CARDIOVASCULAR SCIENCES

COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

ANNUAL REPORT 2017 – 2018

FitzGerald Bldg., 150 College Street, Room 83E, Toronto ON M5S 3E2 Tel: 416/978-0746 Fax: 416/946-5713 E-mail: cv.program@utoronto.ca Web site: www.cscp.utoronto.ca

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CONTENTS DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE……………………………………………………………………………….2

MISSION STATEMENT………………………………………………………………………………….4

COLLABORATING FACULTIES/DEPARTMENTS………………………………………………….4

COMMITTEES…………………………………………………………………………………………….5 - Executive - Program

COURSES OFFERED………………………………………………………………………………...…5

PROGRAM SPONSORED ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………………...6-15 - Annual Student Research Day

- Cardiovascular Summer Initiative – CSI - Open Lab: Innovation in Cardiovascular Techniques - Circulation Seminars - Student Forum

AWARDS…………...………………………………………………………………………………..15-18 - Medtronic Travel Award - Bigelow Book Prize - Lorne Phenix Graduate Award

FINANCIAL SUPPORT.……………………………………………………………….......................18 - Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Funds (OSOTF) Award - Queen Elizabeth II - Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)

ADVERTISING MATERIAL……………………………………………………………………………19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………..………………………………………………………….19 STUDENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………..20-25 - Currently Enrolled - Convocated/Follow-Up - Awards and Honors - Publications

FACULTY………………..…………………………………………………………………………..26-28

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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

It is my pleasure to present this report highlighting the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program’s (CSCP) activities and accomplishments for the 2017-2018 academic year. Our partnership with the Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research (HSRLCE) is now in its’ fourth successfull year and has resulted in continued high quality education experience for our trainees. Visiting professors brought in by the HSRLCE continue to be integrated into CSCP student opportunities to meet and hear world experts share their passion and knowledge - which is a valuable exposure for our students. In addition, a new initiative was added this year whereby, at the HSRLCE Michael J. Sole Annual Cardiovascular Scientific Day in

April both our Phenix and Bigelow awardees from the previous year were prominently featured as keynote speakers. Both Emily Vecchiarelli as the Phenix Award winner and Cedric Manlhiot as the Bigelow award winner were warmly received. This is an important step in showing our trainees of their value and highlight beyond just the reaches of the CSCP their outstanding work to our general cardiovascular community. We continue the time honored unique tradition of the annual one-on-one meeting each student gets with our Chair of the Student Affairs Committee. This affords the student the opportunity to identify any concerns they may have related to their graduate experience and gain insight from a senior faculty on how to deal with issues before they become too overwhelming. This also ensures our students are progressing through their training and that they are on track to fulfill their requirements for the CSCP as well. This adds another layer of security to the student, as well as supervisor, to ensure all is progressing well, as there have been incidents whereby trainees get lost in the system and feel they cannot share their concerns without negative implications. We have heard from both supervisors and the students this has been a much appreciated opportunity. Additonally, our formal feedback from our convocating students continue to show their satisfaction with their experiences. Details on the many highlights related to CSCP activities are, as always, found within the body of this report and on our web site. The flagship event continues to be the day long Student Research Day, where students are able to network with other students across the campus in the many differing disciplines. This event, the 19th, continues to be organized by the students and includes sessions on their research. This year Drs. Margaret Cheng and Craig Simmons shared their career histories and philosophies with the trainees. The students also are learning from each other and often forging collaboration across diverse pillars of research. Our 'Open Lab - Innovation in Cardiovascular Techniques' are visits to different research locations of our diverse faculty which allows the students to meet and experience current and ongoing projects in the cardiovascular arena. The 'Circulation Seminars' highlight world respected cardiovascular scientists hosted by our participating and partner units. The Cardiovascular Summer Initiative ‘CSI’ series continues to include practical visits to facilities such as the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre and the Surgical Skills Laboratory which further expands the awareness of the breadth and depth offered at the University of Toronto in the cardiovascular sciences. Our unique flagship graduate JCV series courses, made up of 6 modules each worth .5 FTE, continue to be highly popular and well ranked by the students. A seventh one is under design with a focus on

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cardiovascular systems biology under Dr Anthony Gramolini. This, once approved, will commence in the next academic cycle. There are also a number of changes ongoing as all collaborative programs have been renamed as “Programs” by the School of Graduate Studies. After this report our Program will be known as the “Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program” or CSCP at the University of Toronto. Then the FitzGerald Building is in the process of being decommissioned and all offices re-allocated. We have been allocated smaller office space at 263 McCaul and move in June 2018. In addition, Dr Gramolini kindly agreed to take on the role of Associate Director of the CSCP. He will be a welcome addition, and provide a unique new prespective on our program and directions to the future. Welcome Tony! Annual student enrollment for this past year has shown a 10% overall increase; mostly at the MSc level while PhD tranee numbers dropped slightly mainly due to an unusually high number of trainees graduating, significantly higher than new recruits could counterbalance. However our total enrollment is still an impressive 85 trainees, the highest number ever!

Finally, it is also important to continue to mention that the CSCP is a unique collaborative program not only because it offers and runs its own graduate courses but also it yearly allocates more than $153,000 of student support including scholarships, bursaries and awards. The CSCP is pleased to be able to provide this tangible monetary benefit for our HSRLCE partner and graduate units as one of the compensations for their involvement and support. In closing, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the continued significant financial support provided by our key HSRLCE partner as well as our participating units during the past fiscal year. This has allowed us to continue delivering the highest quality education and continue creating the needed unified effort that will ensure that the University of Toronto becomes the 'go to' institution for cardiovascular sciences training anywhere in the world. Our ability to provide students the broad multi-pillar education and exposure to world class research faculty is unique.

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2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

2017-2018 Student Participation

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Working together with our partners such as the HSRLCE to secure donors and stable infrastructure funding continues to be a critical issue. It is hoped that this effort will finally result in some success in the foreseeable future, allowing us the stability to continue to deliver our outstanding high quality programming as well as further develop cardiovascular education initiatives at the graduate and post doctoral levels. Respectfully Submitted: Dr. Carin Wittnich, O.Ont. Director, CSCP Professor of Surgery & Physiology Northrop Frye Scholar

MISSION STATEMENT “The Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program, approved by the University and Ontario Council on Graduate Studies in 1992, and listed in the calendar of the School of Graduate Studies, exists to give formal, organized expression to cardiovascular studies and research at the graduate level. It builds on the strengths of all participating academic units, and other agencies, to enhance the visibility of cardiovascular studies and to facilitate collaborative, interdisciplinary training and research.” The above mission is achieved by advertising and promoting the importance of, and opportunities in, cardiovascular studies, by making known the results of such studies, by recruitment of excellent students, and by coordinating the graduate collaborative program in cooperation with the academic units in which they are registered. Students in this collaborative program must fulfill the requirements of their home units as well as the Program. Upon graduation the notation “Program in Cardiovascular Sciences” will appear on the student’s academic transcript and the Program will present the student with a certificate and gift.

COLLABORATING FACULTIES Applied Science and Engineering Dentistry Kinesiology and Physical Education Medicine Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

COLLABORATING GRADUATE UNITS Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry Dentistry Exercise Sciences

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Medical Biophysics Medical Science Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Pharmacology and Toxicology Physiology Rehabilitation Science

SUPPORTING CLINICAL DEPARTMENTS Anesthesia Medical Imaging

Medicine Surgery

COMMITTEES Executive The Executive Committee consists of the CSCP Director and 4 members of the Program Committee representing as wide a range of disciplines as possible. Each member also acts as Chairs of the various subcommittees as noted beside their name. The Executive Committee provides student counseling, screens applicants, provides advice and acts as a Steering Committee. Dr. C. Wittnich (Fundraising) Dr. T. Gramolini (Membership/Curriculum) Dr. M. Rand (Scholarships & Awards) Dr. J. Goodman (Student Affairs)

Program The Program Committee consists of a representative from each collaborating department as well as two student representatives. It administers the Program, selects the Director, and generally meets twice per year. C. Wittnich (Chair) R-K. Li (Institute of Medical Science) D. Brooks (Rehabilitation Science) H. Tenenbaum (Dentistry) S. Wu (Pharmaceutical Sciences) S. Thomas (Exercise Sciences) D. Mazer (Anesthesia) G. Wright (Medical Biophysics) J. Parker (Pharmacology) TBA (Chemical Engineering) S. Heximer (Physiology) TBA (Medical Imaging) M. Rand (Lab. Med. & Pathobiology) D. Steinman (Inst. Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering)

COURSES OFFERED JCV1060H* Developmental Cardiovascular Physiology JCV3060H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Molecular Biology & Heart Signal

Transduction JCV3061H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Hormones JCV3062H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Heart Function JCV3063H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Vascular JCV3064H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Microvascular Medicine

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EXS5508H Cardiovascular Disease and Exercise JEB1365H Ultrasound: Theory and Applications in Biology and Medicine JTC1331H Biomaterials Science LMP1015H Vascular Pathobiology LMP1504H Cell and Molecular Biology of Cardiovascular Diseases PSL1462H Molecular Aspects of Cardiovascular Function * PhD Trainee Core Courses (2 of 6 modules required); JCV denotes joint listing with most of our collaborating depts.

Suggested Courses (Considered valuable but does not fulfill Program requirements) CHL5201 Introducing Biostatistics for Students in Biological Sciences I LMP1404S Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Disease

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Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program 19th Annual Student Research Day

The 19th Annual Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program (CSCP) Student Research Day was held on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. This day provides trainees an opportunity to present their research to their peers in a welcoming environment promoting discussion and the free flow of ideas. The event provides a platform for expression of scientific ideas and inspiration for the mind, pushing the boundaries of current scientific paradigms in the field of cardiovascular research. Dr. Carin Wittnich, CSCP Director, led the day with opening remarks highlighting the excellence and diversity of the CSCP with Rachel

Adams, Chair of the Organizing Committee, briefing the audience on the events of the day. We again offered “lightning talks” in addition to the standard presentation format. The morning had three student presentation sessions that focused on research of molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, vascular mechanisms and cardiovascular imaging, and cardiovascular health and clinical implications. Awards were then presented to students receiving the “Bigelow Book Prize” and the “Lorne Phenix Graduate Award”. As well, certificates were handed out to students who had completed their CSCP training. The afternoon completed the day with inspiring presentations from our guest speakers, Margaret Cheng, Assistant Professor in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and Craig Simmons, Distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at UofT. The day closed with awards being presented to students who were judged by their peers to have given the best oral presentation and to have had the most innovative research. With the

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success last year of the question raffle, the students continued this as it is a fun way to encourage questions and discussion with the audience!

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS As part of the CSCP requirements, all students must present their research once during their graduate training. This presentation consists of either an 8-minute talk followed by a 2 minute question period or a 3-minute talk followed by a 2 minute question period. Below is a summary of the three sessions given by the students with excellent and innovative presentations given throughout. Session I: Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease (Chair: Daniel Wang) Farwah Iqbal, PhD/PSL Combined Treatment of First Trimester Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells and Endothelial Progenitor Cells Accelerates Regeneration After Myocardial Infarction Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari, MSc/PSL Nanoscale Imaging of Essential Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Proteins in Pressure Overload Cardiomyocytes Gyu-Tae Kim, MSc/DEN High-Throughput Drug-Screening Using Human Cardiomyocytes in Mechanically Controlled Environments Haisam Shah, MSc/PSL The Role of Fibroblasts in Cardiac Fibrosis Through both in vitro cellular experiments and in vivo mouse studies, the presenters in Session I advanced our knowledge in normal and diseased cardiovascular function by highlighting novel techniques and identifying new protein-protein interactions. Farwah Iqbal, discovered that first trimester human umbilical cord perivascular cells combined with endothelial progenitor cells significantly improves vascular formation in vitro and greatly improves cardiac function following myocardial infarction. An array of angiogenic factor pathways were shown to be critical in this synergistic angiogenic response. Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari then demonstrated the adaptations and re-localization of calcium cycling proteins within the cardiomyocyte upon pressure overload and hypertrophic disease. Gyu-Tae Kim, presented a novel high throughput screening platform, called the wrinkling assay that quantifies cardiomyocyte contraction amplitude and provides insight into additional features, such as pathophysiological mechanical conditions. This technique may improve in vitro drug tests and reduce the risk of drug side-effects. Haisam Shah, conducted proteomic characterization of cardiac fibroblasts isolated from mouse hearts. Findings illustrated differential expression of region-specific proteins and signaling pathways in cardiac fibroblasts isolated from post-myocardial infarction mice, compared to sham controls.

(Session I: L-R): Daniel Wang (chair), Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari, Haisam Shah, Farwah Iqbal, Gyu-Tae Kim

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Session II: Vascular Mechanisms and Cardiovascular Imaging (Chair: Farwah Iqbal) Rachel Adams, PhD/IBBME Shear Stress-Regulation of C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Signaling in Aortic Valve Disease Lina Elfaki, MSc/IMS Ultrasound-Targeted Microrna Therapy for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Aileen Zhong, PhD/IBBME Mechanical Strain-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species and Their Role in Valve Interstitial Cell Calcification Tameshwar Ganesh, PhD/PHM Dynamic Blood Volume Assessment in Extracranial Tissues Using Gadofosveset

In session II, investigators focused on identifying key vascular-related mechanisms that lead to specific cardiac pathologies including valve calcifications; as well as identifying optimal imaging approaches for targeted therapy delivery and measuring blood volume assessments. The first speaker, Rachel Adams, delivered a three-minute presentation investigating the role of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) on aortic valve disease, a protective protein which is has shown to be secreted by the endothelium. Her projected focused on an in vitro component which highlighted the regulation of CNP by sheer stress as well as performing immunohistological analysis on patient retrieved aortic valves. Lina Elfaki then presented a novel technique of packaging critical microRNA into microbubble structures to deliver in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. Her technique focused on utilizing ultrasound to disrupt microbubble structures to release microRNA targeted for aortic structures. The third speaker, Aileen Zhong, presented the importance of reactive oxygen species in the pathology of valve calcification. She demonstrated novel approaches including an in-house designed and built heart bioreactor that can model mechanical strain-induced injury in the heart, while delivering anti-reactive oxygen species therapy. To close the session, Tameshwar Gganesh, from the department of pharmacy, investigated the dynamic blood volume in extracranial tissues using Gadofosveset. This project has many applications to various disease conditions as it can provide accurate and specific vascular hemodynamic measurements.

Session III: Cardiovascular Health and Clinical Implications (Chair: Cindy Nguyen) Amy Xu, MSc/PSL Preliminary Investigation of the Utility of MRI for Measuring the Hematocrit in Fetal Anemia Paul Devlin, MSc/IMS Neoaortic Intervention Following Norwood: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Practice Variability Meghan Glibbery, MSc/EXS

(Session II: L-R): Lina Elfaki, Farwah Iqbal (chair), Aileen Zhong, Tameshwar Ganesh, Rachel Adams

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Characterizing the Structural Adaptations of the Left and Right Atria in Long-Term Endurance Athletes: A cMRI Study Khatera Shah, MSc/IMS Transradial Coronary Intervention Learning Curve for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Emily Vecchiarelli, MSc/ EXS Atrial Fibrillation and the Endurance Athlete: A Little Off Pace

Session III, “Cardiovascular Health and Clinical Implications”, included presentations on a wide variety of clinical research, ranging from imaging feasibility and exercise adaptation studies to retrospective analyses of surgical interventions. To start, Amy Xu discussed how MRI accurately and feasibly measured fetal hematocrit in anemic fetuses. Her work may ultimately reform clinical practice as the current gold-standard, Doppler ultrasonography of MCA-PS, loses predictive value following initial diagnosis and treatment. Next, Paul Devlin retrospectively analyzed factors that may influence the incidence of neoaortic obstruction, mortality, and morbidity post-Norwood procedure in infants. Several findings will undoubtedly reform clinical practice, namely that surgical neoaortic intervention was superior to transcatheter intervention. Meghan Glibbery then provided demographic data from her cohort of long-term endurance athletes, and discussed her aim to evaluate potential atrial adaptations using cardiac MRI to shed light on (patho) physiological cardiac adaptations to long-term endurance exercise. Khatera Shah provided the model for her retrospective analysis that aims to define the minimum elective transradial approach operations that novices are required to conduct before reaching comparability to expert interventionists. Finally, Emily Vecchiarelli provided demographic data on her cohort of middle-aged endurance athletes, and discussed her aim to evaluate atrial phasic function and electrochemical delay in athletes with and without atrial fibrillation to provide insight into the pathology of exercise-induced atrial fibrillation.

SESSION PRESENTATION AWARD WINNERS Each presenter was evaluated for the most innovative research and best oral presentation by the student body. Criteria, which was objectively scored, included content (quality of research, research knowledge), visuals (clarity, readability), delivery (voice level, pacing), translational potential of research, data interpretation and analysis (research techniques), ability to answer questions and overall impression. The presentations were judged by fellow CSCP students and the awards were given to the presenter with the highest overall score. The Most Innovative Research was awarded to the presenter with the highest overall score for the best research,

(Session III: L-R): Cindy Nguyen (chair), Emily Vecchiarelli, Amy Xu, Meghan Glibbery, Paul Devlin, Khatera Shah

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technical, and analytical skills and the translational potential of their research. The Best Oral Presentation Award was awarded to the speaker that was able to communicate their research, objective, and hypothesis clearly and was able to answer questions effectively. Certificates and gifts were presented to the winners by a member of the Organizing Committee, Luke Dingwell. Congratulations to Farwah Iqbal for receiving the Most Innovated Research Award and Rachel Adams for receiving the Best Oral Presentation Award.

Farwah Iqbal (left) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physiology. Her work focuses on investigating a novel two-cell combination therapy with the aim to replace and repair injured blood vessels in the heart following an episode of myocardial infarction. Her 3-minute presentation generated many open-ended questions regarding feasibility, application strategies and current planning for a phase I clinical trial. Congratulations Farwah on your exceptional work!

Rachel Adams (right) is a PhD candidate in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and her research studies the role of C-Type Natriuretic

Peptide in Aortic Valve Disease. In her 3-minute presentation, she captured the audience’s attention with her enthusiasm, clarity and ability to explain her research in a scientific, but approachable way. Congratulations to Rachel on her outstanding presentation!

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GUEST SPEAKERS We were fortunate to have two wonderful guest speakers this year, Dr. Margaret Cheng, an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and Adjunct Scientist in Physiology & Experimental Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Dr. Craig Simmons, a distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology and Scientific Director of the UofT Translational Biology & Engineering Program at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. Their talks were a wonderful opportunity for the students to hear about non-linear career paths, gain advice from experienced researchers, and learn about life after graduate school. Dr. Cheng shared her unique journey from electrical engineering to working in magnetic resonance imaging research. Dr. Simmons shared his own interesting academic and scientific trajectory that led him to become a scientific director at the Ted Rogers Centre for Health Research. Thank you, Dr. Cheng and Dr. Simmons, for taking time out of your busy schedules to share your journeys and provide helpful advice to the students!

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Dr. Margaret Cheng is an Assistant Professor in the

Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto (UofT). She is also a principal investigator in the Translational Biology and Engineering Program, which is the UofT arm of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. She trained in electrical engineering in her undergraduate years and in medical biophysics for her PhD, after which she continued working on advancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she was a Scientist in the Research Institute and worked closely with the clinical arm of the hospital. In 2014, she joined the University of Toronto, where she is now focused on taking MRI to the next level for functional, cellular, and

molecular imaging for early diagnostics of cardiovascular disease and guiding tissue regeneration strategies. Dr. Cheng’s laboratory focuses on the development of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging technology to enable advances in tissue engineering and other emerging therapies, and to achieve earlier detection of cardiovascular diseases and cancer than is currently possible.

Dr. Craig Simmons is the University of Toronto

Distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Scientific Director of the University of Toronto Translational Biology and Engineering Program in the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. Although his heart was in medicine, Dr. Simmons completed his undergraduate studies in engineering, after which he pursued a Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD at the University of Toronto. After completing two post-doctoral fellowships, he was introduced to heart valve research, from which Dr. Simmons has built an incredible career. Dr. Simmons is the recipient of several research and teaching awards, including the Canada Research Chair in Mechanobiology, the 2015 CP Has Heart Cardiovascular Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the 2017 Ontario Professional Engineers Engineering Medal for Research & Development, and the 2017 Northrop Frye Award awarded by the University of Toronto for excellence in linking teaching and research. Dr. Simmons’ research group studies the role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular disease and regeneration, aided by novel microfluidic platforms to model vascularized tissues and organs with high physiological fidelity.

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CERTIFICATES/AWARDS Dr. Wittnich announced the names of those students who had successfully completed the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program over the past year. Unfortunately, most of the students were not able to attend the ceremony as they are all pursuing their careers in various parts of the world. Thank you to Jake Cosme and Kangbin Zhou (pictured with Dr. Wittnich) for taking the time to pop in and pick up their certificate. MSc

Tayler Buchan, Dept. of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: J. Goodman)

Vanessa Dizonno, Dept. of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: J. Goodman)

An Qi (Angela) Duan, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: M. Seed)

Daniel Merino, Dept. of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: S. Thomas)

James Meza, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: B. McCrindle)

Yena Oh, Dept. of Physiology (Supervisor: P. Backx)

Farigol Hakem Zadeh, Dept. of Physiology (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) PhD

Henry Cheng, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology (Supervisor: J. Fish)

Jake Cosme, Dept. of Physiology (Supervisor: A. Gramolini)

Suzan El-Rass, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: X-Y Wen)

Omodele Olowoyeye, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: A. Moody)

Adil Rasheed, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Supervisor: C. Cummins)

Kangbin Zhou, Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology (Supervisor: J. Parker) Congratulations to all the students that successfully completed the CSCP. We wish them success in their future career endeavours, which include medical school, clinical training, post-doctoral training, an academic position, health tech field, and industry related careers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continuing the spirit of success and achievement, Dr. Wittnich continued with the annual CSCP student awards and presented:

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2018 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient Jessica Caterini, PhD Candidate Department of Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education Supervisor: Dr. G. Wells

Jessica’s doctoral research involves the development of a non-invasive multiparametric MRI method to quantify skeletal muscle oxygen consumption (V̇O2) in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Both of these diseases are chronic, systemic cardiorespiratory diseases that result in severe exercise limitations. To investigate the major limitation to exercise capacity in these cohorts, participants perform exercise in the MRI while muscle blood flow, oxygenation, and high-energy phosphate metabolism are

assessed. Skeletal muscle V̇O2 measurements obtained from MRI imaging are also compared with assessments of high-energy phosphate metabolism (ATP, phosphocreatine) in both the heart and the exercising muscles. The results of my research will be used to create exercise protocols tailored to specific aspects of exercise limitation unique to different cardiorespiratory diseases. Furthermore, we hope to use the results of this research in longitudinal studies as outcome variables in responses to pharmacological treatments or exercise interventions.

2017-18 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient Edward Lin, MSc Candidate Department of Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education Supervisor: Dr. S. Thomas

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a progressive condition characterized by occlusion in the vessels of the leg. Intermittent claudication (IC) is the most common symptom of the disease and involves extreme pain when walking. Naturally, patients with IC have low functional capacities and poor quality of life. Women with PAD have a higher prevalence of leg pain and greater walking impairment than men and thus, may benefit the most from exercise training. In fact, there is increased

evidence indicating greater pain sensitivity and clinical pain observed in women compared to men. However, women are less likely to be referred to cardiac rehabilitation programs by

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physicians and less likely to participate even when referred. Further, women are more likely to withdraw from cardiac rehabilitation programs due to certain barriers to exercise. Clearly, consideration of sex affects the benefits from, and participation in, rehabilitative exercise. My study will recruit a sample of 15 males and 15 females with IC in PAD. By matching the number of male and female participants, I will be able to evaluate the response to high intensity interval training (HIIT) in both sexes. I will compare the differences in subjective pain, enjoyment and training stimulus between sexes. Validation of the benefits of HIIT for women will provide physicians with even more reason to increase referrals to cardiac rehabilitation programs. In addition, a protocol that delivers less pain and greater enjoyment can increase participation and adherence rates in female patients.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A complimentary lunch followed where students were able to socialize and network.

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CLOSING The Student Research Day was a success and would not have been possible without the combined efforts and hard work of the Organizing Committee (noted below), Victoria Simpson for her support and knowledge, the Sessions Chairs (Daniel Wang, Farwah Iqbal and Cindy Nguyen) for keeping the sessions running smoothly and our Guest Speakers Professors Cheng and Simmons for their outstanding and inspiring presentations.

Thank you for the generous donation from the Student Union for our Session Award prizes. Special thanks to our Award donors - the Phenix and the Bigelow families. And thank you to the HSRLCE and our participating units for their ongoing support of the CSCP. Thank you to all the CSCP students and to all involved in making the 19th Annual CSCP Student Research Day a great success!

(L-R): Luke Dingwell, Erika Opingari, Rachel Adams, Cindy Nguyen, Farwah Iqbal, Daniel Wang

(Left to right): Luke Dingwell, Erika Opingari, Rachel Adams (Chair), Cindy Nguyen, Farwah Iqbal, and Daniel Wang

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CARDIOVASCULAR SUMMER INITIATIVE (CSI) The CSI program provides the graduate cardiovascular student community, as well as the undergraduate community, a more inclusive feel for the cardiovascular field. It gives thems a broader frame of reference than just the lab experience and offers them chances to delve into areas they might not considered. The CSI program is a field trip experience where students are given the opportunity to go and learn more about various areas of cardiovascular research and potential alternative career paths. Field trips have included the MRI/CT Imaging Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital, the Toronto Cardiac Rehabilitation outpatient centre, tour of an exercise physiology Lab, tour a pharmaceutical research division, tour a retinal blood flow lab, or a tour of the Surgical Skills Centre at Mt. Sinai Hospital, to name a few. Full information on this activity can be found on our web site at www.cscp.utoronto.ca.

OPEN LAB: INNOVATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR TECHNIQUES The CSCP student body organizes and runs this event which highlights the diverse nature of research carried out by our faculty. Formerly known as Circulation Rounds, these academic rounds rotate through the various research sites at the University of Toronto and each event is hosted by a faculty member where their research focus is the topic of the day. The goal of this event is to provide graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research associates, undergraduates and project/summer students with the chance to develop an appreciation of the vast range of excellent research being conducted in our widespread community. The students do a great job organizing these events. Host labs were from Drs. Jack Goodman and Seema Mital. The students also organized a visit to the IDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation. Full information on this activity can be found on our web site at www.cscp.utoronto.ca. This year the Organizing Committee was successful in receiving a “Student Initiative Fund” award from the University of Toronto, Division of Student Life to cover the costs of these events.

CIRCULATION SEMINARS These sessions highlight world respected cardiovascular scientists hosted by our participating and partner units. These sessions are often acceptable for respective departmental seminar credits with the appropriate documentation and verification. Full information on this activity can be found on our web site at www.cscp.utoronto.ca.

STUDENT FORUM This event is an excellent opportunity for new students of the CSCP to meet one another and for senior students to catch up with old friends, and develop relationships with the up and comers. Discussions range from basic research, laboratory trials and triumphs, to future academic /career directions. Connections for research collaboration, as well as friendships are developed, and all those in attendance thoroughly enjoy the festive dinner and the change to meet other students. Due to a lack of funding we were unable to provide the CSCP student body with the 2013 CSCP Forum and Dinner. We hope to resume this event in 2018.

AWARDS

MEDTRONIC TRAVEL AWARD Two competitions are held (spring and fall) for the Medtronic Travel Award. This award, established in 1995, helps to defray costs of travel for Program students presenting their

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research work at recognized scientific meetings. No student applications were received for this academic year. Funding from Medtronic for this award has been spent and no further funding will be obtained. In order to provide the CSCP students with this funding opportunity, the award has been renamed to the “CSCP Travel Award” and will continue as such.

BIGELOW BOOK PRIZE This prize was established in 1995 by the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program to recognize and honor a pioneer clinician and scientist in the field of cardiovascular sciences. Awardees should exemplify the personal traits of Dr. Bigelow - curiosity, drive, and scientific integrity. The award is given in every year that a qualified student is identified. Qualifications include sustained academic scientific excellence, innovative experimental approaches, original discoveries and good scientific productivity. Some weight is given to work that has recognizable clinical relevance, especially that which promises to improve patient care. The Bigelow Book Prize consists of 2 books written by Dr. W.G. Bigelow entitled “Cold Hearts” and “Mysterious Heparin” and a keeper plaque created to honor Dr. Bigelow. Appropriate candidates are identified and the final decision is made by the Program Committee. 1995 – John S. Ikonomidis 1996 – Shona M. Torrance 1997 – Vivek Rao 1998 – Bryce Cowan 1999 – Gideon Cohen 2000 – Michael Borger 2001 – Saeid Babaei 2002 – Wm. Jack Wallen 2003 – Paul W.M. Fedak 2004 – Nathalie Lapointe 2005 – Karim Bandali 2006 – Danny Ramzy 2007 – Patricia Rose 2008 – Mitesh Badiwala 2009 – Jane MacIver 2010 – Carlo Cifelli 2011 – Emma O’Donnell 2012 – Laura Banks 2013 – Katherine Allan 2014 – Amish Jain 2015 – Navneet Singh 2016 – Cedric Manlhiot 2017 – Henry Cheng 2018 – Jessica Caterini

2018 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient Jessica Caterini, PhD Candidate Department of Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education Supervisor: Dr. G. Wells

My doctoral research involves the development of a non-invasive multiparametric MRI method to quantify skeletal muscle oxygen consumption (V̇O2) in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Both of these diseases are chronic, systemic cardiorespiratory diseases that result in severe exercise limitations. To investigate the major limitation to exercise capacity in these cohorts, participants perform exercise in the MRI while muscle blood flow, oxygenation, and high-energy phosphate

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metabolism are assessed. Skeletal muscle V̇O2 measurements obtained from MRI imaging are also compared with assessments of high-energy phosphate metabolism (ATP, phosphocreatine) in both the heart and the exercising muscles. The results of my research will be used to create exercise protocols tailored to specific aspects of exercise limitation unique to different cardiorespiratory diseases. Furthermore, we hope to use the results of this research in longitudinal studies as outcome variables in responses to pharmacological treatments or exercise interventions.

LORNE PHENIX GRADUATE AWARD This award was made possible by a generous donation in the memory of Mr. Lorne Phenix by Mrs. Geraldine Phenix. It is her hope that this award will focus attention on the issue of heart disease – which is still the #1 killer of both men and women in Canada. In addition, women who have heart problems are at least equal if not at greater risk than men and Mrs. Phenix hopes that this award will serve to encourage trainees to pursue this area of research to address this particular problem. It is awarded to a graduate student in the Faculty of Medicine on the basis of research and academic excellence. The award consists of a cash prize and certificate and is presented to the recipient at the Annual Student Research Day. Appropriate candidates are identified and a winner is selected by the Awards Subcommittee. The award is given in every year that a qualified student is identified and presented at the Annual Student Research Day. 2001 – Wm. Jack Wallen 2002 – Wm. Jack Wallen 2003 Shathiyah Kulandavelu 2004 – Rachel Mitchell 2005 – Nesime Askin 2006 – Danny Quaglietta 2007 – Emma O’Donnell 2008 – Luke Tan 2009 – Amir Manbachi 2010 – Shazareen Khan 2012 – Danielle Bentley 2013 – Mark Blaser 2014 – Antoinette Bugyei-Twum 2015 – Mathew Wong 2016 – Emily Vecchiarelli 2017 – Edward Lin

2017-2018 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient Edward Lin, MSc Candidate Department of Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education Supervisor: Dr. S. Thomas

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a progressive condition characterized by occlusion in the vessels of the leg. Intermittent claudication (IC) is the most common symptom of the disease and involves extreme pain when walking. Naturally, patients with IC have low functional capacities and poor quality of life. Women with PAD have a higher prevalence of leg pain and greater walking impairment than men and thus, may benefit the most from exercise training. In fact, there is increased evidence indicating greater pain sensitivity and clinical pain observed in women compared to men. However, women are less likely to be referred to cardiac rehabilitation programs by physicians and less likely to

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participate even when referred. Further, women are more likely to withdraw from cardiac rehabilitation programs due to certain barriers to exercise. Clearly, consideration of sex affects the benefits from, and participation in, rehabilitative exercise. My study will recruit a sample of 15 males and 15 females with IC in PAD. By matching the number of male and female participants, I will be able to evaluate the response to high intensity interval training (HIIT) in both sexes. I will compare the differences in subjective pain, enjoyment and training stimulus between sexes. Validation of the benefits of HIIT for women will provide physicians with even more reason to increase referrals to cardiac rehabilitation programs. In addition, a protocol that delivers less pain and greater enjoyment can increase participation and adherence rates in female patients.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

ONTARIO STUDENT OPPORTUNITY TRUST FUNDS (OSOTF) AWARD The OSOTF award refers to a class of awards that have resulted from the Ontario government’s “matching” program. Under the program every dollar of donation received for student assistance has been matched by the government as well as the university on a dollar-for-dollar basis. There are two major conditions for all OSOTF awards; recipients must be Ontario residents and demonstrate financial need. However, the CSCP has additional eligibility criteria that must be adhered to, including excellence in science and academic performance. One competition is held per academic year. The applications are handled centrally through the Office of the Associate Dean, Inter-Faculty and Graduate Affairs. Applications pertaining to the CSCP are sent to us and are then adjudicated by a subcommittee chaired by Dr. Margaret Rand. Committee recommendations are then forwarded to the OSOTF Awards Committee (Faculty of Medicine). The following student received funding for the 2017-2018 year: Luke Dingwell, MSc Candidate, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine (Supervisor: M. Husain) Bowen Zhang, MSc Candidate, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine (Supervisor: A. Moody)

QEII – GSST (GRADUATE SCHOOL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY) The QEII program is designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies in science and technology. The program is supported through funds provided by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and by funds raised by the University of Toronto and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario. To be awarded to graduate students at the University of Toronto who are pursuing cardiovascular/stroke research. Students must have maintained an overall A- average over the last two years of study at the post-secondary level and exhibit research ability/potential, good communication skills and interpersonal/leadership abilities. The following students were ranked and offered an award effective September 2017: Name Degree Dept. Supervisor Mustafa Abdul Selam MSc IMS Kim Connelly Jessica Caterini PhD EXS Greg Wells Sam Esfandiari PhD IMS Jack Goodman Nirsan Kunaratnam MSc REH Joyce Chen

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Cindy Nguyen MSc EXS Scott Thomas The following were also offered QEIIs but were successful in receiving other scholarships: Luke Dingwell MSc IMS Mansoor Husain Cameron Harper MSc LMP Michelle Bendeck Shin-Haw (Frank) Lee PhD PSL Anthony Gramolini Stephen Wright PhD IMS Jack Goodman

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ADVERTISING MATERIAL The CSCP maintains and updates its web site (www.cscp.utoronto.ca). Faculty information is updated whenever we are notified of relevant changes. Collaborating departments are encouraged to provide hypertext links to the CSCP on their web site.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support: Medtronic Canada, the Heart and Stroke/Richard Lewar Cardiovascular Centre of Excellence, the Lorne Phenix Family, the Bigelow Family, and the contributions from our participating units (see page 4).

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STUDENTS

Name Supervisor Degree Department Mohamed Adam K. Connelly MSc IMS Rachel Adams C. Simmons PhD BME Mitchell Adamson V. Rao MSc IMS Alanna Adleman C. Hudson MSc IMS Mustafa Altaha K. Connelly MSc IMS Yvonne Bach E. Horlick MSc IMS Beatrice Ballarin M. Tymianski PhD IMS Bailey Bernknopf C. Simmons MSSc BME Lynne Alis Bonsignore S. Thomas PhD EXS Nadia Bragagnolo C. Cunningham MSc MBP Tayler Buchan J. Goodman MSc EXS Antoinette Bugyei-Twum K. Connelly PhD IMS Jessica Caterini G. Wells PhD EXS Shelly Chauhan P. Billia MSc PSL Hao Chen H. Leong-Poi PhD IMS Henry Cheng J. Fish PhD LMP Jake Cosme A. Gramolini PhD PSL Paul Devlin B. McCrindle MSc IMS Luke Dingwell M. Husain MSc IMS Vanessa Dizonno J. Goodman MSc EXS Angela Duan M. Seed MSc IMS Lina Elfaki H. Leong-Poi MSc IMS Suzan El-Rass X-Y. Wen PhD IMS Ian Fernandes G. Keller MSc MBP Tameshwar Ganesh H-L. Cheng PhD PHM Arash Ghashghai V. Rao PhD IMS Meghan Glibbery J. Goodman MSc EXS Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari A. Gramolini MSc PSL Diana Hamden L. Robinson MSc IMS Natasha Heath J. Goodman MSc EXS Farwah Iqbal C. Librach PhD PSL Hany Kashani N. Paul PhD IMS Elizabeth (Ga Young) Kim M. Friedberg MSc IMS Gyu-Tae Kim B. Hinz MSc DEN Julia (Da Hye) Kim A. Gramolini MSc PSL Susith Kulasekara C. Hudson/J. Flanagan PhD IMS Robert Lakin J. Goodman PhD EXS Alan Lam C. Simmons PhD BME Dylan Langburt S. Heximer MSc PSL Frank Lee* A. Gramolini PhD PSL Xavier Lee A. Gramolini MSc PSL Jessie Lim* M. Seed PhD PSL Edward Lin S. Thomas MSc EXS Tisiana Low B. McCrindle MSc IMS Mathew Mathew B. McCrindle MSc IMS Antonio Mauro X-Y. Wen PhD IMS Adam McKillop B. McCrindle PhD IMS

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Daniel Merino S. Thomas MSc EXS James Meza B. McCrindle MSc IMS Mark Moon P. Liu PhD IMS Erika Opingari S. Verma MSc IMS Shouka Parvin Nejad C. Simmons PhD BME Louise Pei E. Horlick MSc IMS Cindy Nguyen S. Thomas MSc EXS Yena Oh P. Backx MSc PSL Omodele Olowoyeye A. Moody PhD IMS Aric Pahnke M. Radisic PhD CHE Hira Raheel W. Lee MSc IMS Adil Rasheed C. Cummins PhD PHM Roberto Ribeiro V. Rao PhD IMS Rodolfo Rocha T. Lindsay MSc IMS Trisha Roy G. Wright MSc IMS Brahmdeep Saini M. Seed PhD IMS Haisam Shah S. Heximer MSc PSL Khatera Mir Zaman Shah A. Cheema MSc IMS Kaustabh (Bunty) Singh R-K. Li PhD LMP Navneet Singh A. Moody PhD IMS Ishba Syed A. Cheema MSc IMS Emily Vecchiarelli J. Goodman MSc EXS Daniel Wang L. Mertens MSc IMS Tao Wang M. Husain MSc PSL Marianne Wauchop P. Backx PhD PSL Kenneth Williams S. Vasconcelos MSc LMP Steve Wright J. Goodman PhD IMS Holly Wykes S. Thomas MSc EXS Amy (Jiawei) Xu M. Seed MSc PSL Donghe Yang* G. Keller MSc MBP Bushra Yusuf L. Robinson MSc IMS Farigol Hakem Zadeh A. Gramolini MSc PSL Bowen Zhang A. Moody MSc IMS Aileen Zhong C. Simmons PhD BME Kangbin Zhou J. Parker PhD PCL * Students registered during the year at MSc and PhD training levels.

CONVOCATED STUDENTS/FOLLOW-UP Tayler Buchan, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. J. Goodman): “Right Heart and Pulmonary Hemodynamic Response to Prolonged Exercise in Middle-Aged Endurance Athletes” (Healthcare Industry) Henry S. Cheng, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (Supervisor: Dr. J. Fish): “Role of MicroRNA-146a in Vascular Inflammation and Atherosclerosis” (Research – Industry)

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Jake Cosme, PhD, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini): “Proteomic Analysis of the Resident Cell Types in the Heart: A Focus on the Fibroblast and its Secreted Proteome” (Clinical Chemistry Fellow, University of Toronto) Vanessa Dizonno, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. J. Goodman): “The Acute Physiological Response to High-Intensity Interval Exercise in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease” (Cardiac Rehabilitation) Hira Raheel, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: W. Lee): “Identifying CD36 as a Receptor for Albumin Transcytosis by Dermal Microvascular Endothelial Cells” (UoT – MD Program) Suzan El-Rass, PhD, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: X-Y. Wen): “Mutagenic Gene Trapping to Study Novel Genes in Zebrafish Cardiovascular Development” (Career in Industry) An Qi Duan, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. M. Seed): “Feasibility of Phase-Contrast Cine MRI for Measuring Blood Flow in the Sheep Fetus” (Medicine, McMaster University) Daniel Merino, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. S. Thomas): “Are Vascular Function and Oxygen Uptake Kinetics Related in People with Type 1 Diabetes?” (Health Technology Field) James Meza, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. B. McCrindle): “Maximizing Survival Through the Staged Surgical Management of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and its Related Malformations” (Clinical Training completion – Congenital Heart Surgery, Duke University Medical Center) Yena Oh, MSc, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. P. Backx): “Differential Atrial and Ventricular Remodeling in Response to Endurance Exercise” (Medicine) Omodele Olowoyeye, PhD, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. A. Moody): “Flow Mediated Dilatation (FMD) Assessment via an MRI Integrated Signal Intensity (IntSI) Approach: A Comparison with Ultrasound” (Academic Position, College of Medicine, University of Lagos) Adil Rasheed, PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. C. Cummins): “The Modulation of Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function by the Liver X Receptors” (Researcher, Cardiovascular Sciences) Farigol Hakem Zadeh, MSc, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini): “Investigating the Interaction of AKAPs with PLN to Mediate Phosphorylation Processes” (Physician-Researcher) Kangbin Zhou, PhD, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology (Supervisor: Dr. J. Parker): “Observations Concerning the Mechanism of Action of Glyceryl Trinitrate” (Future Career Plans Unknown)

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AWARDS AND HONORS

NAME HONORS AND AWARDS Bailey Bernknopf - Candian Centennial Scholarship, 2018

Alis Bonsignore - Frederick Banting & Charles Best Graduate Scholarship, CIHR, 2016- 2019

Antoinette Bugyei-Twum - QEII/GSST Heart & Stroke/HSRLCE Scholarship, CSCP, Sept 2016 - Aug 2017

Jessica Caterini - Bigelow Book Prize, CSCP, Faculty of Medicine, 2018 - Warren Goldring Fellowship, Dept. Exercise Sciences, UoT - QEII-GSST Heart & Stroke/HSRLCE Scholarship, CSCP, 2016-2019 - Early Career Research Graduate Fellowship, UK Cystic Fibrosis Trust, 2016-2019

Robert Lakin - Early Career Investigator (ECI) Travel Award, International Society for Heart Research, North American Section, 2018

Cindy Nguyen - Dr. Terry Kavanagh Fellowship, 2017-2018 - School of Graduate Studies Conference Grant, UoT, 2017 - QEII-GSST Hear & Stroke /HSRLCE Scholarship, 2017-2018

Erika Opingari - IMS Entrance Award, UoT, 2017-2018

Navneet Singh - Mergelas Family Graduate Student Award, Faculty of Medicine, 2018

Daniel Wang - IMS Entrance Award, UoT, 2017-2019 - CIHR, Frederick Banting & Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Award, UoT, 2018

Marianne Wauchop - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Sept 2016 – Aug 2019

Jiawei Xu - Harold Willett Stewart Memorial Scholarship, 2017

PUBLICATIONS Ballarin B, Tymianski M: Development of NA-1 for Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke (Review Article): Acta Pharma Sinica, 2018;39(5):661-668. Doi: 10.1038/aps.2018.5 Bentley D, Nguyen C, Thomas S: High-Intensity Handgrip Training Lowers Blood Pressure and Increases Heart Rate Complexity Among Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Study. Blood Pressure Monitoring, 2018;23(2):71-78. Bugyei-Twum A, Ford C, Civitarese R, Seegobin J, Advani SL, Desjardins JF, Kabir MG, Zhang Y…Gilbert RE, Connelly KA: Sirtuin 1 Activation Attenuates Cardiac Fibrosis in a Rodent Pressure Overload Model by Modifying Smad2/3 Transactivation. Cardiovasc Res, 2018;114(12):1629-1641. Caterini JE, Banks L, Wells GD, Cifra B, Slorach C, McCrindle BW, Seed M: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Elevated Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity in Obese and Overweight Adolescents. Clinical Obesity, 2017;7(6):360-367. West SL, Caterini JE, Banks L, Wells GD: The Epidemic of Obesity and Physical Inactivity: Will We Ever See a Change? (Editorial) J Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2018;3(2):34-37.

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Lakin R, Guzman C, Izaddoustdar F, Polidovitch N, Goodman J, Backx PH: Changes in Heart Rate and Its Regulation by the Autonomic Nervous System Do Not Differ Between Forced and Voluntary Exercise in Mice. Front Physiol, 2018;9:841. Doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00841 Laksman Z, Wauchop M, Lin E, Protze S, Lee J, Yang W, et al: Modeling Atrial Fibrillation Using Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Atrial Tissue. Sci Rep., 2017;7(1):5268. Li A, Wang DY, Lanctot KL, Mitchell I, Paes BA, and the CARESS Investigators: Comparing First- and Second-Year Palivizumab Prophyloxis in Patients with Hemodynamically Significant Congenital Heart Disease in the CARESS Database (2000-2015). Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2017;36(5):445-450. Liu J, Bayer JD, Aschar-Sobbi R, Wauchop M, Spears D, Gollob M, Vigmond EJ, Tsushima R, Backx PH, Chauhan VS: Complex Interactions in a Novel SCN5A Compound Mutation Associated with Long QT and Brugada Syndrome: Implications for Na+ Channel Blocking Pharmacotherapy for De Novo Conduction Disease. PLoS One, 2018;13(5):e0197273. Manlhiot C, Mueller B, O’Shea S, Majeed H, Bernknopf B, Labelle M, Westcott KV, et al: Environmental Epidemiology of Kawasaki Disease: Linking Disease Etiology, Pathogenesis and Global Distribution. PLoS One, 2018;13(2):e0191087. Manlhiot C, O’Shea S, Bernknopf B, Labelle M, Chalal N, Dillenburg RF, Lai LS, Bock D, Lew B, Masood S, Mathew M, McCrindle BW: Epidemiology of Kawasaki Disease in Canada 2004 to 2014: Comparison of Surveillance Using Administrative Data vs Periodic Medical Record Review. Can J Cardiol, 2018;34(3):303-309. Manta A, Opingari E, Simunovic N, Duong A, Sprague S, Peterson D, et al: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses in Orthopaedic Surgery Between 2000 and 2016. Bone Joint J, 208;100-B(10):1270-1274. Marvasti TB, Moody AR, Singh N, Maraj T, Tyrrell P, Afshin M: Haptoglobin 2-2 Genotype is Associated with Presence and Progression of MRI Depicted Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage. IJC Heart and Vasculature, 2018;18:96-100. Meagher P, Adam M, Civitarese R, Bugyei-Twum A, Connelly KA: Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Praction in Diabetes: Mechanisms and Management. Can J Cardiol, 2018;34(5):632-643. Murugavel S, Bugyei-Twum A, Matka PN, Al-Mubarak H, Chen HH, Adam M, Jain S, Narang T, Abdin RM, Qadura M, Connelly KA, Leong-Poi H, Singh KK: Valproic Acid Induces Endothelial- to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotypic Switching. Frontiers in Pharmacol, 2018;9:737. Opingari E, Patridge ACR, Verma S, Bajaj HS: SGLT2 Inhibitors: Practical Considerations and Recommendations for Cardiologists. Curr Opin Cardiol, 2018;33(6):676.682. Singh N, Moody AR, Panzov V, Gladstone DJ: Carotid MR-Depicted Intraplaque Hemorrhage in Patients with Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Disc, 2018, pii:S1052-3057(18)30104-6.

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Singh N, Moody AR, Zhang B, Kaminski I, Kapur K, Chiu SE, Tyrrell PN: Age-Specific Sex Differences in MRI Depicted Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage. Stroke, 2017;48(8):2129-2135. Sun H, Zhao Q, Wang Y, Lakin R, Feng H, Fan X, Luo H, Gao D, Liu L, He Y, Yang P: Daily 10mg Rivaroxaban as a Therapy for Ventricular Thrombus Related to Left Ventricular Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report. Medicine, 2018;97(4):e9670. Doi:10.1097/MD.00000000000009670. Wang DY, Li A, Paes B, Mitchell I, Lanctot KL, and the CARESS Investigators: First Versus Second Year Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis in Chronic Lung Disease (2000-2015). Eur J Pediatr, 2017;176(3):413-422. Wright S, Lakin R, Wooding DJ, Groves L: Kept in the Loop: Longitudinal Strain-Volume Relationships for the Assessment of Left Ventricular Mechanical Performance. J Physiol, 2017. Doi:10.113/JP274590 Yanagawa B, Bahji A, Lamba W, Tan D, Cheema AN, Syed I, Verma S: Endocarditis in the Setting of Injection Drug Use: Multidisciplinary Management. Curr Opin Cardiol, 2018;33(3);140-147.

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FACULTY Faculty are divided into 3 categories (Full, Associate, Affiliate). Details on faculty research interests, and contact information are available on the CSCP web site. Departmental affiliations listed below are those within the CSCP. For annual information on faculty peer-reviewed funding and publications, please refer to their home department’s annual reports.

Name Departmental Affiliation(s) Location

Full Lee Adamson BME/IMS/PSL Mount Sinai Hospital Khosrow Adeli LMP/Medicine Hospital for Sick Children Peter Backx Medicine/PSL MaRS - UHN Jaques Belik IMS/PSL Hospital for Sick Children Michelle Bendeck LMP/Medicine UofT – MSB Sandra Black IMS/Medicine Sunnybrook Health Centre Steffen-Sebastian Bolz PSL UofT – MSB Douglas Bradley IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Dina Brooks REH UofT–Rehabilitation Sci Christopher Caldarone BME/IMS/Surgery Hospital for Sick Children Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng MBP/IBBME/PHM/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children John Coles IMS/Surgery Hospital for Sick Children Philip Connelly LMP/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Carolyn Cummins Pharmaceutical Sciences UofT – Pharmacy Charles Cunningham MBP Sunnybrook Health Centre Paul Dorian IMS/Medicine/PCL St. Michael’s Hospital Daniel Drucker IMS/LMP/Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital Jason Fish LMP Toronto General Hospital Joel Fisher Anesthesia Toronto General Hospital John S. Floras IMS/Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital Stephen Fremes IMS/Surgery Sunnybrook Health Centre Mark Friedberg IMS Hospital for Sick Children Adria Giacca PSL/Medicine UofT – MSB Richard Gilbert IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Jack M. Goodman EXS Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Avrum I. Gotlieb LMP Toronto General Hospital Anthony Gramolini PSL MaRS - UHN Gregory Hare IMS/PSLAnesthesia St. Michael’s Hospital Jeffrey Henderson Pharmaceutical Sciences UofT - Pharmacy Scott Heximer PSL UofT - MSB Aleksander Hinek IMS/LMP Hospital for Sick Children Boris Hinz DEN/BME UoT – FitzGerald Bldg. Eric Horlick IMS Toronto General Hospital Chris Hudson IMS Toronto Western Hospital Mansoor Husain IMS/LMP/Medicine Toronto General Hospital William Hutchison PSL Toronto Western Hospital Robert Jankov PSL Hospital for Sick Children K. Wayne Johnston BME/IMS/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Armand Keating IMS/BME/Medicine Princess Margaret Hospital Fred Keeley LMP Hospital for Sick Children Gordon Keller MBP MaRS - UHN Warren Lee IMS/LMP St. Michael’s Hospital

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Howard Leong-Poi IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Gary F. Lewis IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Ren-Ke Li IMS/LMP/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Tom Lindsay IMS/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Mingyao Liu PSL/Surgery MaRS, Toronto General Peter Liu IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Marius Locke EXS/CHL Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Christopher Macgowan MBP/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children Philip Marsden IMS/LMP/MBP/Medicine UofT – MSB Brian McCrindle IMS/HPME Hospital for Sick Children Luc Mertens EXS/IMS Hospital for Sick Children Gordon Moe IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Alan Moody BME/IMS Sunnybrook Health Centre Tara Moriarty DEN/LMP UofT – FitzGerald Bldg. Andras Nagy IMS Mount Sinai Hospital Kumar Nanthakumar IMS Toronto General Hospital Heyu Ni LMP St. Michael’s Hospital John Parker IMS/Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital Tom Parker IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Narinder Paul IBBME/IMS Toronto General Hospital Milica Radisic IBBME/Chemical Engineering UofT – Mining Bldg. Margaret Rand IMS/LMP Hospital for Sick Children Vivek Rao IMS/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Lisa Robinson IMS UoT - MSB Heather Ross IMS/Medicine UHN Michael Sefton BME UofT – Wallberg Bldg. Craig Simmons BME UofT – Mechanical Eng Arthur S. Slutsky IMS/Medicine/Surgery Mount Sinai Hospital David Steinman BME UofT – Wallberg Bldg. Donna E. Stewart Anesthesia/IMS/Surgery/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Bradley Strauss LMP/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Hong-Shuo Sun IMS/PSL/PCL UofT - MSB Howard Tenenbaum Dentistry UofT - Dentistry Scott G. Thomas EXS/PSL Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Jack Tu HPME/Medicine Sunnybrook Health Centre Michael Tymianski IMS/Surgery Toronto Western Hospital Sara Vasconcelos BME/LMP MaRS Centre Subodh Verma IMS/Surgery St. Michael’s Hospital Robert Wald IMS/Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital Richard D. Weisel IMS/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Peter Wells PHM UofT - Pharmacy Gregory Wilson IMS/LMP/PSL Toronto General Hospital Carin Wittnich IMS/PSL/Surgery UofT - MSB Graham Wright MBP Sunnybrook Health Centre Shirley Wu PHM UofT - Pharmacy Burton Yang LMP Sunnybrook Health Centre Terry Yau IMS/Surgery Toronto General Hospital Erik L. Yeo IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Yeni Yücel LMP St. Michael’s Hospital Peter Zandstra IBBME UofT - CCBR Haibo Zhang IMS/Medicine/PSL St. Michael’s Hospital

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Associate Mohammed Al-Omran IMS/Surgery St. Michael’s Hospital Filia Billia IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Vijay Chauhan IMS/Medicine/PSL Toronto General Hospital Asim Cheema IMS St. Michael’s Hospital David Cherney IMS/Medicine University Health Network Kim Connelly IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Slava Epelman LMP MaRS Benjamin Goldstein PCL Sunnybrook Health Sci Ctr Andrea Kassner IMS/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children Clifford Librach IMS/PSL Bay Street office David Mazer Anesthesia/IMS/PSL St. Michael’s Hospital Rulan Parekh IMS/Medicine Hospital for Sick Children Mike Seed IMS Hospital for Sick Children Rachel Wald IMS/Medicine University Health Network Gregory Wells EXS Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Bernd Wintersperger IMS Toronto General Hospital Xiao-Yan Wen IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital

Faculty publications can be found through their departmental websites.