Dr. Louis Bessette graduated from medical school and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Laval University. He trained as a fellow in clinical research at the Multipurpose Arthritis Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and received a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.
He is a clinical researcher at the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Laval University, assistant professor at Laval University’s School of Medicine. Since 2014, he has been Chief of the Rheumatology Department at the CHU de Québec-Laval University. His main research interests are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, as well as the quality of life aspects and pharmacoeconomic studies related to these diseases.
Dr. Bessette is the principal investigator of the CATCH study in Quebec City (Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort Study). CATCH is a Canadian multicentre research program that aims at improving the quality of care for people with early inflammatory arthritis. Over 2,000 people are participating in our investigator-initiated research program across Canada (100 subjects in Quebec City). This is the only Canada-wide early arthritis cohort that follows people with new onset inflammatory or rheumatoid arthritis over time to examine the course of their disease and their response to the treatments provided by their healthcare team.
He is co-investigator of the Group for Early Arthritis Research (GEAR). GEAR is a multidisciplinary team of the CHU de Québec-Laval University composed of clinicians and clinical researchers in the field of rheumatology. A model for an early arthritis clinic was put in place in 2014 to give better and earlier access to patients who suffer from rheumatic conditions. Other objectives are to collect clinical data and bio specimens on patients with early arthritis to better understand disease progression and its complications. Collecting these data and bio specimens will provide information on the population in the CHU de Québec-Laval University catchment area, and allow to elaborate strategies to improve patient care and prevent comorbid conditions in patients with early arthritis.
Dr. Bessette is co-director for the CaMOS Quebec City Centre, a large Canadian epidemiologic study in osteoporosis. He is also co-investigator of the Recognizing Osteoporosis and its Consequences in Quebec (ROCQ) Programme, a patient health-management programme aimed at evaluating the diagnostic and treatment care gaps for osteoporosis following a fragility fracture in women aged 50 years and over.
2705, boulevard Laurier
T0-93
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
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"From Where I Stand": using multiple anchors yields different benchmarks for meaningful improvement and worsening in the rheumatoid arthritis flare questionnaire (RA-FQ)
Journal ArticleQual Life Res, 2022.
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Measuring the impact of an educational intervention in rheumatoid arthritis: An open-label, randomized trial
Journal ArticleArch Rheumatol, 37 (2), 2022.
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Predictors of Influenza Vaccination in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis 2017-2021: Results From the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort
Journal ArticleACR Open Rheumatol, 4 (7), 2022.
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Effect of upadacitinib on reducing pain in patients with active psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis: post hoc analysis of three randomised clinical trials
Journal ArticleRMD Open, 8 (1), 2022.
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Impact of Tofacitinib on Components of the ACR Response Criteria: Post Hoc Analysis of Phase III and Phase IIIb/IV Trials
Journal ArticleJ Rheumatol, 49 (6), 2022.
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Long-term safety and efficacy of upadacitinib or adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results through 3 years from the SELECT-COMPARE study
Journal ArticleRMD Open, 8 (1), 2022.
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Canadian Adalimumab Postmarketing Observational Epidemiological Study Assessing Effectiveness in Psoriatic Arthritis (COMPLETE-PsA): 12-month Results of Comparative Effectiveness of Adalimumab and nbDMARDs
Journal ArticleJ Rheumatol, 49 (5), 2022.
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Frequency and Duration of Early Non-serious Adverse Events in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis Treated with Tofacitinib
Journal ArticleRheumatol Ther, 9 (2), 2022.
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A Bridge Too Far? Real-World Practice Patterns of Early Glucocorticoid Use in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort
Journal ArticleACR Open Rheumatol, 4 (1), 2022.
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Recently finished projects
- Platelets and neutrophils: the two culprits mediating pain in inflammatory arthritis, from 2020-01-01 to 2022-12-31