Our president, Isabelle Milette, is a neonatal nurse practitioner and a Developmental care specialist (NANN certified)at the NICU of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital, center affiliated to the University of Montreal. She worked at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, the McGill University Health Center, both at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and at the Royal-Victoria Hospital, as well as the Jewish General Hospital (JGH). She obtained her Bachelor in Nursing at McGill University (1997), her master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Montreal (2000) and a post-master’s certificate for neonatal nurse practitioner from Stony Brook University, New York (2007).
In 2009, she became the first health care professional in Canada to obtain her certification of Advance Competency in Developmental Care offered by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), which became, in 2010, the Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist Certification. Between 2012-2016, she trained and supervised Canada's largest cohort of champions in development care ever certified by the NANN. They received the 2012-2013 Excellence in Commitment Award at the recognition gala of the CHU Sainte-Justine in 2014. In 2016, Accreditation Canada certifies the CHU Sainte-Justine with the first Leading practice in Development Care, following its development by Ms. Milette. In 2016-2017, she leads the development and publication of the Guidelines for the institutional implementation of developmental neuroprotective care in the NICU, a joint position statement of CANN, CAPWHN, NANN and COINN.
Pushing her knowledge further, she continued her education and obtain her certification in oral feeding by the FIFI (Fragile Infant Feeding Institute) in 2013. In 2014, she also becomes certified in Neonatal massage (NTMC) by Creative Therapy Consultants. In 2017, she obtains a certification as a Leader in developmental care through the Beacon Program of Caring Essentials Collaborative. In 2019, she undertakes the Mastermind Quantum Leap Program in trauma-informed care to obtain her Trauma-informed care certification (TIC-C) through Caring Essentials Collaborative in 2020. In 2021, she continues her development with the Trauma-infored Care Professional Certificate Program (TICP-C) and becomes the first Canadian to be certified. In 2023, she gets her certification as a Trauma-Informed care leader via the Compassionate Activist Leadership program and becomes the first professional in Quebec to be certified NIDCAP Professional!
Her research interests are developmental care, kangaro care, noise and light reduction in NICUs and PICUs, and neonatal intensive care design. In 2011, she acted as advisor for the NICU design team within the new CHUSJ specialised units building. In 2015, she also joined the leadership group on change at the CHU Sainte-Justine to perfect her work with health professionals. In 2016, she joined the Canadian Neonatal Brain Platform (CNCP) with her participation in the project to transform the neonatal unit of CHU Sainte-Justine into a neuro-neonatal unit for the neuroprotection of newborns at risk for brain damage. To ensure the advancement of development care in research, she becomes an associate clinician member of the Quebec Network on Nursing Intervention Research (RRISIQ). In 2022, she joins the board of directors at the CANN (Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses) to work on policies, guidelines and advocacy for our little patients and French Canadian nurses. In 2023, she is nominated as the CANN liaison to the Fetus & Newborn Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Society.
She is the author of several research articles on these subjects, co-author of 3 books in development care, scientific director of a reference book on clinical examination of the newborn and a perinatal nursing (Chenelière Education). She is also a lecturer and invited speaker in many academic, scientific and professional presentations, in national and international conferences as well as clinical training of health care professionals in community and hospital settings in Canada and internationally.
In 2023, she is recognized by the OIIQ as the winner of the Florence Prize in care excellency category.
In 2009, she became the first health care professional in Canada to obtain her certification of Advance Competency in Developmental Care offered by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), which became, in 2010, the Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist Certification. Between 2012-2016, she trained and supervised Canada's largest cohort of champions in development care ever certified by the NANN. They received the 2012-2013 Excellence in Commitment Award at the recognition gala of the CHU Sainte-Justine in 2014. In 2016, Accreditation Canada certifies the CHU Sainte-Justine with the first Leading practice in Development Care, following its development by Ms. Milette. In 2016-2017, she leads the development and publication of the Guidelines for the institutional implementation of developmental neuroprotective care in the NICU, a joint position statement of CANN, CAPWHN, NANN and COINN.
Pushing her knowledge further, she continued her education and obtain her certification in oral feeding by the FIFI (Fragile Infant Feeding Institute) in 2013. In 2014, she also becomes certified in Neonatal massage (NTMC) by Creative Therapy Consultants. In 2017, she obtains a certification as a Leader in developmental care through the Beacon Program of Caring Essentials Collaborative. In 2019, she undertakes the Mastermind Quantum Leap Program in trauma-informed care to obtain her Trauma-informed care certification (TIC-C) through Caring Essentials Collaborative in 2020. In 2021, she continues her development with the Trauma-infored Care Professional Certificate Program (TICP-C) and becomes the first Canadian to be certified. In 2023, she gets her certification as a Trauma-Informed care leader via the Compassionate Activist Leadership program and becomes the first professional in Quebec to be certified NIDCAP Professional!
Her research interests are developmental care, kangaro care, noise and light reduction in NICUs and PICUs, and neonatal intensive care design. In 2011, she acted as advisor for the NICU design team within the new CHUSJ specialised units building. In 2015, she also joined the leadership group on change at the CHU Sainte-Justine to perfect her work with health professionals. In 2016, she joined the Canadian Neonatal Brain Platform (CNCP) with her participation in the project to transform the neonatal unit of CHU Sainte-Justine into a neuro-neonatal unit for the neuroprotection of newborns at risk for brain damage. To ensure the advancement of development care in research, she becomes an associate clinician member of the Quebec Network on Nursing Intervention Research (RRISIQ). In 2022, she joins the board of directors at the CANN (Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses) to work on policies, guidelines and advocacy for our little patients and French Canadian nurses. In 2023, she is nominated as the CANN liaison to the Fetus & Newborn Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Society.
She is the author of several research articles on these subjects, co-author of 3 books in development care, scientific director of a reference book on clinical examination of the newborn and a perinatal nursing (Chenelière Education). She is also a lecturer and invited speaker in many academic, scientific and professional presentations, in national and international conferences as well as clinical training of health care professionals in community and hospital settings in Canada and internationally.
In 2023, she is recognized by the OIIQ as the winner of the Florence Prize in care excellency category.
Isabelle Milette
RN, M.Sc.N., NNP- Neonatal Nurse Practitionner
- Specialist in developmental care, neonatal massage/therapeutic touch and in the fragile infant feeding
- Clinical member of the Quebec Nursing Intervention Research Network (RRISIQ)