Innovating for Life

Faculty of and MedicineHealth Sciences

Université de Sherbrooke by the Numbers*

• Ninefaculties,threecampuses

• Morethan340programs

• Morethan30,000students,85%fromoutsidetheSherbrookearea

• Some2300professorsandlecturers Nearly1100clinicalprofessorsin2010

• 6,000employees,makingtheuniversity theregion’slargestemployer

• Some110,000graduates

• Morethan300researchcontracts andpartnerships

• 171cooperativeagreements withorganizationsinabout40countries

* As of June 2010

Founded in 1954, the Université de Sherbrooke rapidly earned a sound reputation and status

as a leading university for its expertise and innovativeness. In terms of research and teaching,

the university constantly develops niche areas of expertise to meet tomorrow’s needs, both on

the national and international levels. More than 2,500 people devote their time, energy, talent,

and knowledge in conducting research in nine faculties.

As Canada’s first French-speaking university and second university to adopt the cooperative

approach to teaching, the Université de Sherbrooke is now considered the leader in this

teaching method. The cooperative system enables a large number of students to add

practical experience acquired in the workplace during paid internships to the theoretical

knowledge gained during coursework. The university ranks first in Quebec, second in Canada,

and in the top five of North American institutions of higher education for the extent of

its cooperative program.

Université de SherbrookeA Cutting-Edge University Making Its Mark

Research at the Université de Sherbrooke*

• OneofNorthAmerica’srankinguniversities intermsofworthoffacultyinventions ($8.5Minfiscal2008–2009)

• $100Minresearchgrantsandcontracts

• Morethan75researchchairs

• 5researchinstitutes

• 29recognizedresearchcenters and12researchteams

• 226patentsfiledorgranted

• 26spin-offcompaniessince1984

* As of June 2010

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke

makes a remarkable contribution to Quebec and Canadian societies, considering

the number of physicians it trains every year. Year after year, the university takes

in an ever-increasing number of new medical students.

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences: Innovative and Unique

World Health Organization RecognitionIn 2001, 40 years after its foundation, the Faculty was designated a World Health Organization ( WHO )

collaborating center on health-science education and practice. The university’s exceptional development

path earned it this unique recognition in Canada and throughout the French-speaking world. This clearly

illustrates the importance of the Faculty’s leadership in national and international training in this field.

Founded on PhilanthropyA donation in excess of $300,000 from the Kellogg Foundation, in 1965, convinced the Government

of Quebec to forge ahead with what had been a controversial project of establishing a faculty

of medicine in the Sherbrooke area. This donation provided a measure of financial leverage, since,

in 1967, the McConnell Foundation offered $100,000 to fund a research chair in the Faculty.

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In 2009–2010, it ranked sixth

among Canadian faculties of

medicine for registrations of new

first-year medical students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences: Innovative and Unique

The Faculty’s

20 Research Chairs Chairs Funded by Donation

• TheAndré-LussierChairinRheumatology

• TheCIHRAppliedChairinHealthServices andPolicyResearchonChronicDiseases inPrimaryCare

• TheJeanneandJean-LouisLévesque ChairinRadiobiology

• ThejointUQAT-UdeSChairin PainPhysiopathology

• TheLucieandAndréChagnonChair forTeachingtheIntegratedApproach inPrevention

• TheMerck-FrosstChairin Pharmaco-Geriatrics

• TheNationalBankofCanadaChair inNeuro-Oncology

• TheQuebecLungAssociationChair inRespiratoryHealthResearch

• TheResearchChairinDrugAddiction

• TheResearchChairinMedicalTeaching fromlaSociétédesmédecins del’UniversitédeSherbrooke

• TheResearchChairinOccupational Therapy-J.ArmandBombardierand Pratt&WhitneyCanadaFoundation

Canada Research Chairs

• TheCanadaResearchChair onCellPharmacology

• TheCanadaResearchChair inDigestivePhysiopathology

• TheCanadaResearchChair inFunctionalGenomics

• TheCanadaResearchChair onGenomicsandCatalyticRNA

• TheCanadaResearchChair inIntracellularSignallingand DigestivePhysiopathology

• TheCanadaResearchChair inMagneticResonanceImaging

• TheCanadaResearchChair inNanopharmacologyandAtomic ForceMicroscopy

• TheCanadaResearchChair inNeonatalRespiratoryPhysiology

• TheCanadaResearchChair inTelomeresBiology

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Integration of a Cutting-Edge University HospitalCreated in an atmosphere marked by innovation and

distinctiveness, the new faculty was the first in Quebec

to immediately adopt the model of major American

universities by establishing, from the outset,

a cutting-edge university hospital fully integrated into

and initially administered by the Faculty. The partnership

between the Faculty and the Centre hospitalier

universitaire de Sherbrooke resulting from this innovative

model still today promotes collaboration between the

institutions in the areas of training and research.

One of the Faculty’s distinctive features

from the outset has been focusing on

the collaboration between basic and clinical

research. A novel remuneration system

developed by certain leading American

faculties was implemented to achieve

this audacious objective and narrow

the salary gap between clinicians

and non-clinicians.

ExceptionalCollaborations and Partnerships

Centered on Research4

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Centered on Research

Nestled in a Biomedical Park:

A North American Model

• Physicalandorganizationalproximity betweentheFacultyofMedicineandHealth Sciences,theCentre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke,theInstitut de pharmacologie de Sherbrooke,theCentre de recherche clinique Étienne-Le Bel,andthemultinational CharlesRiverLaboratories.

• Directaccesstooutstandingexpertise, cutting-edgeequipment,andspecialized servicesthroughitsinfrastructurecomprising aseriesofintegratedbuildings.Thisproximity facilitatesknowledgetransferfrombench tobedside.

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is located in Sherbrooke

at the heart of a site of more than 15 million square feet dedicated

to developing life sciences. This setting offers:

• Cancer

• Aging

• Molecularandstructuralpharmacology

• Diabetes,obesity,andcardiovasculardisease

• Inflammationandimmunity

• Physiologyofthegastrointestinaltract

• Growth,development,andgenetics

• Neurosciences

• Pain

• Novelhealth-careinterventions

• Genomics

• Medicalimagingandradiobiology

•Clinicalsciences

•Cellularbiology

•Biochemistry

•Immunology

•Microbiology

•Pharmacology

•Physiology

•Radiationsciences andbiomedicalimaging

Some 160 basic-science researchers and clinicians are involved in the Faculty’s

research activities. More than 400 graduate students are pursuing their educations

in the Faculty itself or at one of its four affiliated research centers. In addition,

the Faculty manages its own graduate programs, unlike most other universities,

where university departments manage the programs. The Faculty’s students come

from all across Quebec, Canada, and elsewhere.

Cutting-Edge Research

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Graduate Programs Fields of Research

Inspired by the Best North American Models The unique relationship between clinical and scientific

knowledge has led to the development of a novel

training program based on an overall approach taking

into account the social factors determining the

population’s state of health. This model, inspired by

that of the Center for the Study of Medical Education

at the University of Illinois in Chicago, marks the

inception of a long philosophical affiliation between

the two institutions.

By implementing the system-based teaching

approach, the Faculty ranked, from the outset, as the

first in Canada and second in North America to adopt

this novel cutting-edge model developed by the

Faculty of Medicine at Case Western Reserve

University in Cleveland. In essence, it aims at teaching

medicine based on systems ( endocrine, neurologic,

pulmonary, cardiovascular, etc .) instead of subjects

(cardiology, anatomy, biochemistry, etc.), as in the rest

of North America.

In short, these innovative educational approaches

have earned the Faculty an international reputation

in the field.

Recognized for Their QualityIn 1988, the Faculty implemented problem-based

learning. Under this method, students are divided

into small learning groups of 8 or 9, supported

by a teacher/tutor.

The Doctor of Medicine program at the Université

de Sherbrooke plays a leadership role in medical

education for the originality and quality of its teaching

methods. A great many faculties of medicine in

Canada and elsewhere have been inspired

by Sherbrooke’s rigorous teaching principles and

student-centered approach.

The program’s quality is recognized by the

accreditation bodies of the Association of Faculties

of Medicine of Canada and the Association

of American Medical Colleges.

Novel Teaching Approaches

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• Undergraduatemedicaleducation,whichprepares studentstopractisemedicineandconfersthetitle of“doctorofmedicine.”

• 32programsofgraduatemedicaleducation, inwhichstudentsdotheirresidencytraining andselecttheirfieldsofpractice.

• TheSchoolofNursing,whichoffersanundergraduate programintegratedwithcollegetrainingaswellas graduateprograms.

• TheSchoolofRehabilitation,whichofferspractitioners practicalrehabilitationtrainingprograms.Since2007, theschoolhasalsoofferedcombinedundergraduate andmaster’s-degreeprogramsinoccupational therapyandphysiotherapy.• TheDepartmentofPharmacology,whichoffers Quebec’sonlycooperativeundergraduatedegree inthisfield.Itsgraduateprogramsareopenand dynamic,fosteringinterdepartmentalandinterfaculty researchcollaborations.

• Themedicalbiochemistryprogram (giveninpartnershipwiththeFacultyofScience attheUniversitédeSherbrooke),whichtrainsthe nextgenerationofprofessionalsforthevarious medicalandresearchlaboratories.

• Master’sanddoctoralprogramsinbiochemistry, immunology,microbiology,pharmacology, physiology,clinicalsciences,radiationsciences, andbiomedicalimaging,whicharerenownedin thescientificcommunityfortheirexceptional quality.Researcherstrainedthereareamong thebestintheirfields.

• TheHealthSciencesEducationCenter, whichenablestheFacultytoremainaleader inthisfield.• TheContinuingEducationCenter,whichallows health-careprofessionalstomaintainanddevelop theirknowledgeandskills.

Faculty Sectors of Activity

• Over80programs,includingmorethan 30atthemaster’slevel(about10ofthe researchtype),and9atthedoctorallevel

• Annualbudgetof$60M

• Morethan500professorsand 1,100clinicalteachers

• Morethan1,175employees

• Morethan3,200full-andpart-timestudents, including680atthegraduatelevel

• 160researchers,including53clinicians

• 71researchscholars,including9holders ofCanadaResearchChairsand11holders ofprivatechairs

• $46Mingrantsandresearchcontracts

• 45teamsworkingoncancer

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

by the Numbers*

* As of June 2010

Montréal

Québec

Firmly rooted in the region, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrookehas continued expanding its influence over the years by opening its four satellite campuses (Sherbrooke, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Montérégie, and French-speaking Atlantic Canada) while remaining faithful to the spirit of its founders. In this endeavor, the Faculty counts on the support of its affiliated institutions and many partners in the Réseau universitaire intégré de santé (RUIS; integrated university health-care network). This network—with partners outside Quebec—makes it possible to achieve a critical mass that fosters interaction between students, residents, and other health-care professionals.

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RUIS members• Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke

• CSSS-Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Sherbrooke

• Hôpital Charles LeMoyne

• CSSS de Chicoutimi

• CSSS Domaine-du-Roy

• CSSS de Lac-Saint-Jean-Est

• CSSS Drummond

• CSSS de Bécancour-Nicolet-Yamaska

• CSSS d’Arthabaska-et-de-l’Érable

• CSSS de la Haute-Yamaska

• CSSS Richelieu-Yamaska

• CSSS La Pommeraie

• CSSS Haut-Richelieu-Rouville

An Extended Network of Partners

International Initiatives

In addition to offering training to the professionals so badly needed by

the health-care system in Quebec and the Maritimes, the Faculty reaches beyond

Eastern Canada into Mali, Uruguay, and Haiti. It played an active, frontline role when

the earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 by sending three humanitarian-aid,

medical, and educational missions there.

Diversified Training Opportunities

Over the years, the Faculty has developed to broaden and diversify its training offering

to health-care professionals in a variety of fields: nursing, medical biochemistry,

pharmacology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, occupational rehabilitation,

and drug addiction. The breadth of the offering makes Sherbrooke one of the most

comprehensive and innovative faculties of medicine in Canada.

ConstantlyEvolving

Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

through Academic and Research Excellence

Building on its achievements and successes in the areas of innovation,

teaching, research, geographically deployed training networks, program

diversification, and international intervention initiatives, the Faculty

of Medicine and Health Sciences is once again forging the future as

it continues to implement the forward-looking vision of its founders.

It has determined its priorities for the upcoming years, which will enable

the Faculty to achieve its strategic objectives academically as well as in terms

of research and development.

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Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

through Academic and Research Excellence

TheFacultyrecognizestheimportanceofattractingandretainingtalentedyoungscientists.Forthisreason,ithassetupaGraduateFellowshipsProgramunlikeanyotherinCanadaformaster’sanddoctoratestudents.

ThisambitiousprogramaimsatcreatinganendowedfundenablingtheFacultytoannuallyoffergraduatefellowshipsof$15,000formaster’s-degreestudentsand$19,000fordoctoralstudents.Thesefellowshipswillprovideleverageinthattheywillencouragerecipientstoseekresearchgrantsfromgovernmentagencies.Moreover,immediatesupportfromtheFacultyanditspartnerswillgetthisprogramunderwayasearlyasinfall2011andprovidesupportuntilthiscapitalizedfundisabletogeneratetheamountsrequiredannuallyonitsown.

ThishighlycompetitiveprogramwillallowtheFacultytoincreaseandmaintainacriticalmassofknowledgeinhealthsciencesand,asaresult,pushbacktheboundariesofmedicalknowledge.

Research — a core component of the Faculty from its founding — remains the nerve center

for all its activities. Research enables the Faculty to continually push back the boundaries

of science and conquer disease, to carry society forward towards greater wellness, and

to innovate for a brighter future. The Faculty’s priorities therefore focus primarily on the means

for supporting its efforts in this area, as demonstrated by the creation of research chairs,

the new Graduate Fellowships Program, and the implementation of new infrastructure.

Concomitantly, academic excellence remains part of the program, as indicated by

the upcoming implementation of a clinical-simulation laboratory and the development

of training activities internationally.

Establishment of an Endowed Graduate

Fellowships Program

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ThisendowedchairwasfoundedastheresultofanexceptionalandinnovativedonationmadebyProfessorAndréLussieranditsworkonrheumatologyhasalreadygottenunderway.Thechair’sworkaimsatgainingbetterunderstandingoftheprocessesinvolvedinboneformationanddegradationinordertodiscovernewtherapeutictargetsandalternativestoanti-inflammatoryagents.Morespecifically,ithopestoshedlightonthemechanismsofactionofprostaglandinsynthases.TheexperiencedresearchteamworkingunderProfessorJean-LucParentneverthelessneedsadditionalfinancialsupportsothattheresearchcanmoveaheadmorerapidly.Forthisreason,theFacultyhasmadeitapriority.

Medicinalorpharmaceuticalchemistryisascientificdisciplineattheintersectionofchemistryandpharmacology,includingdesigninganddevelopingmedications.Itishighlyinterdisciplinary,involvingorganicchemistry,biochemistry,computationalchemical,pharmacology,molecularbiology,statistics,andphysicalchemistry.Thechairinmedicinalchemistrywillprovideforidentifying,synthesizing,anddevelopingnewbiologicalandtherapeuticmolecules.Inparticular,itwillinvestigatetheirbiologicalpropertiesandquantitativestructure-activityrelationship(QSAR).

Rheumatology: André-Lussier Chair in Rheumatology

Medicinal Chemistry

Creation of Research Chairs

Telerehabilitation,whichconsistsindeliveringrehabilitationservicesusingtelecommunicationtechnology,offersanalternativetoface-to-facetreatment.Theinterestinresearchingthisnewapproachtoservicedeliverylieswiththefactthat,whilethetechnologyrequiredexists,itsdeploymentwithinthehealth-caresystemhasbeenminimalduetoalackofevidenceoftheapproach’sefficacy.Infact,theteamstandsoutasworldwidepioneersincomputer-baseddeliveryofcaretothepatient’shome.Thepurposeofthechairintelerehabilitationistofacilitateandevenincreaseaccesstorehabilitationservices.Toachievethisobjective,theresearchprogramwillhelpdevelophometelerehabilitation,whichconsistsofputtingapatientathomeindirectcontactwithahealth-careprofessionalinaclinicusinganInternetconnection.

Health-careprofessionalsmustbeabletoprovidecareandservicesbasedoncutting-edgeknowledge.Thisiswhydevelopingrigorousprocessesforimplementingclinical-interventionprogramsbasedonprovenconceptsremainsakeyissueinhealthcare.Thischairfocusesonusingscientificallyrecognizedresultsandknowledgetransferwithinaninterdisciplinarycontext.Itsobjectiveistodevelopbestpracticesthatrespondtothepublic’sneeds,particularlyindividualswithcomplexhealthissues,suchaschronicdisease.

Telerehabilitation and Aging

Nursing Best Practices

Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

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It has been estimated that about one Canadian in five has chronic pain and the number is

climbing at an alarming rate as the population ages. Yet the reasons underlying this phenomenon

remain poorly understood. Recent research has shown that some individuals may be predisposed

to chronic pain. Identifying this predisposition would make it possible to tailor intervention

individually to prevent chronicization. Research into the role of sex hormones in pain perception

will shed light on our knowledge in this area.

The chair’s objectives consist in gaining greater understanding of the neurophysiological

mechanisms underlying the development of chronic pain, generally helping physicians

to prevent the appearance of chronic pain, and potentially guiding the development of

new avenues of treatment specifically adapted to chronic-pain conditions.

Clinical Pain Research

Slatedtohave11,700m2offloorspace,theCancerAppliedResearchPavilionisanexpansiontoan8,000m2building.This$31.4Mprojectwillprovideforfunctionallyconsolidating31groupsworkinginareasoffundamentalandpreclinicalresearch,inadditiontooptimizingthepotentialofcurrentinfrastructure.Thesegroupshaveexpertiseinfunctionalgenomics,RNomics,cancerproteomics,molecularoncology,andthecellularbiologyofcancer.Thisclusteringwillfacilitateinteractionbetweenresearchersfromdifferentdisciplinesindevelopingnewpreventionstrategiesaswellasnewdiagnosticandtreatmenttools.

LocatedinthenewCancerAppliedResearchPavilion,thisultramodernmultipurposeauditoriumwillenablestudents,researchers,andprofessorstomeetinclassrooms,holdconferencesandevencongresses,organizeevents,andhavemealswithvisitors.Thenewauditorium,whichseatsupto136,canbedividedintothreeseparateroomswithfoldingpartitionsprovidingcompleteacousticinsulation.

Asaresult,threedifferentactivitiescanbeheldsimultaneously.Forexample,room1canbeusedforteaching,ameetingcanbeheldinroom2,androom3canhostalunchwithscientificorindustrypartners.

Implementing the Cancer Applied Research Pavilion

Construction of a 136-Seat Auditorium

Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

In the upcoming months, the Faculty will build a clinical-simulation

center where students will be able to conduct interventions in a setting

that recreates the working conditions of health-care professionals.

Indeed, the laboratories will reproduce care units: patient rooms, intensive

care, birthing room, emergency room, and operating room. The patients

will be actors or “smart” medical mannequins with vital signs and

programmed to respond in real time to student interventions.

These facilities will provide rare and complex learning situations as well as give

students opportunities to experience teamwork and to come to understand what

teamwork means and the dynamics that it imposes. The scenarios will be

recorded for subsequent review in which supervisors will analyze with their

students their actions, decisions, and teamwork. Everything will be done to ensure

that the simulation setting is realistic in every way: the latest equipment, simulated

patients, and scenarios will realistically reflect the cases portrayed.

This clinical-simulation laboratory has become essential in training health-care

professionals and in maintaining the knowledge of practising professionals. It will

allow the Faculty to stay at the forefront of best practices in medical education.

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Construction of a Clinical-Simulation Laboratory

TheFacultyintendstopositionitselfinternationallybyidentifyingaccreditedrotationsettings

incertainEuropeancountries,particularlyindisciplineslackinganadequatenumberofrotations

here,andextendingitsactivitiesintodevelopingnations.Asaresult,theFacultyhasdeveloped

projectstotraingeneralpractitionersinMaliandtoimplementproblem-basedlearning

asateachingapproachinUruguay.Inaddition,theFacultypioneeredmedicalaidtoHaitiby

sendingthreemissionsthereinJanuary2010,thefirstjustdaysaftertheearthquake.

TheseactivitiesofaninternationalnaturearefullyconsistentwiththeFaculty’ssocialmission,

putforwardattheveryoutsetbytheFaculty’sbuilders.Theestablishmentofanendowed

International-AssistanceFundwillenabletheFacultytopursuethiscrucialaspectofitsmission

andtorapidlyreactintheeventofearthquakesandothernaturaldisastersbysending

health-careprofessionalsonemergencymissionswithallthemedicalequipmentandmaterials

neededinsuchcircumstances.

Construction of a Clinical-Simulation Laboratory

Establishment of an International-Assistance Fund

Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

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ThisgeneralfundaimsatrespondingtotheFaculty’smosturgentneeds.Inparticular,itwillenabletheFacultytoallocatethefundsnecessaryforurgentworkandemergingpriorities,fulfillinfrastructureandequipmentneeds,supportitsgeographicaltrainingnetwork,organizescientificconferencesandcolloquia,provideadditionalfundingforresearchchairsandgraduatefellowships(whenrequired),andallocatefundsforanyotherpurpose.ThisfundwillmakeitpossibletomaintainanddevelopacademicexcellenceaswellastopreservetheFaculty’sexcellenceinresearch.Infact,itwillgivetheFacultyalltheflexibilityitneedstopursueitsmissionandstrategicobjectives.

Creation of a Development Fund for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesBrigitte Quintal, Director of Development3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke (Québec) J1H 5N4, CANADA

Tel. : 819 820-6868, ext. 15239

Toll-free : 1 800 267-8337

Email : Brigitte.Quintal@USherbrooke.ca

USherbrooke.ca/medecine

Building the Faculty of Tomorrow

Creation of a Development Fund for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The information in this brochure was up-to-date at the time of printing in July 2010.

Printed on 25% post-consumer recycled paper