Our team

We are a passionate and diverse team of neonatologists, biomedical engineers, coordinators, and students, driven by a common purpose: to revolutionize neonatal care.

We are a passionate and
diverse team of neonatologists, biomedical engineers, coordinators and students, driven by a common purpose to revolutionize neonatal care.

Principal Investigators

Dr. Guilherme Sant’Anna

Dr. Guilherme Sant'Anna is a Neonatologist at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Montreal Children's Hospital. His research interests include, but not limited to, wireless vital sign monitoring in term and preterm infants, prediction of extubation readiness in extremely preterm infants, protocols for neonatal respiratory support, and management of asphyxiated infants receiving therapeutic hypothermia.

Biography

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Dr. Wissam Shalish

Dr. Wissam Shalish is a Neonatologist at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Montreal Children's Hospital. His research focuses on using biomedical signals for better understanding and improving various aspects of respiratory care in preterm infants, including weaning from mechanical ventilation, non-invasive respiratory support provision and respiratory control of breathing.

Biography

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Dr. Robert Kearney

Dr. Robert Kearney is a Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at McGill University. His research areas are signals and systems, biomedical sensors, and medical diagnostics and therapeutics. His specific areas of research include the development of algorithms and tools for biomedical system identification, the application of system identification to understand the role of peripheral mechanisms in the control of posture and movement, and the development of signal processing and machine learning methods for respiratory monitoring.

Dr. Robert Kearney is a Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at McGill University. His research areas are signals and systems, biomedical sensors, and medical diagnostics and therapeutics. His specific areas of research include the development of algorithms and tools for biomedical system identification and the application of system identification to understand the role of peripheral mechanisms in the control of posture and movement

Biography

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Office Staff

Melissa Diamond, BSc, JD/MSEL

Project Director

Melissa is the Project Director for the Smart Hospital Project. She has a juris doctorate in law, a Master’s of Studies in Environmental Law, and a BSc in Biology. Melissa has over 15 years of experience overseeing all aspects of clinical and fundamental research projects at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Her previous role in the Research Agreements office adds to her experience and skill set related to the organization of clinical research projects from an administrative and legal perspective. She is passionate about improving clinical care through innovative and novel research.

Alyssa Maximov, BSc

Research Coordinator

Alyssa is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Smart Hospital Project. She obtained her BSc. Biology from Concordia University in 2024. She is experienced in laboratory and participant-facing research settings. Alyssa is passionate about optimizing care and vital monitoring standards in neonates while maximizing family bonding and contact after delivery.

Ana Saavedra Ruiz, MD, MSc

Research Coordinator

Ana is a Research Coordinator for the Smart Hospital project. She obtained her Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Montreal in 2021. Ana has experience working as a clinical researcher and a healthcare provider. As a certified clinical researcher, she coordinates the team's various clinical research projects and administrative activities. She is passionate about research that aims to improve the quality of life and the healthcare services provided to vulnerable populations.

Natalia Nobrega, BSc

Administrative Assistant

Natalia joined the Smart Hospital Project in May 2024. She obtained her BSc Statistics from Paulista State University in 2015 and her Postgraduate in Business Administration from Getulio Vargas Foundation in 2019. Natalia has more than 4 years of experience as an Operations Manager, always focusing on optimizing processes and problem solving.

Paula Sant'Anna, B.A., GrDip

Communication Specialist

Paula is a video producer and communications expert with a B.A. and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from McGill University and Concordia University respectively. With a vast experience in audio and visual storytelling, she is excited by the challenge of joining the Smart Hospital Project team to grow awareness for the project.

Students

Daniel Radeschi, BEng

PhD Candidate

Daniel joined the Smart Hospital research team in Winter 2022 after obtaining his BEng in Mechanical Engineering at Concordia University. He is now working on his PhD in Biological & Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Robert Kearney and Dr. Guilherme Sant’Anna. His research is focused on the use of wireless monitoring devices in the NICU. He's primarily interested in capturing the accuracy and reliability of such devices to improve patient care.

Emily Jeanne, BSc

PhD Candidate

Emily joined the Smart Hospital research team in Fall 2021 after obtaining her BSc in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences at McGill University. She is now working on her MSc in Experimental Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Wissam Shalish. Her research is focused on the monitoring of apneas in preterm infants. She hopes to improve monitoring practices in the NICU so that preterm infants may receive better care.

Eva Sénéchal, BSc

PhD Candidate

Eva joined the Smart Hospital project in Fall 2021 after completing her bachelor’s in Cognitive Neuroscience at McGill University. She is currently a PhD student in Experimental Medicine working under the supervision of Dr. Guilherme Sant’Anna. Her doctoral thesis will focus on the development and implementation of novel wireless monitoring technology in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She is especially interested in exploring the potential of this novel technology to improve patient experience and care.

Emily Campbell, BEng

MSc Candidate

Emily joined the Smart Hospital research team in fall 2023 after obtaining her Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Guelph. She is working towards her Master of Science in Biological and Biomedical Engineering with supervision from Dr. Robert Kearney and Dr. Wissam Shalish. Emily’s research focuses on the analysis of respiratory sounds from neonates to determine how they relate to airflow, pressure, and lung mechanics.

Lina Ikhlef, BSc

MSc Candidate

Lina joined the Smart Hospital research team in Fall 2023 after obtaining her BSc in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University. She is now working on her MSc in Experimental Medicine under the co-supervision of Dr. Wissam Shalish and Dr. Guilherme Sant’anna. Her research is focused on the monitoring and characterizing of cardiorespiratory events in preterm infants. She is a varsity track and field athlete at McGill, enjoys staying involved in her community, and hopes to improve cardiorespiratory event monitoring practices in the NICU so that preterm infants may receive better care.

Amanda Gross, BSc

MSc Candidate

Amanda just joined the Smart Hospital research team as a summer employee after completing her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience at Concordia University. With a longstanding passion for pediatrics, Amanda is thrilled to contribute to research aimed at improving neonatal care in the NICU. Her current project focuses on developing predictive models for airway pressure delivery in preterm infants by analyzing bubble CPAP acoustics, a critical step towards optimizing respiratory therapy and enhancing patient outcomes. This fall, she looks forward to continuing this research under the supervision of Dr. Wissam Shalish.

Visiting Professors

Vivian Azevedo, PhD

Visiting Professor

Vivian Azevedo is a Physiotherapist and a Professor at the Federal University of Uberlandia/Brazil (UFU). She is in Montreal as a visiting Professor at Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). Her research areas are wireless vital sign monitoring, general care for high-risk newborns, as well as infant neurodevelopment.

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