We were especially pleased to introduce a few new elements this year, including the rapid-fire presentations and the panel discussion featuring early-, mid-, and senior-career PIs interviewed by students, both of which brought great energy and valuable perspectives to the program. A highlight of the day was the keynote by Dr. Tillie-Louise Hackett, Peter T. Macklem Lecture: Understanding Heterogeneous Airways Disease in Asthma and COPD Using Spatial Imaging, which sparked some excellent discussions.

The winners for best oral presentation were:

Ryann Lang
PhD student with Basil Petrof
Elucidating the Role of Interleukin-6 in Ventilator-induced Diaphragm Dysfunction

Olivier Salko
Resident with Nicole Ezer
Benralizumab for Early Stage Lung Cancer with Eosinophilia trial -BELE trial – Improving post-operative lung cancer resection outcomes with eosinophil guided anti-IL-5 therapy – A Bayesian Adaptive feasibility study

The winners for best rapid fire oral presentation were:

Shahin Bolori Hanafi
PDF with Maziar Divangahi
IL-22 Mediated Autophagy in Alveolar Type 2 Cells Promotes Pulmonary Disease Tolerance to Influenza

Kriti Agarwal
PhD with Tania-Janaudis Ferreira
Six-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial on tele-rehabilitation in individuals with long COVID

The winners for best poster presentation were:

Hansen Feng
MSc with James Martin
Characterization of the intrapulmonary antiviral immune response to oropharyngeal influenza A virus infection during pregnancy

Willem Rijnbout St James
PhD student with Carolyn Baglole
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor is a Novel Regulator of ECM Synthesis and Focal Adhesion Dynamics in Lung Fibroblasts

Rui Sun
PDF with Maziar Divangahi
15-lipoxygenase is essential for hematopoietic stem cell functions and β-glucan-mediated trained immunity against influenza A virus

Trainee-led Panel Discussion:
One piece of advice for students in this room

Trainee Moderators & Facilitators: Sophia Goldman, Eszter Farkas, Sydney Joy, Sami Sedraoui, Kalpana Chaudhary, Kate Harvey
Panelists: Tillie-Louise Hackett, Eva Kaufmann, Nermin Diab, Irah King,
Kevin Schwartzman

As part of this year’s Research Day, trainees led an interactive panel discussion featuring faculty researchers and our keynote speaker, creating a space for open, honest conversations about career paths, mentorship, and life in academia.

From the very first question “How did you decide your career path?”, one message came through clearly: there is no single path into science. Panelists shared journeys shaped by curiosity, unexpected pivots, and influential mentors. Some discovered their passion early, while others found their direction much later, often after changing fields entirely. The common thread? Follow what excites you and be open to change along the way.

Choosing Academia: Freedom, Curiosity, and Personal Fit

When asked what drew them to academia, panelists emphasized the freedom to explore ideas and shape their own research programs. At the same time, they highlighted that academia is not the only path, and that choosing between academia and industry is ultimately a personal decision, shaped by individual priorities and interests.

Mentorship Matters – And It Goes Both Ways

A major theme of the discussion was the importance of strong mentor–trainee relationships. Panelists described mentorship as more than supervision; it’s about advocacy, honesty, and aligning with a trainee’s long-term goals. Trainees were encouraged to actively communicate their expectations and seek out mentors who support both their professional and personal growth.

Lessons Learned (Sometimes the Hard Way)

Panelists also shared candid reflections on challenges they faced during training. A key takeaway: don’t ignore problems but rather address them early. Whether it’s a difficult mentorship dynamic or uncertainty about career direction, being proactive can make a significant difference.

Another recurring message was the importance of taking ownership of your work: driving your project forward, developing your own ideas, and building essential “soft skills” like writing, communication, and organization.

Beyond Publications: What Really Matters for Academic Careers

During the audience Q&A, trainees asked how to stand out in academia beyond publishing papers. Panelists emphasized: building connections and visibility within your field, developing strong communication and storytelling skills; thinking beyond your current project to identify the next big question. Ultimately, success isn’t just about a CV, it’s about your ability to communicate your vision and make others care about your work.

The Reality of Academic Life

In a refreshingly honest exchange, panelists acknowledged the less glamorous side of academia: administration, emails, and competing responsibilities. Their advice: prioritize wisely, set boundaries, and accept that no role is perfect. At the same time, they encouraged trainees to embrace uncertainty, learn from mistakes, and seek guidance from more experienced colleagues.

Photos from the Event

Read More

From the lab to the clinic: Spring Research Days showcase The Institute’s scientific momentum. Spring 2026 events united researchers, clinicians and trainees across disciplines to push the boundaries of discovery and deepen The Institute’s commitment to precision health. The Institute News. June 3, 2026.

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Dr. Petrof is an internationally recognized leader in sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory muscle weakness. He currently serves as Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and Co-Leader of the RI-MUHC Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program.

With a long-standing commitment to advancing patient care, research, and training, Dr. Petrof aims to strengthen the Division’s role as a global centre of excellence. His vision is to provide cutting-edge care while fostering innovations that connect fundamental discoveries with clinical practice, and to train the next generation of leaders in respiratory medicine.

Read More

Dr. Basil Petrof Appointed McGill Division Director of Respiratory Medicine. McGill E-News. September 11, 2025.

The post Basil Petrof Appointed McGill Division Director of Respiratory Medicine appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

The winners for best oral presentation were:

Sammy Robayo
MSc student with Jonathon Campbell
Consideration of Risks and Consequences of Tuberculosis and Its Prevention in Cost-Utility Analyses Among Immigrants to Low-Incidence Countries: A Systematic Review

Katelyn Liu
PhD student with Simon Rousseau
Investigating OLFM4 and SHC4 in Severe COVID-19: Implications in Immunothrombosis and Disease Progression

Sydney Joy
PhD student with James Martin
GM-CSF-Treated Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages Improve Pulmonary Fibrosis in a Bleomycin Model of Interstitial Lung Disease

The winners for best poster presentation were:

Alexander Ni
Resident with Maxime Cormier
Benralizumab for Life-Threatening Exacerbations of Eosinophilic Asthma: A Case Series

Alyson Deprez
PDF with Basil Petrof
Impact of Trained Immunity on Macrophage and Muscle Stem Cell Function in Dystrophic (mdx) Mice

Jacquelyn Rich
PhD student with Dao Nguyen
Antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates from chronic cystic fibrosis infections

Leonor Simoes
PhD student with Darcy Wagner
Reversing ethyl cinnamate based optical clearing for co-registration of light-sheet fluorescence microscopy datasets with multi-dimensional histological analysis

Leonardo Jurado
PhD student with Maziar Divangahi
A fungal-derived adjuvant significantly amplifies the antitumoral potency of BCG via training granulopoiesis

Mina Sadeghi
PhD student with Maziar Divangahi
Unraveling the Mechanisms of BCG-Induced Early-Life Protection Against Tuberculosis

Rafael Intrevado
MSc student with Anne-Marie Lauzon
Investigating the Mechanisms Resisting Bronchodilatory Responses in Asthma and Fatal Asthma

Willem Rijnbout St James
MSc student with Carolyn Baglole
Characterizing the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor as a Regulator of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Photos from the Event

Photo Credits: Inga Murawski (top row) and Ari Daghlian (bottom row)
Thank you to the Heisler Family for attending the Seymour Heisler Memorial Lecture

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Basil Petrof. Co-Investigator: Jun Ding. The role of trained macrophages in dystrophic diaphragm pathology.

Sabah Hussain.  Co-Principal Investigator: Gilles Gouspillou. Co-Applicants: Jean-Philippe Leduc-Gaudet, Vanina Romanello, Marco Sandri. Regulation of skeletal muscle and peroxisomal homeostasis by Depp1 protein.

See the RI-MUHC website for more information on the Fall 2024 CIHR competition results.

The post CIHR Project Grant Results – Fall 2024 appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

(Time on Podcast: 9:33). The MUHC hospital holds one of the largest public art collections in Quebec. The relationship between art, healing and health is deep and longstanding. Dr. Jonathan L. Meakins, grandson of Dr. Jonathan C. Meakins, who lent his name to the Meakins-Christie Laboratories, is the Director of the Art and Heritage Centre at the MUHC. Listen to the podcast to learn about the history of the Art and Heritage Centre. The collection includes a portrait of Dr. Dorothy Wiselberg, painted by her sister. This portrait is exhibited at the Annual Doctor Dorothy Wiselberg Seminar organized by the MUHC Adult Respiratory Medicine Division. Dr. Dorothy Wiselberg was one of the first female physicians to work in the are of pulmonary diseases in Montreal. She was based at the Montreal Chest Hospital – now the Montreal Chest Institute – where her work focused on tuberculosis. Dr. Meakins also touches upon his relationship with the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. He was a chief resident when the laboratories were created. The inauguration of the Meakins-Christie Labs is an example of the type of leadership that transformed a unit at the University and hospital. Subsequent leaders of the Meakins further expanded the laboratories and made the world-renowned centre for respiratory research that we know today.

(Time on Podcast: 19:35). The 2023 edition of Le Bal Rouge took place on May 26th. The theme was the Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20s. It was a special evening that raised $1.68M for the Montreal Chest Institute and Respiratory Research. Dr. Basil Petrof attended the event that honored his colleague, Dr. Kevin Schwartzman. Kevin Schwartzman was honored for his leadership of the Respiratory Division over the past 10 years. Kevin is not only a great doctor, but also an accomplished researcher, and has been a great advocate for respiratory research. This kind of support from philanthropy really allows the Montreal Chest Institute to do things that it normally can’t do – not only for patient care, but support of game-changing innovative research. These donations will help us realize a more personalized approach to care. With advances in genetics and other area, each patient is very different, and being able to predict what drug or treatment might work in a patient is now becoming possible because of respiratory research. Our goal is to get a fingerprint for each patient to better identify treatments and diagnoses. This month also marks the 50th Anniversary Symposium of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. Over the last 50 years, the Meakins-Christie Labs have made many discoveries, from effects of smoking, how best to care for patients in the ICU, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many things that have become standard textbook knowledge that are still taught to our medical students today. Some of our current strengths at the Meakins include asthma, emphysema, and lung fibrosis, as well as lung immunology and lung infection research. The Meakins is also known as an international school for respiratory research. Many past trainees and fellows went back to their home countries to start their own very successful research units that were often modeled on their experience here. These past trainees still feel a strong bond to the Meakins and many came back to Montreal to attend our 50th Anniversary Symposium.

Listen to the Podcast

Uniting specialists to fight a rare and deadly cancer. MUHC Foundation Health Matters Podcast. June 4, 2023.

Web: https://bit.ly/3CvxdMb
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/32HFxrc
Apple: https://apple.co/35NvItS

The post Health Matters: Pushing the Boundaries of Respiratory Research appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

The winners for best oral presentation were:

Tom Podolsky
MSc student with Basil Petrof
Intermittent Glucocorticoid Therapy Prevents Signs of Trained Innate Immunity in Macrophages from Muscular Dystrophy (mdx) Mice

Amanda Marino
Resident with Deborah Assayag
Racial Disparities in Lung Biopsies for Interstitial Lung Diseases in Canada

The winners for best poster presentation were:

Wided Akik
PhD student with Larry Lands
Synergistic Implications of IL-17A in the Modulation of Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation by Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Mina Sadeghi
PhD with Maziar Divangahi
Regulation of the bone marrow iron metabolism in hematopoiesis and host defense against TB

Coralie Geric
MSc student with Faiz Ahmad Khan
Incorporation of clinical factors to improve the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-based chest X-ray analysis for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis

Eszter Farkas
PhD with Dao Nguyen
Production of antimicrobials in Canadian High Arctic Bacteria

Amanda Scanga
MSc with Marta Kaminska
Effect of Long-acting Levodopa on Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Parkinson’s Disease (ELO-PD trial): Preliminary Results

The post RESP Research Day Oral and Poster Presenter Winners – 2023 appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Read the MUHC Foundation Article:

Le Bal Rouge Gala raises $1.68M for MUHC Foundation Dream Big: Breathe Easier Campaign. May 27, 2023. MUHC Foundation

The post Le Bal Rouge Gala Raises $1.68M for Breathe Easier Campaign appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that signals sent from damaged muscles to the bone marrow induce long-lasting changes in immune cells termed ‘trained immunity’ and actually exacerbate harmful inflammation. Salyan Bhattarai explains:

“We found that in muscular dystrophy, macrophages show the classical elements of trained immunity, including epigenetic changes that can cause long-term maintenance of the abnormal inflammatory behaviour of these cells… It appears that the chronic release of muscle damage molecules into the bloodstream is able to reprogram macrophage precursors in the bone marrow at a distance.”

Salyan Bhattarai, PhD

The discovery of Dr. Petrof and his research team paves the way for the development of more targeted therapies based on targeting of the epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms known to promote trained immunity.

Basil Petrof, MD, is a Senior Scientist and member of the RESP Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC and Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories at McGill University.

Read more about the study and the findings here:

RI-MUHC team uncovers new mechanism of inflammation in muscular dystrophy RI-MUHC Research News, February, 2022.

TLR4 is a regulator of trained immunity in a murine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy Bhattarai S, Li Q, Ding J, Liang F, Gusev E, Lapohos O, Fonseca GJ, Kaufmann E, Divangahi M, Petrof BJ. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 15;13(1):879. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28531-1. PMID: 35169163.

The post Muscular Dystrophy and Trained Immunity appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Basil Petrof. Co-applicant: Jun Ding. Novel therapies for diaphragm failure in muscular dystrophy. Ranked 2nd!

Jun Ding. Co-Applicant: Carolyn Baglole. Unagi: Computational approach driven repurposed drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Funded as an ECI on his first attempt!

Faiz Ahmad Khan. Co-Principal Applicants: Kevin Schwartzman, Frantz Jean Louis. Chest Radiography and TB Elimination in Nunavik: novel solutions to fill gaps and strengthen regional capacity. Ranked 2nd!

We would also like to report the following successful grants:

From the CIHR Operating Grant: Addressing the Wider Health Impacts of COVID-19:

Marta Kaminska. COVID-19 pandemic effects on outcomes of patients in a provincial home ventilation program.

From the CIHR Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps & Priorities program:

Tanis Janaudis-Ferreira. Virtual physical rehabilitation following COVID-19 hospitalization.

The post 3 CIHR Project Grants and 2 COVID-19 Grants Awarded! appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Joseph Milic-Emili was born in 1931 in the village of Sezana, then part of Italy, but now in Slovenia. After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Milan in 1955, he was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology in that institution, where he carried out research on exercise physiology with Professor Rodolfo Margaria. He was enticed to move to the University of Liège in 1958 by the Belgian physiologist Jean-Marie Petit, with whom he developed methods to measure pleural pressure with the esophageal balloon catheter as well as the electrical activity of the diaphragm using esophageal electrodes, techniques still applied in patients to this day. In 1960 Milic moved to Boston to work at the Harvard School of Public Health. Then in 1963, at the invitation of Professor David Bates, Milic moved to McGill University, where he spent the remainder of his career. Milic was Chairman of the Department of Physiology at McGill between 1973 and 1978, prior to becoming Director of the Meakins-Christie Labs in 1979. He was appointed Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Physiology and Medicine at McGill in 1998. Throughout his career he received many honors and distinctions. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1980 and inducted into the Order of Canada in 1990. He was granted the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Université Catholique de Louvain (1987), the University of Kunming (1988), Université de Montpellier (1994), the University of Athens (1999), and the University of Ljubljana (1999).

In addition to his tremendous scientific achievements in respiratory physiology, Milic had many qualities: teacher, mentor, friend and confidante; fierce competitor and taskmaster; cheerleader and career promoter; critic and antagonistic prosecutor (getting past the first slide was murder!); historian and philosopher; master of ceremonies and stand-up comedian. He was an enormously talented and complex man. Throughout it all, he always had that little twinkle in his eyes and he embraced life. He was one of a kind, and there will never be another like him.

Please send us your tributes to Milic and we will post them on the Meakins-Christie website. For those who are interested in Milic’s own account of his career, we refer you to “A life of passion and serendipity” J Anesth 16:238-41 (2002) in which he concludes with the following:

“I found that, at this time in my life, the names and memories of my coauthors have become more important to me than the scientific content of my papers”.

Joseph Milic-Emili

Best wishes,

Basil Petrof, MD
Director, Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Department of Medicine, McGill University and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

David Eidelman, MDCM
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Read More

In memoriam: Professor Joseph Milic-Emili. ERS. January 2022.

The physiological foundations of critical care medicine: the contribution of Joseph Milic‑Emili, a physiologist “by hook or by crook”. V. Marco Ranieri and Claude Guérin. Crit Care 26, 38 (2022).

Joseph Milic‑Emili and his contribution to respiratory physiology. Guiseppe Andrea Miserochhi. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022 Apr 6.

Editorial. Farewell to Joseph Milic-Emili. Nikolaos Siafakas and Nikolaos Koulouris. Pneumon 2022, 35(1):6.

Tributes

The following tributes were sent to the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. They are listed alphabetically.

He was a great mentor, role model and most importantly a profoundly dear friend. I have enjoyed his challenging scientific views and one of the very few I have met whom I loved arguing with on life. I also had the pleasure of sharing with him the love of food, art and good company both in Canada and Europe. I feel privileged that after many debates that he still turned and said to me “You are a good kid!” Who knows we may meet again in a different existence to carry on our debates…. or not depending on if Milic believes in an afterlife (subject to our debates).

Rehab AlJamal-Naylor

As it has been well said, Milic was one of a kind. Milic was, among many other good attributes, a great teacher, a great critic, a great friend. I doubt that there is anyone who knew Milic who does not have an anecdote about him, and surely there are many funny anecdotes. My first encounter with Milic was when I had just finished my medical career, and I arrived to the Department of Physiology at McGill, where he was Chairman, to conduct the studies for a Master’s degree under his supervision. When I entered his office, he looked at me and said: “I was expecting a midget with a big head.” I was very surprised by his welcome, and I asked why he said so. He answered with a smile: “Because I read your academic record and I noticed that you had good evaluations in all subjects except in physical education.” That was the beginning of a training period in research that I will never forget. I learned many things from Milic, and one of his teachings that I extrapolated from research to many aspects of my life was: “When everything is going wrong, you should be optimistic, but when everything is going well, you should be pessimistic.”  I believe that knowing Milic was a gift of the destiny, and I cannot find enough words to describe all the good thoughts about him. Milic is simply unforgettable.

José Almirall

Milic was my mentor, teacher and friend. He was a monument in the field of respiratory physiology, an outstanding personality and creative scientist.

Michel Aubier

He was a real character and a real physiologist — our interests often coincided or were at least adjacent. I always appreciated his imagination, rigor, and his humor. My first encounter with Milic was as a graduate student attending my first FASEB Respiration Dinner. Milic gave a history of the essential concepts of respiratory physiology “Taps and Valves” that had the entire room laughing. My encounters with Milic over the years were always challenging but warm and friendly.

Bob Banzett

The august lineup of respiratory scientists across the world who have offered their thoughts and memories of Milic speaks to his legacy more than any specific anecdote or accolade and is certainly what he would value most himself. While his contributions to physiology were monumental, he made it clear that he placed the importance of helping fellows and colleagues advance their own careers as paramount. I remember him telling me once that he thought of the Meakins-Christie Labs first and foremost as a school, which meant that he considered the research activities going on within as a vehicle for imbuing its alumni with the knowledge and skills to venture forth and disseminate respiratory physiology to the World. He was able to have such an impact in this regard in part because of his enormous expertise and knowledge, but also because of his extraordinary charisma. This was never better on display that when he was in a joking mood (which was most of the time). I, like many others, remember finding his jokes hilarious. Sometimes, in fact, I would venture in social settings to try to benefit from this by telling a Milic joke myself. This worked when the joke was a good one, but I discovered that some of the jokes were not that good, in which case I would be appropriately chagrined. The trap I fell into was that Milic could make you laugh just by the way he told a joke, regardless of its intrinsic merit. There is no competing with that! Milic was also an international figure in the sense that he owned the world and was at home in numerous cultures and countries (he spoke 6 languages and declared that he had a foreign accent in every one of them!) I imagine this was due in part to his varied experiences growing up that included escaping alone from Slovenia to Italy when he was 14 years old, getting to hear first-hand of the experiences of soldiers in WW II (something that affected him deeply as I recall when I was listening to him talk about it once), and then moving around the world subsequently as a scientist. I owe Milic a great deal – he was the critical mentor I needed as a newly arrived postdoc from New Zealand in 1983 and subsequently as a member of the McGill faculty. Thinking of him still makes me laugh, but most of all reminds me how lucky I was to know him.

Jason Bates

J’ai pris connaissance de ce lien aujourd’hui. À n’en pas douter, un grand physiologiste. Mes sincères condoléances à sa famille et ses amis.

François Bellemare

I would like to provide a personal example to confirm that Milic’s legacy lives on. My students and I continue to use the esophageal catheter to measure pleural pressure. This is but one of his major contributions to respiratory physiology and medicine. I also remember Milic for his sense of humour. The first time I met him was at the Meakins-Christie in 1984. When Milic passed by, Phyllis, his loyal secretary, told me to follow the man with the bald head, which I did. When I arrived at his office, there was a poster on his door that read: “God made only so many perfect heads, the rest he covered in hair.” 

Doug Bradley

One of his most famous ‘papers’ was his editorial about weaning being an art or a science. And this illustrates what he was, not only a great scientist but someone taking distance to help us rethink our field and open our minds. His contribution has been enormous.

Laurent Brochard

One of his famous sentences: Copy unless you can improve! I will always remember him.

Edoardo Calderini

I was a fellow at the Meakins at a time when it was in its prime as a world centre of respiratory physiological science. I had much to learn and learnt much, mainly from Milic. I learnt how to look carefully at data and think about everything you see, even if it challenges your pre-conceived ideas. I learnt how to be parsimonious with resources (not always a good thing when applying for competitive grants!) I learnt that when you have your fellows round the boss cooks dinner – and I still do. I learnt that there is more to medicine and life than work and that when your teacher becomes your friend you have really made it. The memories of our friends are what matters but the good men do (and Milic did a lot of good) extends beyond and lives after them. We may want to rage at the dying of the light but what a wonderful light it was.

Peter M A Calverley

I enjoyed a lecture on PEEPi by Dr J Milic-Emili managed by Dr Kuno and Dr Mishima at Kyoto University in 1987. After the lecture, Milic, Mishima, and I went sightseeing Kyoto by my car, and spoke about what I did such as an invented cuirass respirator or a study on chest wall motion. He said, laughing, ‘Although you are a surgeon, your car is not expensive.’ A few weeks later, he gave me a letter to come to Montreal with the respirator. This was the beginning of a wonderful, short but memorable life in Montreal from May 1898 to Dec. 1990 as a fellow of Prof Milic-Emili and Prof Peter T Macklem.  He visited Japan to attend a memorial scientific meeting for his Japanese fellow, Dr Kochi held in a heartland Mt. Fuji organized by Dr Sato. He said “I almost forgot what I’ve done with Kochi, but I did remember we were happy, research was fun”. Next day was a cloudy day, but I said “Milic, let’s go up to see Mt Fuji by my car”. He replied “I like you, such a positive man. I visited Japan three times, but I have never seen Mt Fuji”.  Milic, I wish to go to that lookout to see Mt. Fuji with you again. 

Koji Chihara

Dear Milic: As you can see you have made an impact, a large impact, not only scientific-your contributions have been essential to understand how the lung works-but also personal. Your name is and will be remembered by those who knew you and by those who did not but you have touched. As someone else already said about you “he was one of a kind and there will never be another like him”. This Dear Milic is what Milan Kundera defines as “grande immortalità”. You got it. Hoping it does not get to your head! See you.

Manuel G. Cosio

What can be added to all the testimonials about Milic? All these messages show that you are indeed a monument, a role model and above all a human being always ready to help. You will remain the reference to guide several generations to come.

Marie-Louise Coussa-Koniski

Dearest among the boys of via Mangiagalli 32, to you these boys pay the due tribute of gratitude together with the profound gratitude for having magnificently represented the school of Margaria throughout the world for the excellence of your scientific activity, the unparalleled communication skills, the ‘inexhaustible desire for knowledge, generosity of spirit, a school to which you have always and everywhere wanted to remember your original, formative belonging. As for me, for what remains to me, I will keep the satisfying memory of our bitter “scientific” quarrels, which between screams and insults made worried colleagues rush from the other rooms of the Institute, and first of all a stunned Emilio Agostoni, and who resolved the following day in the inevitable, forgetful and affectionate embrace. With heartfelt nostalgia, I would very much like to be able to tell you as always…. take care Milic.

Edgardo D’Angelo

Milic has been one of the true giants in respiratory physiology. His contributions are enormous: regional ventilation, lung and chest wall mechanics, mechanics of respiratory failure, intrinsic PEEP etc. He was a warm-hearted personality, full of humor and jokes, with a fantastic mind. In addition, he has enthused and stimulated many young scientists either directly or indirectly. He was capable to explain complicated phenomena in a way of which the simplicity was just not offending. Indeed, his legacy is not just in papers, but in the minds of so many young scientists and clinicians who he trained and educated in his rigorous logic which was so characteristic of him.

Marc Decramer

I was a Fellow at the Meakins-Christie Labs from 1969 to 1975, and in fact, I pushed the old 8 channel recorders over from 3^rd floor at RVH to the new lab. Of course, Milic was in his prime. A wonderful influence on us all.

James Dosman

Milic was the pillar of my scientific education. I went to work with him, expecting to learn more about regional ventilation and closing volume- and “pouf” (as he would say) we were talking control of breathing and Vt/Ti ! His ability to conceive and develop fundamental ideas, and then explain them to others with clarity and simplicity, was outstanding. 

Gordon Drummond

I had: « If you cannot beat him, just copy him ! » And also: « If it’s not broken, don’t fix it». I remember the pleasure he had in living science. Very inspiring. 

Alexandre Duguet

I was at that symposium when Milic regaled the audience. It was his story about the parrot and the professor. I’ll always remember it. I also remember the beer seminars, when Milic would peer down the barrel of his beer bottle as he asked his penetrating questions. In my case his penetrating questions began before I could even project my first slide.

Jeff Fredberg

I stayed and trained as a research/clinical fellow at the Meakins-Christie Labs of McGill University from 1974-1976 when I met Milic at “Beer Seminars” of the MCL as a regular critical commentator to presentations by research fellows on various ongoing research works in the MCL. After returning to Tokyo, I had chances to accompany him on three occasions when he was invited for special lecturers to Japan during 1985-2000. Milic kept saying “I don’t believe Mount Fuji exists in Japan at all” in a sense of Milic humour, reflecting his misfortune for not being able to command a view of Mt. Fuji through his three visits to this country. In his Christmas letter he once wrote me “Yoshi, Don’t you think we both lived in good days of pulmonary physiology after all?”Yes Milic, you are right with your pioneering works including esophageal balloon for measuring pleural pressure, vertical gradient in pleural pressure, closing volume, P0.1 for central neural output, and many other revolutionary research tools yet in use today. I always adored you as not only a giant in respiratory research but also a giant in paramount fields of western liberal arts. You have encouraged, helped and nurtured Japanese respirologists who studied at the MCL in Montreal. They all appreciate your mentorship and will continue to convey your spirit to future generations in this country.

Yoshinosuke Fukuchi

Certainly, Milic was one of our best masters and a friend. However, “the old scientists and masters never die, they just fade”.

Joaquim Gea

I did not work with him directly but saw him plenty when I was working with Jere Mead at Harvard in the early 70s, and was swallowing his balloons on a regular basis. Indeed I last swallowed them about 5 years ago when investigating the physiology of the Heimlich Manoeuvre, giving me a 50 year experience…Milic came to a meeting of the SEPCR* in Palermo in the 80s and was pleased to be unexpectedly greeted at the airport by a smart driver who asked if he was attending the Congress. Milic said yes and was escorted to a superior limousine and whisked off to the highway and the interior of Sicily. After about half an hour it struck Milic that there might be some confusion and it transpired he was being taken to an entirely different type of Sicillian Congress. He had to persuade the driver to return him to the airport whence he joined the respiratory conference and regaled us with laughter at his story!

Malcolm Green

I do agree with what he has been: for me a friend, a master, a pillar in my scientific life, a bright and open mind and a very generous person. For me there has been a before and an after my fellowship in Montreal (followed by years of collaboration).

Claude Guérin

He was always supportive and encouraging. Most of all he made you feel like a friend. His door was always open for a question or a discussion, and never missed a chance for a joke. I admired him for that. I remember once at the beer seminar, one Australian fellow with a good Australian accent gave a talk and then Milic says, “can someone please translate?” I laugh every time I think of this joke. Whenever we had a prominent visitor at the Meakins, he made sure that the young guys had a chance to interact with the visitor. Our friend left lasting memories with everyone who knew him.

Tawfic S. Hakim

Milic was made Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Montpellier – France. During the ceremony, while I was in the clumsy writing of my first articles which he had read the day before, he exclaimed: “Hayot stop writing poetry, write science!”  Since that day, I always wonder when writing what is science and what is poetry.

Maurice Hayot

Two papers by Joseph Milic-Emili were primary motivators for my early work in lung imaging and remain key to our work today. Through my associations with Joseph Rodarte as a graduate student, research fellow and early faculty member, I had the pleasure of meeting Milic on numerous occasions, primarily dinners during ATS annual meetings. Conversations at those dinners provided an education far surpassing all my graduate courses combined and remain impactful today. Milic’s death represents the loss of one more of the key individuals whose works form the base upon which our current understanding of pulmonary physiology rests. Based upon photographs collected by Bob Hyatt, I recruited the help of a Mayo Clinic illustrator to produce key figures in the quest to measure pleural pressure. You will find Milic along with Sol Permutt depicted in panel C of figure 1 (see Hoffman and Ritman, Annals of Biomedical Engineering 1987). The originals were sent to each of those depicted, and all sent back kind notes, accepting the depiction of their roles in this still ongoing debate regarding the true nature of pleural pressure. Much of the reason for assessing pleural pressure was based upon the desire to understand heterogeneity of lung function. Imaging has allowed us to move well beyond the assessment of regional pleural pressure differences, and Milic lead the way with his JAP article in 1966.  Earl Wood concluded, “Only the lord knows the true values of pleural pressure.” 

Eric A. Hoffman

I am very sorry to read this message. Please accept my heartfelt condolences.
I have announced the sad news earlier today at the core management group meeting of the Society.
Martin, James, and myself will be in touch with Thomas to explore how to proceed. The European Respiratory Society will definitely pay tribute to “Milic”.

Marc Humbert

I have met many people in my travels and Milic stands out is so many ways.  He had a totally unique view on life and science that is so rarely seen anymore. To quote him, he was “an oldie but a goodie”. All our lives were enriched by knowing and working with him.

Charles G. Irvin

With sadness I note that our dear friend Milic has passed away. He asked me to join him in Paris and work together. This invitation was a gift of value for all my life. Research was not the only value. Milic’s cultural influence was an equally important aspect of his richness.

Björn Jonson

He was a wonderful, fun loving brilliant man. A long life and a great one.

Sharon Johnston

He was unique in many ways – his wonderful accent, the gestures he made when speaking, his broad cultural experience. In addition to his love of and enthusiasm for research he was an exceptional teacher. His showmanship made respiratory physiology lectures at the McIntyre come alive.  His use of a slinky toy to illustrate the pleural pressure gradient was brilliant.  Whistles and other “teaching aids” maintained attention and aided learning the concepts of lung physiology. While I never worked directly with Milic, he was a presence for the entire time I was at the Meakins and always had a great story to tell. 

Suzanne Kelly

He was always a great leader and boss.

Barbara Kidd

It’s a great loss. I can only echo many of the comments that have been made so far. Milic was a leader, a mentor and one fabulous humorist and story-teller.

Malcolm King

I so much enjoyed the Physiology Course in 1977 during my research fellowship at McGill! It was one of my best years of my career!  He visited me in Vienna several times thereafter. I have last visited and seenMilic at La Cité in Montreal during my visiting professorship at McGill in April 2019! Such a great personality!

Meinhard Kneussl

Thanks for sharing the sad news, Tom and my condolences to the family and close friends. The ERS has different ways to honor “giants” in our field and Marc will communicate the best way with the group.
May he rest in peace.

Martin Kolb

Milic was a charismatic leader and has inspired a large number of students and trainees. In fact, he attracted many students, collaborators, and fellows because of his charisma and his style of teaching and scholarship. He is characterized by a deep commitment and enthusiasm to research for many topics, especially respiratory physiology. The English word enthusiasm, which of course derives from the Greek indicates that “GOD is within” may signifies knowledge deeper than faith and has a meaning of truth.

Nikolaos Koulouris

Martin did forward to me your e-mail about Milic. It was kind to write those words. I cannot but echo your words and share my great sadness to this loss

Franco Laghi

I first met Milic-Emili when he was the director of the Meakins for help in setting up a lung function lab for horses when I was hired as a young faculty member at the Université de Montréal. He was very enthusiastic and graciously offered his help. This was the beginning of a long-time collaboration with colleagues from Meakins-Christie Labs. Had Milic-Emili not so kindly replied to my letter, I would have missed the friendship and support of the many researchers of the Meakins. 

Jean-Pierre Lavoie

Milic had been a mentor, a teacher and such a character. He was one of the very few giants in physiology and we are all deeply grateful to his teaching. It has been a privilege being his fellow and this has deeply transformed our education as scientist, our professional trajectory as well as our personal life. Working with Milic was also an incomparable fertilization with a creative, open mind and deeply respectful personality. Once in Italy in the late nineties, he told me in a very similar manner to what he said to Andrea Rossi how proud and happy he was to see so many of his fellows in the room of the meeting. We have had this privilege.

Patrick Levy

For our community in respiratory medicine, he was a giant and a guide. The type of man who had enormous influence, not only for the life of people he knew well, but also for people he could not have imagined being so important. That’s the end of an era.

François Maltais

I was a fellow but never had the chance to meet him, having arrived too recently at Meakins. And yet, in all humility, I also feel part of his many students, so much of his work has inspired me and still inspires me as a respiratory physiologist. I have also heard so much about him throughout the different seminars at the Meakins, from his colleagues and students older than me, that although I did not have the chance to receive his teaching directly, I also feel like an orphan of a great master.

Stefan Matecki

Milic was one of the “Greats”. To use an old-fashioned phrase, he had “CLASS”. Both in his research, extending from his studies of transpulmonary pressure with Petit in Belgium to his more recent work in the Meakins-Christie, his studies had a remarkable elegance. I count myself a Milic fan and feel privileged to have known him.

Maurice McGregor

Although I did not directly worked under his supervision during my short time at the Meakins, the young fellow that I was could not fail to be intimidated by his impressive gaze… which fortunately softened after I delivered my due talk at the traditional beer seminar! A giant of science and a demanding teacher Milic will always prompt a tender smile to our face as we remember his staccato and contagious laugh and the countless and hilarious stories that all contributed to grant him a stupendous weapon of mass seduction.

Paul Mengeot

I joined McGill in 1973, when Milic was appointed as Chairman of the Department of Physiology; at the time I had a fellowship from the University of Milano. Subsequently, I was offered the position of Associate Professor in Physiology at McGill. I retain vivid memories of these years and of the time spent in room 1020 at McIntyre Building, up Peel Street. I shared with him, I should say, the eagerness to develop the equipment and the experimental procedures suitable to measure the key variable in the context of a physiological problem. At the time I was developing a new approach to model microfluidics at the level of the air-blood barrier and its dependence on lung mechanics. Milic always encouraged and provided useful insight; he was indeed an inspiring mentor. I also remember having shared memorable moments with the many fellows attending the department. I returned several times to visit McGill. We became close friends, I hosted him in Italy on many occasions and spent a good time to share meditations and judgments on life, as well as Verdi’s opera.

Giuseppe Miserocchi

Sorry to learn about the sad news of Prof Milic. He was a great soul. May his soul RIP.

Venky Narayanan

I have got in my mind “pictures” like grabbing with him the Slovenian sausages in a store before traveling to his cottage in the lake, long discussion on the Roman empire, reading together the Corriere della Sera that I was receiving 7 days later from Italy, hearing his reproaches because I did not know who was the famous physiologist Mosso.  But……..overall I fully understood who is still Milic, not only from your nice and touching words, but mainly from the sincere sadness of my young fellows that never met him in person. Milic is still alive and his memory will be carried on by the new generations, as all the great men in the history in Medicine.

Stefano Nava

He was a “one-off”. He was an outstanding and enthusiastic speaker, no matter the audience. When he was chairman of Physiology, and I was a fellow, he roped me into giving some lectures. For inspiration I went to some of his lectures at the Medical School Class. What fun! I remember at one point he pulled out a gun and shot it. It as a fake of course but made a loud noise and immediately got, and kept, the students attention. One could probably not do that today for fear of inducing PTSD! I remember him explaining the pleural pressure gradient and the resultant gravity dependent variation in lung expansion using a Slinky! What a showman! What an inspiration!

Peter Pare

A friend has departed. I heard about Milic so late. I wished that he departed still much, much later. Apart from being first of all a friend, he was a teacher but not an ordinary one, he was a mountain.

Dragan Pavlovic

I met Milic at his Professor Emeritus stage. I sadly realize how much of him I missed, yet I was still blessed to enjoy his friendship and humor during my years at the Meakins-Christie labs. His attitude towards life, hard work, and contingencies is a source of inspiration forever. Yes, he had that sparkling look, always seeking humor out of anything, and his peals of laughter are alive in my mind. He used to promptly pick up the current issue of the Spanish Archivos de Bronconeumología from his mailbox with a proud gesture to let me know: – “Look, I am subscribed to your journal too; it matters to me.” When I was a couple of days ahead of my Ph.D. thesis defense, surely showing some unavoidable grief, he gave me a penetrating look and concluded: – “You have facies examinandi.” And his blast of laughter followed instantly. I felt that twist gave me the mood boost I needed to aim at the Dean’s Honor List.

David Ramos Barbón

Milic’s enthusiasm, warmth and love of science has been inspirational to us all.

Jeremy Road

Thank you for this bad news of the passed away of Milic. He was a great man who taught us tones of things. We will miss him terribly.
Très amicalement,

Robert Rodriguez Roisin

A few years ago, during one of our last conversations, Milic told me: “dear Andrea, our papers will go out of any memory, and our work will be forgotten soon; what we do not and will not forget are the names. Any name is a friend, a portion of our life, a fantastic memory of wonderful feelings …”.  Needless to say that Milic gave an outstanding contribution to the development of science and, more specifically, to the improvement of our individual intellectual and sentimental maturity. Having been Milic’s research fellow has been a privilege. We all share that and we feel a true community.

Andrea Rossi

Ciao Milic. As you can see, we cannot let you go. We still need you. Each of us in his own way, and you know the way. You paved the path for us, but there is still much work to be done in order to “try to be a little kinder”, as you were. It is going to be tough, very tough, but during all these years you taught us that “nothing is impossible”. As we all know, your door will be always open for us, wherever you escaped.

Marina Saetta

We suddenly lost a reference of scientist and human being.

Paulo Saldiva 

Milic was director when I joined the Meakins in 1992, and an inspiring mentor and critic throughout my graduate studies (the first slide, yes…). His passion for pulmonary physiology was highly contagious. Without doubt, Milic will be one of the first people I think of when I hear the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants”. It is an honour to have known this brilliant man.

Thomas F. Schuessler

Thank you so much for sending me Milic’s obituary. I have read it several times. Milic’s passing has brought my mind to live again and appreciate every interaction I had had with him and with every body at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Felix Shardonofsky

We lost our teacher- mentor- and friend MILIC. We lost our Father. He was one of the few Giants in Respiratory Physiology and although one of the greatest names in science, he was always very close to us, helpful, giving the outstanding example of mentorship.  His passion for all aspects of life and energy were fantastic.  I do believe that, we his Fellows and Friends, should organize an international society in his memory and keep alive his legacy for the  future generations.  ‘THE MILIC-EMILI FRIENDS AND FELLOWS SOCIETY OF PHYSIOLOGY” in order to pay tribute to his brilliant scientific mind, his mentorship and  his friendship. I am hearing his voice “Nikos I do not like this point … go and check it again”.

Nikos Siafakas

Our friend, colleague, teacher, master (and for many of us he played several of these roles) Milic passed away. Milic was a giant scientist, a giant teacher, with a giant heart. He was able to insufflate a bizarre mixture of toughness, rigour, divergence and fun in the research he performed and taught. With him, you could test the craziest of ideas, provided you did it “à la Margaria“, with extreme methodological care and unimpeachable intellectual honesty. And you could certainly learn about Bel Canto and have good laughs. 

Thomas Similowski

At the KCK ATS, Milic was Chairing a poster discussion session on work of breathing. He announced that he was not going to discuss any of the posters as none of them were measuring WOB correctly and proceeded to give a tute on how it should be done!

Peter D Sly

Milic went on a very long sabbatical, but he will remain forever in our memories as a teacher, mentor and friend. He was an undisputed protagonist of respiratory pathophysiology which he indelibly marked with his personality and his scientific works. But perhaps what has distinguished him from many other important scientists is that he has always contributed in a fundamental way to the growth of all those (Italians, French, Spanish, Canadians etc.) who had the good fortune to know him, from a professional and above all human point of view, with his way of doing, his passions and his vitality. As some have well said, Milic was a giant who in some way and for some time carried us all on his shoulders.

Claudio Tantucci

When I read the sad news all the memories I had with you, Milic and all the Meakins-Christie staff came back. I still hear him telling me “Who are you? Did you publish before?!!” He was my mentor and I was proud to be one of his students. He was a true leader. He knew how to promote your critical thinking and how to let you work harder to prove yourself. Nevertheless, he left us after a very fruitful journey but he will always be remembered with deep emotions. 

Letter from Claudio Tantucci:

In loving memory of Joseph Milic-Emili:

Professor Joseph Milic-Emili, simply Milic, he who seemed to be “timeless” for us, is gone. I’d like to think he went somewhere nice, for an endless sabbatical, like he used to do, living his long life to the fullest.
He was my teacher, my mentor and a good friend, to me and many, many fellows of all ages, coming from all over the world. On behalf of all Italian fellows, without any kind of presumption, I would like to give him a proper and heartfelt farewell.

He was born in Sezana (currently part of Slovenia), but his heart belonged to Italy, as he attended high school and university respectively in Trieste and in Milan, as well as the School of Physiology of Milan, where he started doing research under the tutelage of Professor Margaria. All of this certainly played a role in building his unique character along with some sort of natural empathy towards other people, something that he always had throughout his life and that made him stand out among other similarly accomplished professors at McGill University in Montreal.
Milic came to work at McGill University, coming from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, at the beginning of the ‘60s. There, he took up the position of Head of the Department of Physiology and Medicine from 1973 to 1978, and later he came to be Director of Meakins-Christie Labs in 1979, a position he held for 14 years. Furthermore, he had been appointed professor emeritus of the Department of Physiology and Medicine of McGill University in 1998.

Milic was many things. He surely was a giant of Respiratory Physiopathology, with a profound intellectual integrity and an impeccable methodological approach. He is to be commended for the measurement of pleural pressure and of the electric activity of crural diaphragm through the use of the oesophageal catheter, the non-invasive assessment of neuromuscular drive through the P0.1, the recognition of the vertical gradient of pleural pressure, the discovery of the closing volume, the concept of expiratory flow-limitation and dynamic pulmonary hyperinflation and many other accomplishments. However, he also was an extraordinary communicator, being able to properly explain a lot of complex concepts (I am sure that someone still remembers the “spring”) no matter the audience, from Japan to India, from Canada to Italy, while expressing himself in at least five languages.

Charisma most certainly was in Milic’s nature; he was a true leader, capable of making his colleagues get passionate about respiratory physiopathology, but also about other things he loved about life, such as history (especially the Roman one), the opera, monumental cemeteries, novels, ancient coins, toy soldiers, his taste for good cuisine and his jokes (which became well-known all over the world).

He may very well be universally described as an inspiring man, larger than life.

He was a generous and helpful person, a friend to his co-workers which he remembered fondly, and with which always kept in touch. To him they were the most important thing in his life as a professor.

It is undoubtedly true that every single one of those countless students, researchers and colleagues who had the privilege and the luck of meeting him has memories and anecdotes that made him unforgettable, and I surely cannot tell all that I personally remember.

I would like to conclude with what one could read in a poster on his office: “God created few perfect heads; the rest covered them with hair.”

I will miss your laugh, your sparkling gaze and your faxes.
We will miss all of it, but your legacy will last for a very long time.

Goodbye Milic and thanks
Calaudio Tantucci
and all his Italian Fellows
at Meakins-Christie Labs

Salvatore Bellofiore
Edo Calderini
Giuseppe Di Maria
Stefano Nava
Marco Ranieri
Andrea Rossi
Marina Saetta
Sebastiano Sanci
Santo Sapienza
Carlo Alberto Volta

Loubna Tayyara

I regard Milic as my most important “teacher at a distance”. As a young researcher, I wanted to be as imaginative as Milic — to dream up ideas out of nothing.  To emulate Milic’s novel ways of extracting insights out of confusing data, especially through the use of mathematical gymnastics. And to apply logic as rigorously as Milic did. Milic’s influence on me as a researcher was—and is—immeasurable. I make these comments because I believe that Milic’s own self-evaluation in his conversation with Andrea Rossi is wrong. Milic’s legacy is not simply his papers. It was his ability to shape the minds of people who never worked with him – and mostly young researchers who never met him.

Martin Tobin

So sad to hear of this news. He was a wonderful man, a brilliant scientist and someone who always had time to listen.

Meri Tulic

My deepest condolences to Dr. Milic-Emili’s family and friends. I worked at Meakins-Christie from 1988-1994 and I have personally experienced his love and dedication to respiratory science. He was a great professor and mentor with a great sense of humour.

Lijing Xu

According to a Brazilian writer, Guimaraes Rosa: “People don’t die, they are enchanted…”, which applies exactly to our common friend and mentor. He has been around us for so many decades, since the very first day each one of us met him and was instantly charmed. I keep finding myself repeating many of his phrases, gestures, and mannerisms, but I have never been able to even come close to him in cross-country skiing (he taught me into it), cooking or telling jokes. Once, back in 1982, we were attending a FASEB meeting in New Orleans and during an oral presentation session a speaker did not show up. Gillespie, who was chairing the session asked the audience what would we do and immediately someone said: “Let’s have Milic telling us jokes during these 15 minutes!”. There he went, a tremendous success! Sometimes I slept in and found a message by Milic on my desk: “Are you awake enough to go over the manuscript?” or he would phone me up saying: “This is Meakins-Christie wake up service, Sir, it is ten o’clock” and hung up! So, he is enchanted, no doubt, just think of him!

Walter A. Zin

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