Students

• Amanda Ménard – Université de Sherbrooke
• Anne-Marie Daoust – Université de Sherbrooke
• Danick Beaumier – Université de Sherbrooke
• Antoine Frénette – Université Laval
• Marie-Soleil Camiot – Cégep de Lapocatière

• Julie Someil – IUT, Université Le Mans, France
• Pauline Burr – IUT, Université Paris Est Créteil Val de Marne, France
• Justine Beaufils – Université Laval

Ling obtained her professional Master’s degree in Clinical Medicine from Guangxi Medical University, China (2015–2018). Following her graduation, she worked as a cardiologist in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University. In this role, she specialized in the management of critically ill cardiovascular patients, with particular expertise in heart failure and pulmonary hypertension.

During her clinical career, Ling led and participated in several clinical studies, including one focused on pulmonary hypertension and two on heart failure. Her clinical and academic contributions were recognized with multiple national awards from Chinese physician associations. She also received distinctions as an Outstanding Young Physician, Outstanding Chief Resident, and was honored for her contributions during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

In 2024, Ling began her PhD, focusing on investigating the mechanistic role of ferroptosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Since January 2026, Ling Shen has been undertaking joint doctoral training as a researcher in the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute. Her current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure.

Yushan holds a Master of Clinical Medicine in Pediatrics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), where her research focused on the role of metabolism in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. She developed strong expertise in core experimental techniques and cultivated a solid ability to integrate clinical evidence with basic research, which shaped her long-standing interest in cardiovascular disease mechanisms.

During her training, Yushan participated in multiple research projects spanning molecular diagnostics, cardiovascular metabolism, and developmental origins of disease. Her work includes investigating donor-derived cell-free DNA as an early indicator of kidney transplant injury, which resulted in a peer-reviewed publication. She has also explored the protective role of lactate in myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury, the impact of gestational β-hydroxybutyrate on offspring blood pressure regulation, and the modulation of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition by metabolic factors.

In 2026, Yushan joined the IUCPQ research group under the supervision of Dr. François Potus, where she began her PhD studies focusing on metabolic mechanisms in pulmonary hypertension. Her research aims to bridge clinical observations with mechanistic studies to advance the understanding of cardiopulmonary vascular diseases.

Originally from France, Louison developed an early interest in the biological sciences. She obtained a general bachelor with specializations in mathematics and life and earth sciences; a background that strengthened her interest in understanding the mechanisms of living systems and naturally led her to pursue studies in biology.

She then completed a Bachelor of University Technology (BUT) in Biological Engineering, during which she acquired strong skills in molecular biology, biomedical analyses, and experimental methodology, while developing a growing interest in research in pathophysiology.

In January 2026, Louison joined the PAH research group to begin a Master’s degree in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Boucherat. Her research project focuses on the mechanisms involved in pulmonary fibrosis, with particular interest in the modulation of the hypusine pathway and its role in tissue remodeling.

Erwan holds a Bachelor of University Technology (BUT) in Biological Engineering from the University Institute of Technology (IUT) of Laval, France. This program provided him with strong foundations in microbiology, molecular biology, applied genomics, and quality control, as well as structured training in the scientific method and laboratory project management.

He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Sciences at Université Laval, where he is conducting a research project at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute (IUCPQ) under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Boucherat. His research focuses on better understanding the role of selected Factors identified by Omics in PAH and involves experimental approaches such as human and murine cell culture, viability and cytotoxicity assays, as well as molecular biology techniques including Western blotting, RNA/protein extraction, and quantitative PCR.

His academic background is complemented by professional laboratory experiences in microbiology (Lanxess – Theseo Biosecurity) and genotyping (Agreelia), where he contributed to protocol optimization, scientific reporting, and laboratory management. Motivated by translational research, Erwan aims to advance the understanding of cellular mechanisms underlying pulmonary vascular diseases

Originally from China, Haopu graduated from the MD/PhD program of Tsinghua University (2016-2025). As part of his research training, Haopu was awarded a fellowship by the China Scholarship Council (2019-2021) for an exchange at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he studied the airway microbiome in the setting of acute lung injury. Later during his clinical training, he developed a strong interest in pulmonary hypertension (PH) because of rapport with patients. He then undertook 7 clerkships and sub-internships in major PH centres across the USA (2024). These unique experiences enabled him to see the global health (in)equity in cardiopulmonary care. With over 600 citations as of 2026, his works have been recognised in USA and Canada, including the 3CPR Young Investigator Travel Award by American Heart Association (AHA), Mitacs Accelerate Award etc.

Now, as a holder of Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) by Canada Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), he works as a post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Steeve Provencher & Dr. Sébastien Bonnet, at the Québec PH Research Group, Québec Heart and Lung Institute Research Center. He aims to become a physician scientist (and hopes to publish in French one day).

Coming from Belfort city in France, Manon quickly became very interested in the fields of Sciences. She passed her scientific diploma of College studies in 2018 before following two years of medicine where she discovered the world of Biology research. She then continued her career with a bachelor degree in molecular biology, biochemistry and human physiology at the University of Besançon (France) which she obtained in 2022. In September 2022 she joined the team of Drs Bonnet and Boucherat for a master’s degree in molecular medicine at Laval University. She is currently working on the role of a protein called Aurora-Kinase in hypertension.

Antonella pursued an academic path focused on biology and biochemistry, which she began after completing secondary studies in life sciences at Collège Sacré Cœur–Frères Gemmayzé in Beirut (Lebanon). She then continued her studies at the Lebanese University in Fanar, where she completed a full program in biochemistry from the undergraduate level through to a Master’s degree. Throughout her studies, Antonella progressively specialized in the chemistry and biology of bioactive molecules, while developing a strong interest in experimental laboratory approaches.

Her academic journey is enriched by several internships and experience as a research assistant, during which she worked notably on assessing the cytotoxicity of various molecules on cancer cells. These experiences allowed her to acquire practical skills in cell culture, microscopic analyses, biological assays, and sample preparation. Thanks to her academic training and research projects, Antonella has built a profile oriented toward biomedical research and the understanding of cellular mechanisms.

In 2021, Antonella joined the IUCPQ research group under the supervision of researcher Dr François Potus, where she began a PhD focused on the study of protein glycosylation in the context of pulmonary hypertension.

As she was completing a bachelor’s degree in biology at Laval University, Alice first joined the pulmonary hypertension research group as a summer intern. During her B.Sc. in general biology, her interests quickly turned to cell biology and medical research. The internship with the team only confirmed and strengthened her interests about research in pathophysiology. She thus decided to continue her work and joined the research group to begin her master’s degree in January 2017. As her projects evolved, her curiosity and interest have prompted her to pursue her doctoral studies in order to deepen her knowledge in pathophysiology. Her main PhD project aims to understand the implication of epigenetic factors in pulmonary arterial hypertension and to identify new therapeutic targets. Thanks to the experience acquired in recent years, she also had the opportunity to occupy a position as a research professional in addition to her studies.

Dr. Guay is a medical resident in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and a PhD candidate in epidemiology at Laval University where, in 2015, Charles joined the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group. In combination with his medicine studies, he first achieved a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology for which he obtained a leadership and sustainable development scholarship from Laval University in 2016. He then embarked on a doctorate in epidemiology while starting his medical training specializing in public health and preventive medicine in 2019. Ultimately, his goal is to learn and flourish within the research group and become a better doctor in support of his community.

Native of Montpellier city, France, Yann obtained a bachelor’s degree in health biology before specializing in microbiology and immunology for his master’s degree at the University of Montpellier II. During an internship at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development on the genetic diversity of HIV (IRD), he developed a particular interest in translational research, specifically in the physiology of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) being one of the complications of an HIV infection, he enthusiastically joined in 2019 the PAH group of Quebec led by Professors Sébastien Bonnet and Steeve Provencher in order to carry out a Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr Bonnet. After studying first the involvement of the FOXO3 transcription factor in the development of PAH, his current interests for cardiac physiology growing, he is actually working on coronary vascular remodelling.

After obtaining her respirology certification, Dr. Lajoie pursued her training in research focusing on sleep-disordered breathing at McGill University. She is simultaneously completing a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology at Université Laval under the supervision of Dr. Steeve Provencher.

Her research interests include sleep breathing disorders, namely obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary vascular diseases as well as the interaction between these two entities. She is the recipient of a research award from the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation (2019), underlining her research work conducted during her years as a medical resident. More recently, she was awarded the prestigious McLaughlin Scholarship (Laval University 2019 and 2020).

Her work is financially supported by the American Thoracic Society ASPIRE fellowship (2020-2021). After the completion of her research fellowship, Dr. Lajoie has join the IUCPQ’s respirology team in the fall of 2021.

Sarah-Eve joined the pulmonary research group for two internships in the fall of 2019 and the summer of 2020, and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology from the University of Sherbrooke. This induction into research confirmed her interests in human physiology and medical research, motivating her to pursue her university degree at the master’s level. She has enthusiastically begun her master’s degree in January 2021 in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences in the group under the supervision of Drs Sébastien Bonnet & Dr Olivier Boucherat, during which she completed her Master’s degree in just 1 year. As of May 2022, Sarah-Eve has been pursuing her Doctoral studies and she will deepen her numerous knowledges in pulmonary arterial hypertension research with passion and dedication. Her research project aims at investigating the role of hypusine and integrins signalling pathways in PAH.

While completing his residency in diagnostic radiology, Simon enrolled in a master’s program in Clinical Epidemiology in 2017. His research interest is the evaluation of interventional radiology procedures in thoracic and abdominal radiology, inspired by the clinical applications of novel technologies in radiology. Notably, Simon has started a project that aims to evaluate the utility and possibilities of artificial intelligence in the creation of magnetic resonance images from computed tomography native images. Simon is a laureate of the Réginald-Langelier award (2019-2020) for his oral presentation at the RSNA 2019 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. After a fellowship year at Stanford University in Body Imaging, Simon will join the team of radiologists at Saint-François-d’Assise Hospital.

Yahe Xu is a PhD student working in the field of pulmonary hypertension, with a particular focus on Group 2 pulmonary hypertension. She completed her medical training through a five-year undergraduate program in clinical medicine, followed by a three-year Academic Master’s degree in Pediatrics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China. During her master’s training, her research focused on the diagnosis and management of right ventricular dysfunction in pediatric patients.

She also completed clinical training in a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), where she was involved in the postoperative care of children undergoing congenital heart surgery. She joined the research team in 2025, and her current work adopts a clinical and translational approach aimed at improving the understanding of disease mechanisms in pulmonary hypertension and identifying clinically relevant biomarkers.