Meet the team!
We are a growing and dynamic team of medical students, research analysts and neonatology fellows. Our team also works closely with different healthcare providers from across Canada!
Dr. Marc Beltempo
MD, FRCPC, MSc
Neonatologist, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University Health Centre
Associate Director of Research, Division of Neonatology, McGill University Health Centre
Scientist, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Associate Director, Canadian Neonatal Network
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, McGill University
Associate Member, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University
My research focuses on evaluating how the organization of work affects outcomes of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. There are significant variations in rates of mortality and morbidity of preterm infants among neonatal intensive care units in Canada. Important contributors to these variations in outcomes include variations in practice and in the organization of the units. Using clinical and administrative databases, we are studying the effects of different healthcare delivery models, team composition and resource allocation (nurse-to-patient ratios, physician-to-patient ratios and other healthcare providers) on quality of care and efficiency in the neonatal intensive care unit. The main objective is to improve quality of care and improving efficiency in the delivery of care. Further, as Associate Director of the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), I chair the database and annual report committee to better understand predictors of neonatal outcomes and improve quality of care of preterm infants in each unit.
« Credit for picture to Martin Alarie, Le Journal de Montréal »
Sharina Patel, MSc
Medical Student | Clinical Research Coordinator
Sharina completed her MSc in Human Nutrition at McGill University in 2019, and has since been working as a research coordinator for the Beltempo research group. Her love of learning brought her back to McGill in 2020 as a medical student.
Elias Jabbour, MSc
Medical Student | Research Coordinator
Born and raised in Lebanon, Elias completed his MSc in Experimental Medicine at McGill University studying cancer epigenetics prior to joining the Neonatal Health Systems Research. As a clinical research coordinator and research analyst, he is current involved in numerous ongoing projects ranging from validating costing algorithms, characterizing Autism Spectrum Disorder risk factors among premature babies and understanding the association between unplanned extubation and adverse outcomes in the NICU. Outside of academia, he works with a mental health start-up, is an avid fitness enthusiast and is always on the lookout for new coffee shops to try!
Daniela Villegas Martinez, MSc
Clinical Research Coordinator
Ms. Villegas Martinez is a recent M.Sc graduate in medical physiology, and she has worked in obstetrical clinical research. She has recently been part of international collaboration at the department of paediatrics, gynaecology, and obstetrics from the University of Geneva. She has practiced in clinical research at the CHU-Sherbrooke. She has a particular interest in fertility and mother-infant research. Outside the NICU, Daniela loves to run, to practice Muay-Thai and to play the violin.
Marissa Fazio, MSc
Clinical Research Coordinator
Marissa is a recent Master of Science in Public Health graduate at McGill University, with a special interest in epidemiology research. She began her post-secondary career in Ontario, where she completed an Undergraduate degree in Biology (Physiology) at McMaster University. Her current project is investigating the relationship between NICU administrative factors and the risk for a hospital-acquired infection. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, painting, and exploring Montreal.
Maryam Mozafarinia, RN, PhD
Clinical Research Coordinator
Maryam is a registered nurse clinician at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and an early career researcher. She has completed her PhD in Experimental Medicine in 2021. Her research interest focuses on patient reported outcome profiles, evaluation of clinical outcome assessments, and data visualization. Maryam also co-directs a registered Canadian non-for-profit organization – “Une Chance de Vivre” – which is dedicated to improve mothers and infants’ well-being in developing countries. Outside science, Maryam enjoys hiking, reading novels and biographies, and baking!
Laura Li Ching Ng, MSc
Registered Pediatric Dietitian
Laura is a registered pediatric dietitian at the Montreal Children Hospital (MCH). She has completed a BSc. in Nutritional Sciences (Major Dietetics) in 2015 and a MSc. in Human Nutrition in 2022 at McGill University. During her MSc under the supervision of Dr Marc Beltempo, she was the recipient of the RI MUHC Desjardin studentship award. She is also a certified nutrition support clinician (CNSC) from the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition since 2019. Her research interest focuses on the role of nutrition and growth for extreme preterm infants at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Satit Manopunya, MD
Fellow
Dr. Satit Manopunya completed his medical degree and initial specialty and subspecialty training in pediatrics and neonatology in his native Thailand. He worked as an instructor and attending staff of neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics, Chiang Mai University, Thailand During 2017-2020. Currently, he is a trainee of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Residency Program at McGill University. His research interests are about neonatal health outcomes in preterm infants and quality improvement.
Alice Tao Ran Guo
Medical Student
Alice is a medical student at McGill University and an M.D.,C.M. class of 2025 candidate. Under the mentorship and supervision of Dr. Beltempo, her research centers on healthcare workers’ perception of high unit activity and its impact on patient care in the neonatal intensive care unit. Alice grew up in Montreal; she enjoys literature, sketching, and volunteering at the National Bank Open (Rogers Cup) every summer.
Carla Herman
Medical Student
Carla Herman is a first-year medical student at McGill University. She has many areas of interests but has always been draw to pediatrics and surgical specialties. Under the mentorship and supervision of Dr. Beltempo, her research focusses on managers’ perceptions of high neonatal intensive care unit occupancy and its impact on patient care. Outside of academia, she enjoys travelling, painting, and spending time with friends; but above all she is an avid volleyball player.
Sabah Pirwani
Master’s Student
Originally from Ontario, Sabah completed an Undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Epidemiology at McGill University. Under the supervision of Dr. Beltempo, she will focus on investigating the association of nurse-to-patient ratios with outcomes of very preterm infants. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching cooking shows, and travelling.
Nina Caporicci-Dinucci
Medical Student
Nina is a second-year medical student studying at McGill University (MDCM Candidate 2025). After completing her MSc in neuroscience (McGill University 2019), Nina is excited to explore other areas of interest, including pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology. She is currently studying the macronutrient drivers of growth in premature infants. Outside of science, Nina enjoys running, playing guitar, and working with rescue horses.
Dr. Allison Shevell, MDCM, FRCPC
Fellow
Allison received her medical degree at McGill University, then completed her Pediatrics residency and one year of pediatric critical care training at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She completed a pediatric critical care medicine fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. She is currently pursuing an Master’s in Epidemiology at McGill University, with a focus on investigating long-term outcomes after pediatric critical illness.
ALUMNI
Zahia Attari
Medical Student
Zahia Attari is a 4th-year medical student at McGill University and trainee at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Her current clinical area of interest is pediatrics. Under the mentorship and supervision of Dr. Marc Beltempo, she is interested in studying the association of Quebec NICU design changes with neonatal outcomes among very preterm infants, attempting to discriminate the effect of physical unit design from organizational changes over time, site-specific practices and quality improvement measures. She is also a lover of photography, the great outdoors and hiking, and she also holds a blog about personal journaling and planning!
Additionally, he also recently published an article on high-risk pregnancies of women with incarcerated uteri. I was privileged to present these projects via oral and poster presentations at different conferences in Canada and in the US.
He was honoured to receive the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Section Trainee Award at the Canadian Paediatrics Society 98th Annual Conference and the Trainee Registration Grant Award at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Meeting.
Outside of academia, he is an avid runner and biker.
Anthony Debay
OBGYN at UDEM
Anthony is now a PGY-1 in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Université de Montréal. He has a marked interest for research focusing on Quality Improvement. It is paramount to have a healthcare system that strives to achieve a higher level of performance to optimize the care provided to our patient population, while also continuously aiming for constant improvement.
Also, he published a paper focusing on intubation procedures and their impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes, and a paper assessing the impact of 24-hour in-house presence of a Neonatologist on neonatal outcomes.
Elyonora Sargi
Family Medicine at McGill
Elyonora is a second-year medical students expecting to graduate in 2023. She is interested in determining if the occupation rate of NICUs in tertiary-care centers can affect access to care and time of discharge in premature infants. Besides her academic work, she is a camping aficionado. As much as she likes travelling, she enjoys walking around the city and pass by Montreal's Christmas villages and luminous showcases. Her free time are filled by reading and watching documentaries about history and crime-solving mysteries.
Safia Soullane
Family Medicine at UDEM
Safiya Soullane is a second-year medical student at McGill University and a MDCM Class of 2023 candidate. She has interests in perinatal health and epidemiology. Her projects have focused on strategies to decrease the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia among preterm infants, and on the impact of NICU resource allocation on neonatal health outcomes. An interesting fact about Safiya is that she has been a girl scout for 15 years, and she is great at starting fires.
Gabriella Le Blanc
ENT at McGill
Gabriella is a second year medical student at McGill University. She is still exploring her clinical areas of interest but is particularly drawn to critical care and surgical specialties. She is interested in identifying the relationship between organizational risk factors, such as nursing overtime hours, and unplanned extubation (UPE) events in NICUs. Her research also investigates the outcomes of infants who have had a UPE— more specifically the relationship between UPEs and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Outside of school and research, Gabriella loves to go to spin classes with her friends, draw and paint, or relax with tea/wine and a good book.
Andrée-Anne is a second year medical student at McGill. She hopes to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics or surgery. She is interested in the incidence of autism spectrum disorder among extremely preterm infants. She enjoys travelling, dancing and watching makeover TV shows.
Andrée-Anne Busque
Family Medicine in Kingston