The Neuro. Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital

The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) is a McGill University Health Centre institution in Montréal dedicated to neuroscience research, teaching, and patient care. It was founded in 1934 by Wilder Penfield. It is publicly funded under Québec’s healthcare system, and operates bilingually (English/French). It is known for combining cutting-edge basic research with clinical applications.

Clinical Services & Patient-Focused Care

• The Neuro provides specialized care in neurology and neurosurgery including clinics for epilepsy, movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s), neuro-oncology, cerebrovascular (stroke), multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, pain syndromes, and peripheral-central nervous system disorders.
• Diagnostic services include advanced imaging, biobanking, clinical trials, and neuroinformatics support.
• Patient resource centre, diagnostic labs, and visitor & clinic services are well established. Patients’ rights, wayfinding, contact info and access are transparent.

Research, Open Science & Innovation

• The Neuro is a leader in open science; it was among the first to implement open science practices institution-wide, e.g. the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute.
• Active in numerous clinical trials; the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) manages many trials across neurological disorders.
• Strong imaging infrastructure (neuroimaging, MRI, PET, etc.), biobanking, facilities enabling interdisciplinary work (neuroinformatics, neurobiology, engineering).

Strengths & Challenges

Strengths:

• Reputation for excellence in both research and clinical care, tightly integrated with academic missions.
• Commitment to open science and data sharing helps accelerate discoveries and transparency.
• Highly specialized care for neurological disorders that often require advanced diagnostics and multidisciplinary teams.

Challenges / Limitations:

• Being a highly specialized centre, wait-times for non-urgent referrals can be long.
• Access for patients coming from outside Montréal may face travel, parking or logistical burdens.
• Maintaining and expanding infrastructure to keep pace with evolving diagnostic and therapeutic technologies requires continuous funding.

Practical Information & Location

• Physical address: 3801 University Street, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4. General hospital phone: 514-398-6644; institute phone: 514-398-1903.
• Entry via University Street; parking, wayfinding information and transit access are provided.
• Patients often require referral; there is a referral portal.