The Board of directors

Dr Louis-Charles Desbiens, an R5 in Nephrology at the University of Montreal, received his MD from Laval University, where he earned a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology as well. He is also enrolled in the Royal College’s Clinical Investigator Program, and is starting a PhD in Epidemiology in 2025. On June 14, 2025, he was elected President of the FMRQ for 2025-2026. Since starting residency, he has been a delegate, Vice-President responsible for Union Affairs (2022-2023), and President (2024-2025) with the AMRM. In the course of his academic journey, he has won several awards and scholarships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has also received recognition in the shape of several other academic and scientific awards. Since January 2024, Dr Desbiens has been a Quebec hypertension society (Société québécoise d’hypertension artérielle) Board member, as well.

 Dr Darya S. Jalaledin is an R5 in Rheumatology at the University of Montreal, where she also received her MD. Previously, she completed three years of residency in Internal Medicine and a Master’s-level microprogram in Health Sciences Education at the University of Sherbrooke Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Since July 2024, she has been FMRQ Vice-President, responsible for the Federation’s Resident Wellness Committee (CBER) and Physician Resource Planning Committee (CPEM). She will continue to shoulder those responsibilities during the current year. Also since July 2014, she has sat on the Board of Directors of the Quebec Physicians’ Health Program (QPHP), and the Standing Advisory Panel on Physician Resource Planning in Quebec. Since starting residency, Dr S. Jalaledin has been AMReS Vice-President for Physician Resources on the CPEM, represented the FMRQ on committees concerned with academic/pedagogical matters, and taken part in accreditation surveys as a visiting surveyor resident. Over the years, she has been socially involved in her community, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from medicine, she loves sports, having played badminton competitively for seven years, becoming team captain and a finalist for Athlete of the Year in 2014. She participated in the provincial championships twice. She plays the piano, and loves classical literature. She speaks English, French, and Farsi fluently.

Dr Christophe Ah-Yan is an R3 in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Montreal, where he also earned his MD. He will be Secretary-Treasurer of the FMRQ for 2025-2026, having held that position in the Association des médecins résident·e·s de Montréal (AMRM) in 2024-2025. From 2024 to 2026, he will be residents’ representative on the Board of Directors of the Quebec sports and exercise physicians’ association, AQMSE. In 2023-2024, he was jointly responsible for the Wellness Committee in the UofM Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program, as well as an AMRM delegate.

Outside medicine, from 2021 to 2022 he was a member of the Young Asian Health Professionals Association (YAHPA), which brings together the Asian community and promotes physical and mental health in the community. Dr Ah-Yan previously trained as a pharmacist, completing the entry-level Pharm.D program at the University of Montreal. From 2019 to 2021, he was a hospital pharmacist at Hôpital du Suroît. In addition to English and French, he speaks Mandarin and Creole.

Dr Victor Lim is an R3 in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Montreal, where he also earned his MD. In 2025-2026, he will be President of the Association des médecins résident·e·s de Montréal, and will be sitting on the FMRQ Board as Director from AMRM. As an undergraduate, Dr Lim was Treasurer of the University of Montreal’s medical student association, AÉÉMUM, in 2019-2020. He was then elected as an AMRM delegate in 2024-2025, and took part in the work of the association’s external communications committee. He was assistant chief resident for his program over the past year, too. In addition to English and French, Dr Lim speaks several languages, including Italian, Teochew, and Khmer. In his leisure time, he enjoys tennis, running, and chess. He also has a diploma in Piano Performance from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.

Dr Rami Habib is an R4 in Medical Oncology at McGill University, where he also earned his MD. In 2024-2025, he was Vice-President for Academic Affairs – Specialties, representing the Association of Residents of McGill (ARM) on the FMRQ’s CAP-S committee, as well as assistant chief resident. Before entering residency, he was Executive President of the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University, then Past President in 2020-2021. Dr Habib is interested in research, and has contributed up until now to three scientific articles, including one recently submitted to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He also liked being involved in mentoring his medical student colleagues from September 2021 to July 2024. In his limited free time, he enjoys playing tennis, gardening, cooking, running, and hiking. He speaks English, French, Arabic, and Spanish.

Dr Lea Sfairy is an R4 in the five-year Emergency Medicine program at Laval University. In early July 2025, she was elected President of the Association des médecins résident·e·s de Québec (AMReQ) for the second year in a row. In that capacity, she sits on the FMRQ Board as Director from AMReQ. In 2024, she completed a microprogram in university pedagogy. In the past few years, she has been a course monitor in her medical faculty. She has also been involved with her colleagues over the years, in particular as a delegate for sociocultural events (2022-2023), then as Secretary General (2023-2024) with AMReQ. Dr Sfairy received the Research Excellence Award from the Laval University Faculty of Medicine in winter 2020, and recognition for her involvement as a medical student the same year. For recreation, Dr Sfairy enjoys running, travel, and reading. She speaks English, French, and Arabic fluently.

Dr Benjamin Poirier-Mailhot is an R5 in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Sherbrooke, where he also earned his MD. In 2025-2026, he will represent the Association des médecins résident·e·s de Sherbrooke (AMReS) as a Director on the FMRQ Board. From July 2022 to June 2025, he was Vice-President, Academic Affairs – Specialties for AMReS on the Federation’s CAP-S committee; in 2021-2022, he was Vice-President, Competence by Design (CBD). He is no stranger to academic/pedagogical matters after all those years of defending his colleagues’ interests on various Quebec and Canada-wide bodies. Even back when he was a member of the University of Sherbrooke medical student association (AGÉMUS), he was Vice-President for Academic Affairs, representing the interests of all medical faculty students in those areas. In his free time, Dr Poirier-Mailhot collects second-hand clothing of various vintages. He also loves movies.

Dr Bouchra Tannir is an R6 in Adult Critical Care Medicine at the University of Montreal, where she also earned her MD. Having been Secretary-Treasurer on the FMRQ Board for 2024-2025 and President of the Association des médecins résidents de Montréal (AMRM) in 2023-2024, she has chosen to focus this year on following up on matters concerning academic affairs in specialties. In 2021-2022, she was Deputy Vice-President on the FMRQ’s Academic Affairs Committee – Specialties, then Deputy Chairperson of that committee in 2022-2023. There is no doubt as to her contribution to Federation affairs. She will be returning in a big way this year, on familiar ground, in a context where the rules surrounding resident doctors’ training are constantly changing. Dr Tannir has been involved in the medical community since she started residency, in particular as a member of the Internal Medicine Core Curriculum Program Committee and the General Internal Medicine Program Wellness Committee.

Dr Guillaume Deslauriers is an R2 in Family Medicine at UMF de l’Estrie Family Medicine Unit, in the University of Sherbrooke network. He previously earned his MD from that university. In 2024-2025, he represented AMReS as Deputy Vice-President for Academic Affairs – FM. Over the coming year, he will be Director responsible for Academic Affairs – Family Medicine on the FMRQ Board, and will thereby chair the Academic Affairs Committee – FM (CAP–MF). In that capacity, he intends to defend his colleagues’ interests, particularly in promoting the view that the third year in family medicine should be a training option, not a requirement. He will also be working to raise interest in family medicine. In 2021, while a medical student, he was a research assistant for Étude CentrÉS—a project aimed at ensuring an equitable, healthy downtown for Sherbrooke—which studied the impact of the revitalization of the city centre on equity in healthcare among young adults. Dr Deslauriers intends to put his values of integrity, equity, and mutual assistance to good use in his next mandate. Note that he has participated as an athlete in national competitions, notably in speed skating, and has been a coach and training partner. Unfortunately, he had to hang up his trainer’s jacket after 10 years in 2022, but he continues to train for triathlons in order to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Dr Xiao is an R6 in Critical Care at McGill University, where he completed his Anesthesiology residency after earning his MD there. For the third year running, he will be Director responsible for Union Affairs. Following the signing of the new collective agreement for 2021-2028, he will contribute alongside his colleagues on the Union Affairs Committee (CAS) to ensuring its implementation. He became involved in the FMRQ from the start of his residency, first as a delegate in 2021-2022, then as Vice-President representing the Association of Residents of McGill (ARM) on the Federation’s Union Affairs Committee in 2022-2023. He previously sat on the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee, and on the Board of Directors of the MQRP (Médecins québécois pour un régime public, or Quebec Doctors for Medicare). Dr Xiao loves movies, vegan cuisine, techno music, and cultural travel.

Patrice Savignac Dufour was appointed Executive Director of the FMRQ after having been first Director, Legal Affairs, then Deputy Executive Director. A manager and lawyer by training, he previously worked as an executive, advisor, attorney, and director with different socio-political and labour union groups. A member of the Quebec Bar, he holds a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in management from HEC Montréal.