Caroline Quach

Biography

Dr. Caroline Quach is a Professor in the Departments of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases & Immunology and of Pediatrics at University of Montreal. She is an adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health at McGill University and a scientific collaborator at the School of Public Health at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels. She is the physician in charge of Infection Prevention and control at CHU Sainte-Justine where she also works as a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist. Dr. Quach is a clinician-scientist, supported by the Fonds de Recherche Québec – Santé (FRQS, chercheure boursière de mérite) and was recently awarded the Canada Research Chair, Tier 1 in Infection Prevention and Control. Her research interests are in Infection Prevention: both healthcare-associated and vaccine-preventable diseases.

Dr. Quach is the current Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization from the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a former president from the Association for Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (AMMI) Canada (2014-2016). She was named Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Dr. Quach was selected as one of the 2019 most Powerful Women in Canada (2019 Top 100 Award Winner in the Manulife Science and Technology category).

Team

• Milagros Gonzales, M.Sc.
• Zineb Laghdir, M. Sc.
• Deirdre McCormack, BSc(N), RN, CCRC

Themes

• Bacteriology
• Virology
• Clinical

Research topics

• Prevention of healthcare-associated infections: central line associated bloodstream infections
• Prevention of healthcare-associated infections: Respiratory infections
• Vaccine preventable diseases
• Prevention of healthcare-associated infections: vulnerable populations

Selected Publications

1. Tilmanne A, Marisca Kandet Yattara H, Herpol M, Vlaes L, Restore P, Quach C, Vandenberg O, Hallin M, Martiny D. Multi-step Optimization of the Filtration Method for the Isolation of Campylobacter species from stool samples. European J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019; In Press.
2. Tse SM, Krajinovic M, Bhupendrasinh FC, Zemek R, Gravel J, Chalut D, Poonai N, Quach C, Laberge S, Ducharme FM for the DOORWAY research group of the PERC network. Genetic Determinants of Acute Asthma Therapy Response in Children with Moderate-to-Severe Asthma Exacerbations. Pediatr Pulmonol 2019; In Press.
3. Breitschwerdt EB, Maggi RG, Quach C, Bradley JM. Bartonella spp bloodstream infecdtion in a Canadian Family. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 2018; In Press.
4. Rahmouni El Idrissi K. Isabel S, Carbonneau J, Lafond M, Quach C, Caya C, Fontela PS, Beltempo M, Boivin G, Lefebvre MA, Papenburg J. Molecular and Epidemiologic Investigation of a Rhinovius Outbreak in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Infect Control Hospit Epidemiol 2018; In Press.
5. Tilmanne A, Lepage P, Vandenberg O, Martiny D, Hallin M. Quach C. Rotavirus: The Guard dies, but it does not Surrender. Infectious Diseases (London) 2018; Oct 29:1-4. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2018.1508885. [Epub ahead of print]
6. Fakih I, Fortin E, Smith MA, Carignan A, Tremblay C, Villeneuve J, Moisan D, Frenette C, Quach C* for SPIN-BACTOT. A Ten-Year Review of Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections from 40 Hospitals in Quebec, Canada. Infect Control Hospit Epidemiol 2018; 39: 1202-1209.
7. Dubé E, Farrands A, Lemaitre T, Boulianne N, Sauvageau C, Boucher FD, Tapiero B, Quach C, Ouakki M, Gosselin V, Gagnon D, De Wals P, Petit G, Jacques MC, Gagneur A. Overview of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, vaccine hesitancy and vaccine acceptance among mothers of infants in Quebec, Canada. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2018; Aug 10:1-8. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1509647. [Epub ahead of print]
8. Martineau C, Li X, Lalancette C, Perreault T, Fournier E, Tremblay J, Gonzales M, Yergeau E, Quach C*. Serratia marcescens outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): new insights from next-generation sequencing applications. J Clin Microbiol 2018; 56. Pii : e00235-18. Doi : 10. 1128/JCM.00235-18. Print 2018 Sep.
9. Desjardins M, Iachimov D, Mousseau S, Doyon-Plourde P, Brousseau F, Rallu F, Quach C*. Clinical characteristics of pediatric pertussis cases, Quebec (2015-2017). Can Communic Dis Rep 2018; 44; 190-195
10. Desjardins M, Mousseau S, Doyon-Plourde P, Brousseau N, Iachimov D, Rallu F, Quach C*. Should equivocal B. pertussis PCR results in children be reported to public health? Can Communic Dis Rep 2018; 44; 196-201.
11. Mathews N, Zayed S, Winters N, Lands LC, Shapiro AJ, Cote J, Quach C*. Evaluation of the Safety of Piperacillin-Tazobactam in Admitted Paediatric Patients with Cystic Fibrosis. JAMMI 2018; 3 (2); https://doi.org/10.3138/jammi.2017-0012  
12. Merckx J, Ducharme FM, Martineau C, Zemek R, Gravel J, Chalut D, Poonai N, Quach C* for the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada DOORWAY Team. Association of respiratory viruses and treatment failure in children with an asthma exacerbation. Pediatrics 2018; 142(1): e20174105.
13. Doll MK, Quach C, Buckeridge DL. Evaluation of the Impact of a Rotavirus Vaccine Program on Pediatric Acute Gastroenteritis Hospitalizations: Estimating the Overall Effect attributable to the Program as a whole and a per-unit Change in Rotavirus Vaccine Coverage. American J Epidemiol 2018 May 11 doi: 10.1093/aje/kwy097. [Epub ahead of print].
14. Tilmanne A, Martiny D, Hallin M, Cornelius A, Wautier M, Quach C, Lepage P, Vandenberg O. Campylobacter concisus and acute gastroenteritis in children: Lack of association. Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 2018 Mar 29. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002028.  [Epub ahead of print]
15. Trudel K, Zavalkoff S, Winters N, Quach C, Lacroix J, Fontela PS. Determinants of urinary catheter removal practices in pediatric intensive care units: a survey. American J Infect Control 2018; 46: 627-32.
16. Dolce L, Quach C, Thirion DJG, Bergeron L, Gonzales M, Papenburg J, Dionne M, Fortin A, Fortin E, Surveillance of Antimicrobial Use in Quebec Acute Care Hospitals: A Survey. JAMMI 2018; 3 : 37-46.
17. Kraicer-Melamed H, Doll MK, Boikos C, Winters N., Frimer L, Stirling R., Gore G. Quach C*. A Scoping Review of the Guidelines and Recommendations for the use of Influenza Antiviral Medications. JAMMI 2018; 2 : 16-32.
18. Auger N, Quach C, Healy-Profitos J, Dinh T, Chassé M. Early Predictors of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Women. International Journal of Epidemiology 2018; 47: 280-8.
19. Quach C*, Shah R, Rubin L. Burden of Healthcare-Associated Viral Respiratory Infections in Children’s Hospitals. J Pediatr Infect Dis Soc 2018; 7: 18-24.
20. Auger N, Quach C, Healy-Profitos J, Lowe AM, Arbour L. Congenital microcephaly in Quebec: baseline prevalence, risk factors and outcomes in a large cohort of neonates. Archives Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2018; 103: F167-72.