After obtaining her degree in ophthalmology from Université de Sherbrooke in 1981, Dr. Hélène Boisjoly specialized in Cornea at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute, affiliated with Harvard University (1981-1983). In 1992, she obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She was a clinician-scientist with salary supported from 1986 to 2001 by the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQ_S). She worked at Université Laval (1983-1993) in Québec City before moving to Université de Montreal where she became Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (1993-1998). She was the first Scientific Director of the FRQ_S Provincial Vision Health Research Network (1996-2002). A full professor at Université de Montréal since 1998, she served as the Chair of its Department of Ophthalmology (2000-2008) and as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (2011-2020).

​

Dr. Boisjoly’s research interests include corneal transplant outcome, ocular herpes viral disease, and functional visual outcomes after ocular surgeries and in patients with low vision from chronic eye diseases. She received research funding without interruption until 2013, publishing more than 80 original scientific articles. She trained 120 residents and 50 graduate students, including a number of fellows. She is a member of several Boards of directors and organizations for the advancement of science and medical education. Since 2012, she leads Université de Montréal as a member of the prestigious M8 Alliance, an international network of universities and academies dedicated to improving global health. Member of the Order of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, she was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.