About Axel Center

Strategic manager liaising with research and the CRIUSMM

A regular researcher at the IUSMM Research Center, specializing in the use of virtual reality for eating disorders, Johana Monthuy-Blanc is a full professor at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, in the Department of Education Sciences, and head of the Loricorps transdisciplinary research unit.

Network facilitator and strategic ecosystem partnership manager

A producer and facilitator specializing in entrepreneurship and research, Thierry Harris is co-founder of Cartouche Média and founding partner of the educational platform savoirinnover.ca. He helps stimulate exchanges between research, clinical, and civil society communities and amplify the impact of innovative research in the field of digital mental health.

Facilitator of website and social media content optimization

FRQ doctoral student affiliated with the IUSMM Research Center, specializing in the effect of nature on dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors through digital solutions. Céline De Breucker is a biomedical science student at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, a member of the Loricorps transdisciplinary research unit and the Education through Nature and Learning Territory Laboratory (Éna-Terra). In Belgium, she is also a psychologist and co-founder of XP Nature ASBL, which offers psychosocial intervention services through nature and adventure. Since 2022, she has also been coordinating several projects, including integration into specialized Belgian educational settings.

Facilitator of the promotion and development of activities and events

Research assistant at the IUSMM Research Center, Gabrielle Fortin is a member of the Stress Studies Center. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Montreal and a master’s degree in marketing from HEC Montreal, she is also a member of the Loricorps transdisciplinary research unit at UQTR, where she contributes to transdisciplinary projects aimed at better understanding and intervening in dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors.

Facilitator for the adoption of digital solutions

A regular researcher at the IUSMM Research Center, specializing in artificial intelligence and developmental disorders, Marc Lanovaz is a full professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal and scientific director of the University Institute for Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders. He is the designer of the mobile application My Autistic Employee.

Pierrich Plusquellec is an associate professor at the University of Montreal specializing in the psychobiology of emotions, aiming to understand emotional reactivity and its influence on mental health. His approach is distinguished by its innovative and technological nature, particularly through the integration of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. He co-founded EmoScienS in 2019, an initiative that develops tools for the automatic analysis of facial expressions via webcam to promote emotional well-being. In addition, he is a key player in promoting the ethical and responsible adoption of AI in industry, notably as scientific director for Obvia, and has created a course on responsible AI in psychoeducation.

Psychiatrist, regular researcher at the Montreal University Institute of Mental Health (IUSMM and CR-IUSMM) and clinical assistant professor at the University of Montreal in the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Alexandre Hudon is passionate about digital innovations and technologies. His research focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical psychiatry, the modeling of violence and rare phenomena, and the use of digital technologies in health sciences teaching and learning.

A regular researcher at the IUSMM Research Center, specializing in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, Stéphane Guay is a full professor at the School of Criminology and the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the University of Montreal. Former scientific director of the CR-IUSMM and co-director of the Center for Trauma Studies, he co-founded the Axel Center in 2018 and co-directed it until 2025.

A regular researcher at the IUSMM Research Center and holder of the Canada Research Chair in the Developmental Origins of Vulnerability and Resilience, Isabelle Ouellet-Morin is a full professor at the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal and designer of the +Fort. mobile app. She co-founded the Axel Center in 2018 and co-directed it until 2023. She is currently co-director of the Center of Expertise in Information Technology – Mental Health, Addiction, Homelessness (CETI-SMDI).

A regular researcher at the IUSMM Research Center and holder of the UQAM Diament Chair in Design for Mental Cybersealth (2020-2025), Stéphane Vial is a full professor at the School of Design at the University of Quebec in Montreal and designer of the Mentallys platform. He was co-director of the Axel Center from January 2024 to June 2025 and, during a transitional mandate, helped redefine the Center’s strategic positioning and redesign its website.