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A voice to the voiceless

Communication and Innovation
in Surgery

A patient-centered and patient-partnered virtual research lab dedicated to exploring, innovating, and improving child- and family-centered outcomes and communication in pediatric surgery

ABOUT US

What is CommiSur Lab

The CommiSur Lab is housed in the ether of McGill University, but was created within the Harvey E. Beardmore Division of Pediatric Surgery at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, and functions within the CORE research center and CHHD program of the MUHC Research Institute.

HOW COMMISUR IS INNOVATING AND IMPROVING COMMUNICATION IN SURGERY

Our Projects

Patient-Centered Care

At the heart of patient-centered care are patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs), allowing the children’s and their families’ voices to be heard in pediatric surgery. Several projects are ongoing in this area.

Personalized Communication

This little-explored area in surgery comprises a broad spectrum of projects aiming to improve and personalize the communication between children, their families, and their surgical care providers.

Digital Health | AI | VR

Children’s Journey is a communication application that facilitates informed and shared decision-making between patients, families, and surgical teams. The initial focus will be improving experience and outcomes for children undergoing surgery, but will be expanded to any area of healthcare.

Clinical Studies

Our research focuses on optimizing outcomes of a number of common pediatric surgical diseases, studying innovations, enhanced recovery after surgery, patient-reported outcomes, and patient-centered care.

Team Communication

Health sciences education is complex and unique, requiring expertise across multiple domains. Students are required to learn not only vast amounts of knowledge and technical procedures but also to acquire key communication and other non-technical skills, including leadership, situational awareness, decision-making, and teamwork.

Global Surgery

Our lab focuses on the various communication processes in surgical care, both between children, families/caregivers and their providers, and within interprofessional care teams.

We've published over 70 articles in journals since 2016.

STAY UP-TO-DATE ON OUR ACTIVITIES

Lab blog & News

  • Spring Project-CIHR funding received by Dr. Dan Poenaru & Dr. Ariane Marelli with other co-investigators.

    CommiSur Lab Scientific Director, Dr. Dan Peonaru, along with Dr. Ariane Marelli and co-investigators received the Spring project CIHR grant funding for their project “A voice to the voiceless: Longitudinal…

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  • Commisur lab PhD student wins the LSEDP

    Zanib Nafees, a PhD student with the Commisur lab, won the RI-MUHC’s bursary competition for the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Development Program. Link: https://www.concordia.ca/jmsb/executive-education/expertise/health-management/life-sciences-entrepreneurship-development.html

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  • PhD student invited to join the Executive Committee of the Canadian Organization for Gender and Sex Research (COGS)

    A PhD student with the Commisur lab, Sacha Williams, was invited to join the Executive Committee of the Canadian Organization for Gender and Sex Research (COGS). Link: https://www.cogsresearch.ca/executive-committee

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