Our Story

Discover

Our Story

Faced with the isolation observed among many hospitalized patients and long-term care residents, Heartful Visits was born at the University of Montreal, driven by the desire to break this isolation while offering students a concrete opportunity to engage in healthcare.

Our Mission

Breaking the isolation of hospitalized patients and long-term care residents by providing them with support and comfort.

Our Origin

Born at the University of Montreal, led by medical students passionate about community engagement.

Our Role

A bridge between the hospital world and the academic environment through diverse strategic partnerships.

Our Approach

Innovative and humanistic, transforming the care experience while enriching the training of the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Our Vision

A Promising Future

We aspire to extend this volunteer model across Canada, creating partnerships and chapters in every province, where patients are at the heart of our decisions and efforts. Our long-term ambition is to have an international impact, sharing our innovative and humanistic approach with communities around the world.

Meet

Our Team

A dedicated team of students who share the same passion for community engagement and improving the patient experience.

Othmane Zekraoui
Othmane Zekraoui President and Founder
Rabah Achab
Rabah Achab Vice-President
Maathumetha Ponnambalam
Maathumetha Ponnambalam Director of Volunteers
Donia Issa
Donia Issa Director of Communications
Cherine Julien
Cherine Julien Co-Director of Communications
Yan Yu
Yan Yu Co-Director of Communications
Léa Tannoury
Léa Tannoury Co-Director of Pediatric Program
Farah Alem
Farah Alem Co-Director of Pediatric Program
Ines Tahiri Alaoui
Ines Tahiri Alaoui Co-Director of Pediatric Program
Malak Hammoun
Malak Hammoun Co-Director of Pediatric Program
Dilinur Abdumutalova
Dilinur Abdumutalova Co-Director of Long-Term Care Program
Lydia Tayeb
Lydia Tayeb Co-Director of Long-Term Care Program
Daniel Kaldas
Daniel Kaldas Director of External Affairs
Salma Moussaid
Salma Moussaid Director of Finance
Our Chapters

Local Teams


Discover the teams that bring Heartful Visits to life at different universities across Quebec.

Massylas Deflaoui Co-President
Rayhana Cheriti Co-President
Marie Koudolo VP External Affairs
Éléonore Lacroix VP Communications
Léa Fontaine VP Social Media
Jennifer Muana Med Rep 2028
Matthew Cassar Med Rep 2026
Amadou Houla Sanda Med Rep 2027
Neila Yahiaoui Dent Rep

Interested in creating a local chapter?

Feel free to contact us to discuss your project

Our Partners

Academic Partners

Higher education institutions that support our mission

Université de Montréal
McGill University
Université Laval

Financial Partners

Organizations that contribute to funding our initiatives

ASEQ
Québécor
Forces Avenir

Healthcare Institutions

Healthcare facilities where our volunteers serve

CHU Sainte-Justine
CIUSSS Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
CIUSSS Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
CIUSSS Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal