OTTAWA – Montfort, Ontario’s Francophone academic hospital, has officially launched its knowledge institute, the Institut du savoir Montfort (ISM). The ISM is the second hospital-associated institute dedicated to research and education in Ontario.

The ISM is:

• A service supporting the training of more than 1,300 students and residents
• A continuing professional development center for over 2,000 employees and 300 physicians
• A research program and a clinical research laboratory supporting over 75 researchers and clinician-researchers
• A state-of-the-art simulation laboratory

“According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, it can take up to 18 years for research results to become standards of practice,” said Dr. André Bilodeau (pictured), CEO of the ISM. “Our goal is to accelerate this process to improve patient care and the training of healthcare professionals.”

For example, a team of ISM researchers recently tested the effectiveness of videoconferencing for psychological treatments, which is very useful for patients in an environment where access to French-language services can be scarce.

The ISM then uses this new knowledge to modify the training of psychologists and psychiatrists so that they can reduce the apprehension of patients to confide via a video system. Montfort can deploy this approach to improve the care of Francophones throughout Ontario, even before the results of the initial research are published.

“I salute Montfort’s audacity to create an unparalleled organization that combines research, teaching, continuous professional development and service to the community,” said Jacques Frémont, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa.

The official launch took place on Friday, March 24, at Montfort, in the presence of Mr. Frémont, Ms. Suzanne Clément, chair of Montfort’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Bernard Leduc, president and CEO of Montfort, and Ms. Christine Sigouin, president and CEO of the Montfort Hospital Foundation.

The ISM benefits from financing generated by the Montfort Hospital Foundation.

About Institut du savoir Montfort

The Institut du savoir Montfort continually works to improve the quality of care, especially for Francophone populations in a minority situation. The ISM stands out by allowing students and researchers to create, apply and disseminate their knowledge in a francophone environment.

About Montfort

Montfort is Ontario’s Francophone academic hospital, offering exemplary person-centred care. The hospital services over 1.2 million people in Eastern Ontario, in both official languages. In 2014, it earned Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada, and was designated Best Practices Spotlight Organization by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.