About us
Dr. Pierre Y. Garneau completed his medical and surgical training at Laval University and had the privilege to work with Dr. Picard Marceau, one of the founding fathers of bariatric surgery. After a year of specialized training at the University of Montreal, he began his career at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in 1997 and performed the first bariatric procedure there. He then gradually devoted his career to bariatric, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He is currently the chief of the University’s training program in bariatric surgery. He is the Head of General and Bariatric Surgery, and is also the Secretary of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons.
After completing a Bachelor of Science in Biology at McGill University, Dr. Pescarus continued his medical studies at the University of Montreal. After a 5-year residency in General Surgery completed in the hospitals of the University of Montreal, he continued his subspecialty in Canada with a one-year fellowship in Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at McMaster University. Subsequently, he underwent a second fellowship in Portland, USA to further his knowledge in esophageal and gastric surgery as well as in the new field of gastrointestinal therapeutic endoscopy. Upon his return to Quebec, he joined the surgery department of the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur and is currently Associate Professor at the University of Montreal. His three areas of expertise are minimally invasive bariatric surgery, diaphragmatic and gastric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal therapeutic endoscopy.
Dr Studer completed a doctorate in medicine specializing in General Surgery, from the University of Aix-Marseille in France, in 2015. During her residency, she also had the opportunity to defend her medical thesis in traumatology and received a Master’s degree in biological anthropology. She trained for two years in minimally invasive, colorectal and emergency surgery in Aix-en-Provence. Then, she undertook a two-year fellowship in traumatology and bariatric and robotic surgery, with the University of Montreal, before joining the team and being appointed in charge of clinical teaching. Today, she practices bariatric, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, but also participates in general, emergency, and trauma surgery at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal.
Dr Henri Atlas received his medical degree in Belgium at the University of Louvain in 1961. Associate of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1967, he began his career at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in 1970. He implemented the General Surgery department there and developed the 1st trauma unit in Quebec in 1976. Always on the lookout for the latest technologies, he was among the first to undertake laparoscopic surgery in the 1990s. He was successively head of general surgery, director of professional care and head of bariatric surgery. To this end, he devoted most of his time to laparoscopic and robotic bariatric surgery. He was also one of the pillars of bariatric surgery research.
After completing his M.D. and general surgery residency at the University of Montreal, Dr. Di Palma completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at the University of Toronto. During his training, he also completed a Master's degree in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation affiliated with the University of Toronto. Since 2020, he has been practicing as a minimally invasive and bariatric general surgeon at Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal and is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Montreal.