This research area grew out of the CHUQ hospitals’ historical vocation in patient care and the important research associated with it. The group combines the study of many aspects of human reproduction, pregnancy and birth-related health problems, and pediatrics with social and ethical concerns and education of both the public and politicians. This research area benefits from close cooperation between researchers at the various CHUQ hospitals, resulting in tight links between basic and clinical research and a high level of researcher synergy. Members of this group use various research approaches that are rooted in cellular and molecular biology, genomics, and a variety of health disciplines and integrated into a clinical health program that includes health technology assessment. 

Principal research themes:

Ontogeny, infertility, sexual differentiation, reproduction and women’s health, newborn and child health, genetic and development aspects of hereditary mental retardation, pregnancy, and the perinatal period

These themes underpin the following areas of concern: 

• Reproduction as a source of epigenetic transmission of certain complex traits and an indicator of generational impact
   
• Pregnancy as a model for interactive study of the interaction between endocrine, inflammatory, and metabolic systems
   
• Understanding fetal development and maturation mechanisms
   
• Prevention of premature birth and the long-term consequences for the child, its parents, and society