys was hospitalized for a chronic illness, Sasha saw an opportunity to learn and grow from his experiences of being on both sides of the system and opened a first of its kind community-based pediatric urgent care centre to better meet the needs of the population.
​
He now spends his time caring for kids at UP centre for pediatric emergencies and specialized care with now two locations in Brossard and St-Eustache.
Dr. Mher Barbarian
MD, FRCPC
Mher Barbarian graduated with honors from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine, where he is now a faculty lecturer. He is an excellent teacher, a remarkable speaker and a person of heart, who pays particular attention to the notions of teamwork, collaboration and who always prioritizes improving the patient experience.
​​
Mher has evolved as a clinician in both the community and hospital settings, where Dr. Sasha Dubrovsky became his mentor and friend. By noticing the same flaws and opportunities in the system, together they reinvented the relationship of patients with pediatric emergencies by building the first community-based pediatric urgent care network.
​​
He now spends his time as a pediatric emergency physician at UP centre for pediatric emergencies and specialized care.
