top of page
Our Team
Dr. Leandra Desjardins
Ph.D. Psychology
I am delighted to join the CHU this fall (September 2020) as a psychologist clinician-scientist. As a researcher at the Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (CRCHUSJ; Immune Diseases and Cancer axis), my research program aims to support the psychosocial adjustment of children with cancer.
My PhD, residency and post-doctoral training have all focused on pediatric oncology. I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Vanderbilt University in December 2017. My research focused on coping, communication, social skills and cognition in children with cancer. I subsequently pursued clinical and research opportunities in oncology during my residency and post-doctoral fellowship at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto. It is with great pleasure that I am joining CRCHUSJ to continue to pursue a research program on the psychosocial aspects of pediatric oncology.
To date, my contributions to science have focused on three main areas. First, my work is aimed at addressing gaps in knowledge about the assessment of specific social behaviours of pediatric brain tumor survivors. The lack of knowledge in this area has hindered the development of more sensitive and effective social competence interventions for this vulnerable population. Second, I have established associations between emotional functioning, executive functioning and social competence in pediatric oncology. This work has contributed to an essential knowledge base supporting the need for more multidimensional interventions in this population. Finally, I collaborated in the implementation of the first randomized pilot control trial examining the feasibility of matching families of children diagnosed with cancer to psychosocial resources based on the results of screening for distress tools via a psychosocial navigator.
My ultimate goal is to establish multifaceted interventions targeting the interrelated constructs of social competence, emotional functioning and cognitive function in children diagnosed with cancer. I am also committed to working on the implementation of screening for distress programs to screen families in pediatric settings and provide them with appropriate psychosocial resources and effective interventions. I am also interested in interventions to support the transition of young adults with a chronic illness from the pediatric to the adult setting.
I am delighted to join the CHU this fall (September 2020) as a psychologist clinician-scientist. As a researcher at the Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (CRCHUSJ; Immune Diseases and Cancer axis), my research program aims to support the psychosocial adjustment of children with cancer.
My PhD, residency and post-doctoral training have all focused on pediatric oncology. I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Vanderbilt University in December 2017. My research focused on coping, communication, social skills and cognition in children with cancer. I subsequently pursued clinical and research opportunities in oncology during my residency and post-doctoral fellowship at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto. It is with great pleasure that I am joining CRCHUSJ to continue to pursue a research program on the psychosocial aspects of pediatric oncology.
To date, my contributions to science have focused on three main areas. First, my work is aimed at addressing gaps in knowledge about the assessment of specific social behaviours of pediatric brain tumor survivors. The lack of knowledge in this area has hindered the development of more sensitive and effective social competence interventions for this vulnerable population. Second, I have established associations between emotional functioning, executive functioning and social competence in pediatric oncology. This work has contributed to an essential knowledge base supporting the need for more multidimensional interventions in this population. Finally, I collaborated in the implementation of the first randomized pilot control trial examining the feasibility of matching families of children diagnosed with cancer to psychosocial resources based on the results of screening for distress tools via a psychosocial navigator.
My ultimate goal is to establish multifaceted interventions targeting the interrelated constructs of social competence, emotional functioning and cognitive function in children diagnosed with cancer. I am also committed to working on the implementation of screening for distress programs to screen families in pediatric settings and provide them with appropriate psychosocial resources and effective interventions. I am also interested in interventions to support the transition of young adults with a chronic illness from the pediatric to the adult setting.
Émélie Rondeau
M.Sc. Psychiatry
Lab Coordinator
I completed a major in anthropology, a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences (2008) and a master's degree in psychiatric sciences at the University of Montreal (2012). I have been a research assistant in the laboratory since 2012.
I collaborate in the development of different projects in the laboratory and offer support to students in the realization of their research project. I have participated in research on the emotional distress of parents of children with cancer and on the long-term psychosocial impact of pediatric cancer (PETALE Cohort).
Lab Coordinator
I completed a major in anthropology, a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences (2008) and a master's degree in psychiatric sciences at the University of Montreal (2012). I have been a research assistant in the laboratory since 2012.
I collaborate in the development of different projects in the laboratory and offer support to students in the realization of their research project. I have participated in research on the emotional distress of parents of children with cancer and on the long-term psychosocial impact of pediatric cancer (PETALE Cohort).
Yustine Carruyo
Ph.D. student: Research and Intervention (R/I) in psychology
Yustine earned her bachelor's degree from McGill University in 2025, with a major concentration in Psychology and minors in Behavioral Sciences and Education. She is currently completing her doctoral studies in Clinical Neuropsychology - Research and Intervention under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins and Dr. Miriam Beauchamp at the University of Montreal. Her dissertation will focus on evaluating cognitive screening tools to identify which is the most optimal for detecting cognitive difficulties in pediatric cancer survivors.
Yustine earned her bachelor's degree from McGill University in 2025, with a major concentration in Psychology and minors in Behavioral Sciences and Education. She is currently completing her doctoral studies in Clinical Neuropsychology - Research and Intervention under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins and Dr. Miriam Beauchamp at the University of Montreal. Her dissertation will focus on evaluating cognitive screening tools to identify which is the most optimal for detecting cognitive difficulties in pediatric cancer survivors.
Laurianne Buron
Ph.D. student: Research and Intervention (R/I) in psychology
Laurianne earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill University (2021) and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2023). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology Research and Intervention, with a concentration in clinical psychology at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins. Her research interests focus primarily on psychosocial adjustment and social competence among survivors of pediatric brain tumors, as well as on ways to better support them.
Laurianne earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill University (2021) and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2023). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology Research and Intervention, with a concentration in clinical psychology at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins. Her research interests focus primarily on psychosocial adjustment and social competence among survivors of pediatric brain tumors, as well as on ways to better support them.
Émilie Trudel
D.Psy: Doctoral student in clinical psychology
Émilie earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill University (2022) and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2024). She is currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology (D.Psy.) at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins. Her doctoral research focuses on the mental health of fathers in pediatric oncology, with the goal of providing a comprehensive picture of the mental health of this often underrepresented population. Her research interests focus on the impacts of the pediatric cancer experience on family members.
Émilie earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill University (2022) and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2024). She is currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology (D.Psy.) at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins. Her doctoral research focuses on the mental health of fathers in pediatric oncology, with the goal of providing a comprehensive picture of the mental health of this often underrepresented population. Her research interests focus on the impacts of the pediatric cancer experience on family members.
Marika Monarque
Ph.D. student: Research and Intervention (R/I) in psychology
Marika earned two bachelor’s degrees from McGill University: one in physiology (2019) and another in psychology with a minor in behavioral sciences (2022). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology—Research and Intervention, with a concentration in clinical psychology and a specialization in childhood and adolescence—at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins.
As part of her doctoral research, Marika is working on implementing the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) at the long-term oncology follow-up clinic. This project aims to assess the level of readiness of pediatric cancer survivors for the transition to adult care, in order to better support them through this change.
Marika earned two bachelor’s degrees from McGill University: one in physiology (2019) and another in psychology with a minor in behavioral sciences (2022). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology—Research and Intervention, with a concentration in clinical psychology and a specialization in childhood and adolescence—at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins.
As part of her doctoral research, Marika is working on implementing the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) at the long-term oncology follow-up clinic. This project aims to assess the level of readiness of pediatric cancer survivors for the transition to adult care, in order to better support them through this change.
Nadège Gendron Granger
Ph.D. student: Research and Intervention (R/I) in psychology
Nadège earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2025), where she completed her honors thesis under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins, focusing on post-traumatic stress symptoms in parents of children with cancer. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, in the scientific-professional track, at the University of Quebec in Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Sophie Boudrias. Her dissertation project focuses on art therapy for parents of children with cancer. At the same time, she is working under the supervision of Dr. Serge Sultan and Marco Bonanno on a project aimed at supporting young people receiving oncology and hematology care who have complex health needs affecting their academic and professional development.
Nadège earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal (2025), where she completed her honors thesis under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins, focusing on post-traumatic stress symptoms in parents of children with cancer. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, in the scientific-professional track, at the University of Quebec in Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Sophie Boudrias. Her dissertation project focuses on art therapy for parents of children with cancer. At the same time, she is working under the supervision of Dr. Serge Sultan and Marco Bonanno on a project aimed at supporting young people receiving oncology and hematology care who have complex health needs affecting their academic and professional development.
Nathalie Labonté
Master of Education (M.A.) and parent partner
Since 2021, I have been collaborating with Sainte-Justine's PONS research team on various projects dealing with screening and transition in young people being treated for cancer or brain tumors. My involvement with the team serves two purposes, one more personal, as a parent partner, and the second, as an education specialist.
On the personal side, I'm the mother of two children. More specifically, my eldest son Dominique was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma (brain tumour) at the age of 5, followed by remissions at 7, 16 and 19 years of age.
Professionally, I have worked in the education system for 29 years as a teacher, including eight years in remedial education and five years as a special education consultant for students with learning difficulties.
After obtaining my bachelor's degree in special education at UQAM, I taught a variety of students (hearing impaired, intellectually disabled and adolescents with substance abuse problems), including seven years as a teacher specializing in visual impairment and, more specifically, two years in support of school integration, as part of the supra-regional mandate of the Jacques-Ouellette school. I then specialized in ortho-pedagogy, completing a graduate microprogram in ortho-didactics of written language at the Université de Sherbrooke. For 12 years, I gave several training sessions to new ortho-pedagogues on the evaluation of reading and writing difficulties (DÉDALE).
As part of my Master's research, I became particularly interested in the school experience of children treated for cancer. I took part in research on the Perceptions of key players on the school perseverance and success of young people treated for cancer. Study conducted with the partnership of Leucan and subsidized by the “Programme de recherche sur la persévérance et la réussite scolaires” managed by the MELS in collaboration with the “Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC)” led by Dr. S. Jutras (UQAM). From this project, I wrote a dissertation titled: “Mon élève a le cancer... comment intervenir? Perceptions d'enseignantes du primaire sur les services offerts et souhaités à la suite d'une expérience vécue”.
Finally, for the past 6 years, I've been teaching in an alternative elementary school.
Since 2021, I have been collaborating with Sainte-Justine's PONS research team on various projects dealing with screening and transition in young people being treated for cancer or brain tumors. My involvement with the team serves two purposes, one more personal, as a parent partner, and the second, as an education specialist.
On the personal side, I'm the mother of two children. More specifically, my eldest son Dominique was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma (brain tumour) at the age of 5, followed by remissions at 7, 16 and 19 years of age.
Professionally, I have worked in the education system for 29 years as a teacher, including eight years in remedial education and five years as a special education consultant for students with learning difficulties.
After obtaining my bachelor's degree in special education at UQAM, I taught a variety of students (hearing impaired, intellectually disabled and adolescents with substance abuse problems), including seven years as a teacher specializing in visual impairment and, more specifically, two years in support of school integration, as part of the supra-regional mandate of the Jacques-Ouellette school. I then specialized in ortho-pedagogy, completing a graduate microprogram in ortho-didactics of written language at the Université de Sherbrooke. For 12 years, I gave several training sessions to new ortho-pedagogues on the evaluation of reading and writing difficulties (DÉDALE).
As part of my Master's research, I became particularly interested in the school experience of children treated for cancer. I took part in research on the Perceptions of key players on the school perseverance and success of young people treated for cancer. Study conducted with the partnership of Leucan and subsidized by the “Programme de recherche sur la persévérance et la réussite scolaires” managed by the MELS in collaboration with the “Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC)” led by Dr. S. Jutras (UQAM). From this project, I wrote a dissertation titled: “Mon élève a le cancer... comment intervenir? Perceptions d'enseignantes du primaire sur les services offerts et souhaités à la suite d'une expérience vécue”.
Finally, for the past 6 years, I've been teaching in an alternative elementary school.
Sarah Houmad
B.A psychology
I recently completed my bachelor's degree in psychology at McGill University. My research interests focus primarily on health psychology, pediatric psycho-oncology, and the psychosocial development of young people. I am particularly interested in the transition from pediatric to adult care, knowledge mobilization, and the development of resources tailored to the needs of young people and their families.
I recently completed my bachelor's degree in psychology at McGill University. My research interests focus primarily on health psychology, pediatric psycho-oncology, and the psychosocial development of young people. I am particularly interested in the transition from pediatric to adult care, knowledge mobilization, and the development of resources tailored to the needs of young people and their families.
Vasilisa Coveny
D.Psy: Doctoral student in clinical neuropsychology
Vasilisa is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. As part of their dissertation, they are examining the cognitive, emotional, and social profiles of pediatric cancer survivors using data from the Cognitive Screening Project. They are also interested in the health and sociodemographic factors that may influence cognition.
Vasilisa is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. As part of their dissertation, they are examining the cognitive, emotional, and social profiles of pediatric cancer survivors using data from the Cognitive Screening Project. They are also interested in the health and sociodemographic factors that may influence cognition.
Samah Ellithi
D.Psy: Doctoral student in clinical psychology
Samah earned her bachelor’s degree from McGill University (2025) with a major in psychology and minors in Arabic and behavioral sciences. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology (D.Psy.), with a focus on childhood and adolescence, at the University of Sherbrooke, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins and Dr. Anna MacKinnon. Her doctoral project focuses on the implementation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) at the Sainte Justine University Hospital Center, a psychosocial screening tool designed for families of children with cancer in pediatric oncology settings.
Samah earned her bachelor’s degree from McGill University (2025) with a major in psychology and minors in Arabic and behavioral sciences. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology (D.Psy.), with a focus on childhood and adolescence, at the University of Sherbrooke, under the supervision of Dr. Leandra Desjardins and Dr. Anna MacKinnon. Her doctoral project focuses on the implementation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) at the Sainte Justine University Hospital Center, a psychosocial screening tool designed for families of children with cancer in pediatric oncology settings.
Gabriella Sabi
B.A psychology student
I am a psychology student interested in the psychosocial support of young people and adolescents living with a chronic illness. My research interests focus on health psychology, particularly coping with illness, the emotional and relational experiences of young people, and the influence of interpersonal relationships and family context on their healthcare journey and personal lives. I am also interested in the psychosocial factors that can promote young people’s well-being and help them cope with the challenges associated with illness.
I am a psychology student interested in the psychosocial support of young people and adolescents living with a chronic illness. My research interests focus on health psychology, particularly coping with illness, the emotional and relational experiences of young people, and the influence of interpersonal relationships and family context on their healthcare journey and personal lives. I am also interested in the psychosocial factors that can promote young people’s well-being and help them cope with the challenges associated with illness.
Camille Lussier
B.A. psychology student
Camille is a second year student pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Montreal. She is currently contributing to a project on the Mental Health of Fathers in pediatric oncology, as well as a project on friendships among brain tumor survivors. Her research interests include the long-term psychosocial effects of pediatric cancer, as well as its potential impact on families.
Camille is a second year student pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Montreal. She is currently contributing to a project on the Mental Health of Fathers in pediatric oncology, as well as a project on friendships among brain tumor survivors. Her research interests include the long-term psychosocial effects of pediatric cancer, as well as its potential impact on families.
Past members
Sabrina Provencher - 2021
Julianne Béliveau - 2022
Pascale Chapados - 2024
Leonaes Brahel Tatchinda
Laura Bensimon
Jade Véronneau
Lisa-Sarah Brunier
Charlotte Roy
Julie Carrier
bottom of page