Dr. Patrick Cossette appointed dean of medicine

At its June 8 meeting, the board of directors of Université de Montréal appointed Dr. Patrick Cossette as dean of the Faculty of Medicine for a term beginning September 1, 2020 and ending May 31, 2025.

“Patrick Cossette is known for his dynamism, his ability to listen and his keen intelligence,” said UdeM’s new rector, Daniel Jutras. “His excellent knowledge of the Faculty of Medicine, his vast experience and his inspiring career path will contribute to taking our faculty even further and positioning us among Canada's leaders in health care.”

Chief of neurology at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) since 2014, Dr. Cossette is the founding head of UdeM’s department of neurosciences. He holds a master's degree in neuroscience from UdeM and a PhD in human genetics from McGill University. Through his research on the genetics of epilepsy, he has participated in the discovery of many genes related to this disease and his laboratory has obtained more than $19 million from Canadian and foreign granting agencies.

Alongside his research activities, Dr. Cossette has held several management positions. He was assistant director of clinical research and head of mentoring at the CHUM Research Centre before becoming head of the CHUM’s neurology department and co-manager of the CHUM’s neurological sciences client group. His extensive knowledge of how research works and of hospital issues gave him the opportunity to sit on the working committee mandated to create UdeM’s department of neurosciences, which he has headed since April 2015.

Dr. Cossette has participated in committees of Quebec’s Departments of Education, Higher Education, and Health and Social Services on the issue of concussions in sports, and has also  chaired a committee of experts to implement new departmental policies for the management of epileptic patients. He has received the Maud-Menten Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for excellence in research and was recently named one of the Canadian Leaders in Neurology by the Canadian Neurological Society.

Founded in 1843, the Faculty of Medicine of Université de Montréal is renowned for the quality of its training, its leadership in research and its commitment to society. The heart of a network of more than 300 teaching sites and some 30 affiliated health institutions, the faculty has some 6,000 students in its 150 programs, including 73 medical specialty programs, the most diversified offering in Canada.