Alain Cloutier, 1955–2004

On May 11th, 2004, the Canadian paediatric cardiology community lost a trusted and dynamic leader, Dr. Alain Cloutier. Dr. Cloutier died at the tragically young age of 49 years, having been diagnosed with an invasive brain tumour. Born in Quebec City, Canada, in 1955, he trained in paediatric cardiology at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. He subsequently returned to Quebec City, where he joined the Division of Paediatric Cardiology, and went on to become its head in 1997. At the age of 47, he was appointed Chair of the Department of Paediatrics of the University of Laval in Quebec. In 2000, he was appointed President of the Canadian Paediatric Cardiology Association and, in 2002, he organized and led a Canadian Paediatric Cardiology Task Force to examine and optimise the delivery of paediatric cardiac services across Canada.

Alain was known in Canada as a “rassembleur”, someone able to generate enthusiasm among disparate groups to help achieve a common goal, most often that of improving the care given to children with congenital cardiac disease. His great love of children, and his reputation for fairness and honesty, leavened by his renowned sense of humour, facilitated his success in a number of ambitious projects. Perhaps the most notable, and certainly dearest to him, was the founding of the Réseau québécois de télésanté de l'enfant, or the Quebec Child Telehealth Network, described in detail in this issue of Cardiology in the Young. Alain's drive to promote telemedicine stemmed from personal experiences that convinced him of the importance of ready access to paediatric cardiologic specialists for all children, including those living in remote locations. Never did he let the technological aspects of the Quebec telehealth project overshadow the true benefits of being able to establish a cardiac diagnosis from distances as far away as 1500 kilometres. His enthusiasm was infectious, both among colleagues and among those government officials who were called upon to fund the province-wide telehealth project. It extended beyond Canada and Europe, where he set up collaborative telehealth projects, to the United States of America, Algeria, and South America, where he was invited to make presentations about telehealth.

At its inception, Alain founded the Quebec Child Telehealth Network as a clinical tool for paediatric cardiologists. Once established, however, the network has developed ever-increasing clinical applications throughout the province, including those in psychiatry, genetics, ophthalmology, and nephrology. In addition, Dr. Cloutier encouraged the development of Quebec telehealth projects related to continuing medical education and multi-institutional research. Under his guidance, these complemented the clinical activities of the network with the extra dimensions of teaching and research.

Alain's contributions were recognized in Canada by several prestigious awards, including that of the Quebec Medical Association for Innovation and Leadership. Although he never sought them, he would doubtless have earned many more were he to have lived to accomplish all the projects he had started. His patients, their families, his colleagues, family and friends, all greatly mourn his premature passing. Alain, we hope that we will find the energy and dedication to further your endeavours and realize all your dreams. Salut Alain, merci pour tout!