Jean-Martin Laberge, M.D., FRCS(c) grew up in Quebec City and obtained his M.D. at Laval University in 1977. After his training in general surgery at McGill University, he specialized in pediatric surgery at Ste-Justine Hospital and then he spent six months in research on fetal surgery with Dr. Michael Harrison in San Francisco. Afterwards, he pursued his career at the Montreal Children's Hospital, where he is actively practicing general pediatric surgery with a particular interest in fetal diagnosis and treatment, teaching and research. From 1994-2008, he was the director of the training program in pediatric surgery at McGill University, and from 1996-2008, the director of the division of pediatric surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital. He has been a professor of surgery at McGill University and an associate chair of the McGill Department of Pediatric Surgery since 2004. In 2011, he joined the staff at the Shriners Children's Canada with the opening of the chest wall anomaly clinic.
He is active in numerous organizations including chairman of the Examination Board of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada for Pediatric Surgery (1996-1999) and was chairman of the Specialty Committee in Pediatric General Surgery of the Royal College (2001-2006). He also served as chairman of the Education Committee of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgeons (1994-1999), was a member of the Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery of the American College of Surgeons (1997-2002), and president of the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society in 2002. He was member of the Workforce Committee (2003-2009) and was vice-chair (2003-2005) and chair (2005-2007) of the Fetal Therapy Committee of the American Pediatric Surgical Association. He is an editorial consultant for the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Surgery International. He was president of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgeons (2009-2011) and recently completed a 6-year term as chair of the Bilingualism Committee of this organization and still serves as chair of the Global Partnership Committee.
Dr. Laberge is the co-author of more than 180 scientific articles and 50 review articles and book chapters. He is also one of the editors of the 7th edition (2012) of the 2-volume textbook Pediatric Surgery. Besides his clinical interest in fetal care, he pursued research in fetal tracheal occlusion in the laboratory. He is presently co-investigator in the Canadian Pediatric Surgery Network (CAPSNet). He is also co-primary investigator of the Canadian Biliary Atresia Registry which will was launched in 2016. Finally, Dr. Laberge has in interest in global surgery and has participated in more than 25 surgical missions abroad, mostly in Africa. He received the Medical Prize of Excellence from the Montreal Children's Hospital in 2010, the MCH Recognition Award in 2019, and was co-recipient of the Prix d'humanisme from the College of Physicians of Quebec in 2013. He was recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as Mentor of the Year in 2019.
As part of a career-long interest in pediatric thoracic surgery, the Shriners Children's Canada chest wall anomaly clinic allowed further interest and refinements in the treatment of chest wall deformities, including the use of non-invasive methods such as bracing for pectus carinatum and vacuum bell for pectus excavatum.
Interests and hobbies include family trips with his four children and eight grandchildren. He also enjoys skiing, sailing and windsurfing, working on a 100 year-old cottage and a modern log house and making maple syrup.
