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Francois Desmeules

Ph.D. (doctor),  Regular member
Expertise
Optometry
Principal Interest
Rehabilitation
Secondary Interest
Epidemiology and pain trajectories
Primary Affiliation

Université de Montréal

Secondary Affiliation
Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR)

Biography

Pr François Desmeules is a physiotherapist with a Ph.D. in epidemiology and a Full Professor in the School of Rehabilitation at the University of Montreal, Canada. He leads the graduate programs in advanced practice physiotherapy and teaches evidence-based practice, health services organization, and musculoskeletal physiotherapy. He also maintains a clinical practice in primary care and in orthopaedics in an advanced practice role at the CHUM. Pr Desmeules is a researcher at the Centre de recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CRHMR) and the Centre de recherche du CHUM (CRCHUM). His research focuses on the implementation and evaluation of advanced practice physiotherapy roles, the effectiveness of interventions for musculoskeletal disorders, the development of diagnostic and prediction tools, and the conduct of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical practice guidelines. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in international journals. His contributions have been recognized by the Ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du Québec (OPPQ), which named him a Fellow, and by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S), from which he received a Senior Research Scholar Award.

What are your hopes for your field of research?
My greatest hope is that our work will make a real difference in the lives of people living with pain. I want to help make care more accessible, more compassionate, and more evidence-based, while fostering collaboration, innovation, and the development of the next generation of researchers. Research only truly fulfills its purpose when it translates into tangible benefits for patients, clinicians, and society.