ResearchHub Login
BCCHR Researchers Find a Researcher

Manon Ranger
PhD

Assistant Professor and Investigator

My research program aims at investigating how early-life stress (e.g. pain, inflammation, clinical treatments) affects the developing brain of very preterm infants, conducting pre-clinical and clinical research. I use an animal model that closely captures critical aspects of what preterm infants are like and what they may experience in the NICU. The use of preclinical models allows mechanistic studies on how exposure to early-life adversity alters the normal trajectory of brain development. This research, in turn, better informs clinical studies in preterm infants and the development of novel treatments to mitigate adverse effects from these exposures.

This work is motivated by my clinical nursing background as a paediatric clinical nurse specialist in acute pain, and builds upon my doctoral training in infant brain reactivity to pain (McGill University/Harvard University/Boston Children’s Hospital) and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatrics/neuroscience at UBC (2012-16), as well as my work as a research scientist at Columbia University in the division of Developmental Neuroscience (2017-18).

Academic Affiliations

  • Affiliate Assistant Professor, , Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Affiliate Assistant Professor, Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Assistant Professor, , School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia
  • , Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Research Theme: Healthy Starts
  • Research Group(s): Origins of Child Health and Disease

Contact Information

Assistant

Rujun Kang

Rujun.Kang@bcchr.ca

Location

950 West 28th Avenue, Room 271, Variety Club Building, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 4H4

mranger@bcchr.ca

School of Nursing (UBC) profile

Association Between Follow-Up Visit Timing After A Concussion and Subsequent Care Seeking in Children and Youth: A Population-Based Study in British Columbia

Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

Ramsay, S. and Dahinten, V.S. and Ranger, M. and Babul, S. and Saewyc, E.

DOI: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000001001

Follow-up visits after pediatric concussion and the factors associated with early follow-up: a population-based study in British Columbia

Brain Injury

Ramsay, S. and Dahinten, V.S. and Ranger, M. and Babul, S. and Saewyc, E.

DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2395382

Sweet relief or lasting impacts? Review of neonatal pain and sucrose in developing rodents

Pain Reports

Hoq, F.S. and Newby, C. and Tremblay, S. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001345

Neonatal Sucrose and Internalizing Behaviors at 18 Months in Children Born Very Preterm

JAMA Network Open

McLean, M.A. and Ranger, M. and Bone, J.N. and Selvanathan, T. and Au-Young, S.H. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Chau, V. and Ly, L. and Kelly, E. and Synnes, A. and Miller, S.P. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4477

Adolescents perspectives on non-pharmacological pain interventions for sickle cell crisis management: A population-based survey

Plos One

Ibitoye, B.M. and Garrett, B. and Ranger, M. and Stinson, J.N.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0330127

You only work with what you know: Healthcare providers experiences using non-pharmacological interventions in managing sickle cell crisis pain in adolescents

Journal of Pain

Ibitoye, B.M. and Garrett, B. and Ranger, M. and Stinson, J.N.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105551

Outcomes Associated With Care Models for Neonates With Complex Medical Needs: A Scoping Review to Support Program Evaluation

Advances in Neonatal Care

Loewen, N. and Ranger, M. and Kieran, E.

DOI: 10.1097/ANC.0000000000001225

Creating a calmer NICU: Parental and nursing perspectives of a therapeutic device

Journal of Neonatal Nursing

Ranger, M. and Marriott, N. and Seabrook, L. and Garga, D. and Holsti, L.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jnn.2025.101741

Conducting Patient-Oriented Research in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Patient

Ibitoye, B.M. and Garrett, B. and Ranger, M. and Stinson, J.

DOI: 10.1007/s40271-022-00592-w

Non-pharmacological pain interventions for sickle cell crisis in pediatrics: A scoping review

Journal of Pediatric Nursing

Ibitoye, B.M. and Garrett, B. and Ranger, M. and Stinson, J.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2023.03.002

Follow-up visits after a concussion in the pediatric population: An integrative review

Neurorehabilitation

Ramsay, S. and Dahinten, V.S. and Ranger, M. and Babul, S.

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-220216

Experiences of Mothers of Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Advances in Neonatal Care

Richter, L.L. and Ku, C. and Mak, M.Y.Y. and Holsti, L. and Kieran, E. and Alonso-Prieto, E. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1097/ANC.0000000000001071

Participants' experience in using a point of Care Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for SARS-CoV-2

Annals of Family Medicine

Ndateva, I. and Schwandt, M. and Saewyc, E. and Sin, D. and Tobias, E. and Wong, S. and Haase, K. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1370/afm.20.s1.3104

Engaging nursing students in a COVID-19 Point-of-Care rapid screening clinic

Nursing Open

Dhari, R. and Haase, K. and Ranger, M. and Tan, E. and Affleck, F. and Bailey, E. and Wong, S.T.

DOI: 10.1002/nop2.1272

ATTENTIV: Instrumented Peripheral Catheter for the Detection of Catheter Dislodgement in IV Infiltration

Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society EMBS

Bo, J.Y. and Ta, K. and Nishida, R. and Yeh, G. and Tsang, V.W.L. and Bolton, M. and Ranger, M. and Walus, K.

DOI: 10.1109/EMBC48229.2022.9871840

The international Perinatal Outcomes in the Pandemic (iPOP) study: protocol [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Sarah J. Stock and Helga Zoega and Meredith Brockway and Rachel H. Mulholland and Jessica E. Miller and Jasper V. Been and Rachael Wood and Ishaya I. Abok and Belal Alshaikh and Adejumoke I. Ayede and Fabiana Bacchini and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta and Bronwyn K. Brew and Jeffrey Brook and Clara Calvert and Marsha Campbell-Yeo and Deborah Chan and James Chirombo and Kristin L. Connor and Mandy Daly and Kristjana Einarsdttir and Ilaria Fantasia and Meredith Franklin and Abigail Fraser and Siri Eldevik Hberg and Lisa Hui and Luis Huicho and Maria C. Magnus and Andrew D. Morris and Livia Nagy-Bonnard and Natasha Nassar and Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu and Dedeke Iyabode Olabisi and Kirsten R. Palmer and Lars Henning Pedersen and Gavin Pereira and Amy Racine-Poon and Manon Ranger and Tonia Rihs and Christoph Saner and Aziz Sheikh and Emma M. Swift and Lloyd Tooke and Marcelo L. Urquia and Clare Whitehead and Christopher Yilgwan and Natalie Rodriguez and David Burgner and Meghan B. Azad and iPOP Study

DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16507.1

02 / 2021

Cerebral hemodynamic response to a therapeutic bed for procedural pain management in preterm infants in the NICU: a randomized controlled trial

Pain Reports

Ranger, M. and Albert, A. and MacLean, K. and Holsti, L.

DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000890

Maternal separation affects fronto-cortical activity in rat pups during dam-pup interactions and behavioral transitions

Biorxiv

Ranger, M. and Behring, T.B. and Kaidbey, J.H. and Anwar, M. and Lipshutz, A.B. and Mollicone, I. and Hassan, G. and Fasano, K. and Hinz, N.K. and Ludwig, R.J. and Myers, M.M. and Welch, M.G. and Dumitriu, D.

DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.19.444831

Sex-specific effects of neonatal oral sucrose treatment on growth and liver choline and glucocorticoid metabolism in adulthood

American Journal of Physiology Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology

Ram{\'i}rez-Contreras, C.Y. and Mehran, A.E. and Salehzadeh, M. and Mussai, E.-X. and Miller, J.W. and Smith, A. and Ranger, M. and Holsti, L. and Soma, K.K. and Devlin, A.M.

DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00091.2021

Feasibility and utility of rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 in a university residence: A cross sectional study

Medrxiv

Wong, S.T. and Romney, M.G. and Haase, K. and Matic, N. and Ranger, M. and Dhari, R. and Affleck, F. and Tan, E. and Ndateba, I. and Tobias, E. and Saewyc, E. and Schwandt, M. and Sin, D.D.

DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.24.21257732

Designing and Evaluating Calmer, a Device for Simulating Maternal Skin-to-Skin Holding for Premature Infants

Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Proceedings

Hauser, S. and Suto, M.J. and Holsti, L. and Ranger, M. and MacLean, K.E.

DOI: 10.1145/3313831.3376539

Early Life Maternal Separation and Maternal Behaviour Modulate Acoustic Characteristics of Rat Pup Ultrasonic Vocalizations

Scientific Reports

Kaidbey, J.H. and Ranger, M. and Myers, M.M. and Anwar, M. and Ludwig, R.J. and Schulz, A.M. and Barone, J.L. and Kolacz, J. and Welch, M.G.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54800-z

Hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus volumes in very preterm children at 8 years: Neonatal pain and genetic variation

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Chau, C.M.Y. and Ranger, M. and Bichin, M. and Park, M.T.M. and Amaral, R.S.C. and Chakravarty, M. and Poskitt, K. and Synnes, A.R. and Miller, S.P. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00051

Adverse behavioral changes in adult mice following neonatal repeated exposure to pain and sucrose

Frontiers in Psychology

Ranger, M. and Tremblay, S. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Holsti, L. and Grunau, R.E. and Goldowitz, D.

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02394

Is near infrared spectroscopy valid for the detection of procedural pain in postoperative cardiac surgery intensive care unit adults?

Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Glinas, C. and Boitor, M. and Ranger, M. and Johnston, C.C. and De Marchie, M. and Cervero, F. and Choinire, M.

DOI: 10.1177/0967033517730369

Developmental Aspects of Pain

Fetal and Neonatal Physiology 2 Volume Set

Ranger, M. and Beggs, S. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-323-35214-7.00137-2

Repeated exposure to sucrose for procedural pain in mouse pups leads to long-term widespread brain alterations

Pain

Tremblay, S. and Ranger, M. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Ellegood, J. and Lerch, J.P. and Holsti, L. and Goldowitz, D. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000961

Neonatal Invasive Procedures Predict Pain Intensity at School Age in Children Born Very Preterm

Clinical Journal of Pain

Valeri, B.O. and Ranger, M. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Cepeda, I.L. and Synnes, A. and Linhares, M.B.M. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000353

How do babies feel pain?

eLife

Ranger, M. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.7554/eLife.07552

Neonatal Pain and Infection Relate to Smaller Cerebellum in Very Preterm Children at School Age

Journal of Pediatrics

Ranger, M. and Zwicker, J.G. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Park, M.T.M. and Chakravarthy, M.M. and Poskitt, K. and Miller, S.P. and Bjornson, B.H. and Tam, E.W.Y. and Chau, V. and Synnes, A.R. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.04.055

Early repetitive pain in preterm infants in relation to the developing brain

Pain management

Ranger, M. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.2217/pmt.13.61

Neonatal pain and comt Val158Met genotype in relation to serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) promoter methylation in very preterm children at school age

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Chau, C.M.Y. and Ranger, M. and Sulistyoningrum, D. and Devlin, A.M. and Obertander, T.F. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00409

Innovating in Pain Assessment of the Critically Ill: Exploring Cerebral Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Bedside Approach

Pain Management Nursing

Ranger, M. and Glinas, C.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2012.03.005

Internalizing behaviours in school-age children born very preterm are predicted by neonatal pain and morphine exposure

European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom)

Ranger, M. and Synnes, A.R. and Vinall, J. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00431.x

Neonatal Pain

Treatment of Chronic Pain by Integrative Approaches the American Academy of Pain Medicine Textbook on Patient Management

Johnston, C. and Campbell-Yeo, M. and Fernandes, A. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1821-8_22

A multidimensional approach to pain assessment in critically ill infants during a painful procedure

Clinical Journal of Pain

Ranger, M. and Celeste Johnston, C. and Rennick, J.E. and Limperopoulos, C. and Heldt, T. and Du Plessis, A.J.

DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31826dfb13

Neonatal Pain-Related Stress Predicts Cortical Thickness at Age 7 Years in Children Born Very Preterm

PLoS ONE

Ranger, M. and Chau, C.M.Y. and Garg, A. and Woodward, T.S. and Beg, M.F. and Bjornson, B. and Poskitt, K. and Fitzpatrick, K. and Synnes, A.R. and Miller, S.P. and Grunau, R.E.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076702

Maternal Touch and Talk for Invasive Procedures in Infants and Toddlers in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Journal of Pediatric Nursing

Johnston, C.C. and Rennick, J.E. and Filion, F. and Campbell-Yeo, M. and Goulet, C. and Bell, L. and Tucci, M. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2010.12.016

Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy as a measure of nociceptive evoked activity in critically ill infants

Pain Research and Management

Ranger, M. and Johnston, C.C. and Limperopoulos, C. and Rennick, J.E. and Du Plessis, A.J.

Incidence of self-limiting back pain in children following caudal blockade: An exploratory study

Paediatric Anaesthesia

Valois, T. and Otis, A. and Ranger, M. and Muir, J.G.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2010.03365.x

Toward a new approach for the detection of pain in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: Near-infrared spectroscopy"A pilot study

Heart and Lung: Journal of Acute and Critical Care

Glinas, C. and Choinire, M. and Ranger, M. and Denault, A. and Deschamps, A. and Johnston, C.

DOI: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2009.10.018

Interventions used in Emergency Departments (ED) for pain management of simple fractures in children

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Le May, S. and Fortin, C. and Johnston, C. and Choiniere, M. and Gouin, S. and Paquette, G. and Ranger, M.

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007538

Developing synergy to enhance the impact of nursing intervention research on patient health

Canadian Journal of Nursing Research

Johnston, C. and Cossette, S. and Archer, J. and Ranger, M. and Nahas-Chebli, G.

Controlling bias in complex nursing intervention studies: A checklist

Canadian Journal of Nursing Research

Campbell-Yeo, M. and Ranger, M. and Johnston, C. and Fergusson, D.

An acute pain service improves postoperative pain management for children undergoing selective dorsal rhizotomy

Paediatric Anaesthesia

Frigon, C. and Loetwiriyakul, W. and Ranger, M. and Otis, A.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2009.03184.x

Temperament and Pain Response: A Review of the Literature

Pain Management Nursing

Ranger, M. and Campbell-Yeo, M.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2007.09.005

Theoretical, Psychometric, and Pragmatic Issues in Pain Measurement

Pain Management Nursing

Glinas, C. and Loiselle, C.G. and LeMay, S. and Ranger, M. and Bouchard, E. and McCormack, D.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2007.12.001

Current Controversies Regarding Pain Assessment in Neonates

Seminars in Perinatology

Ranger, M. and Johnston, C.C. and Anand, K.J.S.

DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2007.07.003

Continuous axillary block for paediatric trauma patients who failed with PCA therapy

Acute Pain

Ranger, M. and Desparmet, J. and Goujard, E.

DOI: 10.1016/j.acpain.2006.09.001

Horner's syndrome following thoracic epidural analgesia in children: A report of two cases

Acute Pain

Valois, T. and Ranger, M. and Raghavendran, S.

DOI: 10.1016/j.acpain.2006.05.001

The role of neuroinflammation in early life pain/sucrose-induced neurodevelopment impairments

Improving access to pediatric symptom management: Engaging and educating health care practitioners to improve lives for children with serious illness in Nepal

Creating a Calmer NICU: Pilot Testing a Robot for Optimizing Brain Development in Preterm Infants in the NICU

Brain-to-brain synchrony in mother-child and father-child dyads: a novel biomarker of brain development

Exploring the experiences of NICU mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Richter L, Ku C, Mak MYY, Holsti L, Kieran E, Alonso-Prieto E, Ranger M. (2023). Experiences of mothers of preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advances in Neonatal Care;23(4):295-303.
doi: 10.1097/ANC.0000000000001071

Grants

Healthy Starts Catalyst grant (2021-2023)

Sheena Davidson Nursing Research Fund (2020-2022)

Related News

Every day, our researchers work towards breakthroughs to transform the lives of kids in BC and around the world. Learn about our latest innovations and advancements in child health.

bcchr news

Our Research

At BC Children’s, we are making discoveries that save lives and transform health care for children in our province and around the world. Our research portfolio includes basic, clinical, population, and public health research.

EXPLORE OUR RESEARCH

Stay in the Know

Sign up for compelling stories about innovative science, the doctors and researchers who turn ideas into discoveries and treatments, and the kids and families whose lives are changed.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

BC Children's Hospital Research Institute operates on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples — xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Further, this acknowledgement, gratitude, and respect extends to all of the First Nations communities on whose territories the Research Institute builds relationships and operates in British Columbia.

Contact

© 2026 BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. All rights reserved.

Crafted with by Forge and Smith

Our Research

Training

Services

Organization

Donate NowParticipate in ResearchResearchHub Login
BC Children's HospitalBC Children's Hospital Foundation