Francis Lebouthillier

Francis LeBouthillier is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist, designer, researcher and educator. He was awarded his AOCA from the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) and his MFA from York University. Since 1989, Francis has been a Associate Professor at OCAD University, where he teaches in the Faculty of Art. For over 30 years, Francis has been educating and supporting art and design students at OCAD U, teaching a broad range of courses at introductory and advanced levels. He is a committed educator that takes great pride in creating stimulating and accessible curriculum that is student centred, holistic and critically engaged. He chaired the Sculpture/Installation Program from 2007 to 2012.

In his art practice, LeBouthillier creates interactive installations involving technology and performance to address gender/power hierarchies and issues related to the environment. Since 1986, LeBouthillier's installations have been presented in galleries throughout Canada, London England, Paris France, Denmark, Switzerland and the United States. He has also been the recipient of numerous artist grants and awards.

For over 20 years, Francis has maintained a research practice that involves developing high-fidelity surgical simulators and medical models. This work has involved research teams at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, Women's College Hospital, and the University of Toronto's Surgical Skills Lab. He has developed several simulators that are integral to refining the surgical techniques of obstetricians worldwide. His research work was selected by the Ontario Council of Universities to be included in their province wide Research Matters Campaign. In 2014, Francis LeBouthillier was featured in a Smithsonian documentary for his contributions in the advancement of surgical simulators in support of fetal health. In 2015 he was awarded OCAD University’s Award for Distinguished Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. Recently, CBC Radio (Fresh Air with Ismaila Alfa) featured Francis’ research collaboration with surgeons at the Ontario Fetal Centre. The focus of this radio broadcast was the research involved in the creation of a simulator to train surgeons in the robotic, in utero surgical procedures associated with the life threatening condition of Spina Bifida.