CARDIOVASCULAR SCIENCES COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM

Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

ANNUAL REPORT

2014 – 2015 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………………………………………………………………………………….5 COLLABORATING FACULTIES/DEPARTMENTS………………………………………………….5 COMMITTEES…………………………………………………………………………………………….6 - Executive - Program COURSES OFFERED…………………………………………………………………………………...6 PROGRAM SPONSORED ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………………...7-18 - Annual Student Research Day - Student Forum Night

- Cardiovascular Summer Initiative – CSI - Circulation Rounds

AWARDS…………...………………………………………………………………………………..18-20 - Medtronic Travel Award - Bigelow Book Prize - Lorne Phenix Graduate Award FINANCIAL SUPPORT…………………………………………………………………………….20-21

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

ADVERTISING MATERIAL……………………………………………………………………………21 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………..………………………………………………………….21 STUDENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………..22-29 - Currently Enrolled - Convocated/Follow-Up - Awards and Honors - Publications FACULTY..………………..…………………………………………………………………………30-32

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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 2014-2015 academic year. This has been a pivotal year for the CSCP as we forged our partnership with the Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Centres of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research (HSRLCE) as their education arm. As well, the CSCP developed a new JCV course designed to support the new international intiatives of the HSRLCE. With this partnership the CSCP will be positioned to successfully deliver its award winning full education package. This brings us closer to the goal of further fostering new education and student focused fundraising opportunities.

In partnering with the HSRLCE and securing long term stability, this further develops excellence in cardiovascular education at the University of Toronto. With ever shrinking budgets and increasing demands placed on all departments, it is imperative that, for our mutual continued growth, our education efforts also align with key affiliated cardiovascular focused research centres such as the HSRLCE. This ensures cementing of compatible strengths by combining world class education with research across the campus. As you read through the report, it should be immediately apparent that the CSCP ensures that our efforts dovetail with our participating Faculties, Departments and Institutes/Centres to optimize our trainees’ experiences. This enhances both our efforts and all those of our participating units, providing trainees with outstanding exposure to cardiovascular sciences, making the University of Toronto, the place for graduate training in this field. This year followed on the heels of our very successful 7-year review where the CSCP was lauded as a well-established collaborative program with steady sustained program enrolment and positive student feedback - making it stand out as having a strong reputation among students at the University. The report summarized that the CSCP was a well-established truly interdisciplinary collaborative program with a definite focus that draws together a large and diverse number of participating programs from across the campus. They praised the strong research foundation provided by core faculty members, who are clearly invested in student development and offer unique learning opportunities. This also served as a renewal point for the participating and supporting units of the CSCP, resulting in a new MOA where we welcomed the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry within the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering as well as the Department of Medical Imaging in the Faculty of Medicine to the CSCP family. Annual student enrollment for this past year has maintained itself with a balance of both PhD and MSc students, despite significant numbers of students graduating each year.

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Continued high level of student satisfaction with the CSCP is confirmed during their annual meeting with the Student Affairs Committee Chair and the exit surveys routinely conducted. These annual meetings also help guide our direction and, if needed, address any student concerns early. This further assures that we stay on track to meet the ever changing student needs. Evaluation surveys we conduct also record the students’ appreciation for the annual student research day, seminars held and courses we run. It continues to be true that today’s discerning student is well aware that it is not enough to just fulfill their department’s degree requirements if they hope to succeed post graduation. Even those who chose to enter professional degree programs know that a specialist certification, such as that issued upon successful completion of the CSCP, is a statement of excellence that provides them with an edge. All our students benefit from personal contact with our faculty. These individuals are top University of Toronto cardiovascular scientists from across the campus and because they are involved with the CSCP at every level from administration to teaching to supervision the students in our program are fully exposed to the wealth of this expertise. Over this past year this also served to increase the profile of the HSRLCE which has given the CSCP trainee exposure to the diversity of excellence we have both on campus and at our teaching hospitals and research centres. In the progressively more difficult financial times we face, clearly any time taken from the research done by the student could be viewed as lessening the productivity for the supervisor, yet participation in the CSCP is promoted. This is a testimonial to the value and quality offered by the CSCP to the cardiovascular research community and its’ trainees. Details on the many highlights related to CSCP activities can be 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 is organized by the students and includes sessions not only on their research but on career guidance and other valued skills such as resume writing and interviewing skills; which was well received. This year HSRLCE faculty Drs. Paul Dorian and Carin Wittnich shared their career histories and philosophies with the trainees. The students also discuss their research with their peers at the day, they learn from each other and we often hear that new collaborations with groups outside the students’ normal sphere evolve from their interactions within the CSCP. Another example organized by the CSCP, is 'Circulation Rounds', which consist of visits to the different research locations of our diverse faculty and which this

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past year focused on HSRLCE faculty. This allows the students to meet and experience current and ongoing projects in the cardiovascular arena. The summer CSI series which has evolved to include practical visits to facilities such as the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre and the Surgical Skills Laboratory further expands the awareness of the breadth and depth offered at the University of Toronto in the cardiovascular sciences. Our flagship graduate course JCV3000 series, made up of 4 modules each worth .5 FTE underwent further development to meet future needs of the HSRLCE international initiatives. Specifically increasing our offerings by adding the JCV1060 module on Developmental Cardiovascular Physiology and creating a new graduate course - JCV3064 - Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences - Microvascular Medicine (new - available September 2015) now means we have 6 modules available for our trainees. The evaluations rank each module very highly. Finally, it is also worth a mention that the CSCP is a unique collaborative program as 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 many compensations for their involvement and support. The CSCP is honored to have also received some international recognition this year with mention in an article in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascualr Surgery, 2015;149(4):957-958, under 'Presidential Prespectives". In closing, I would also like to especially acknowledge the critical funding provided by the HSRLCE. This has allowed us to continue delivering the highest quality education and begin the process of creating the needed unified effort that will ultimately result in the establishment of a prized and unique combined product of education and reseach that will be the envy of all in the cardiovascular field. This will undoubtedly attract funding and international attention and I look forward to working with our HSRLCE partner toward that future. Respectfully submitted, Dr. Carin Wittnich, O.Ont.; Northrop Frye Scholar Director, CSCP Professor of Surgery & Physiology

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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 “Specialization 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

Pharmacology and Toxicology Physiology Rehabilitation Science

SUPPORTING CLINICAL DEPARTMENTS Anesthesia Medical Imaging

Medicine Surgery

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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. M. Rand (Scholarships & Awards) Dr. T. Gramolini (Membership/Curriculum) Dr. M. Locke (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) D. Brooks (Rehabilitation Science) S. Wu (Pharmaceutical Sciences) D. Mazer (Anesthesia) J. Parker (Pharmacology) S. Heximer (Physiology) D. Steinman (Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering) M. Rand (Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology) R-K. Li (Institute of Medical Science) H. Tenenbaum (Dentistry) S. Thomas (Exercise Sciences) G. Wright (Medical Biophysics) TBA (Chemical Engineering) President, CSCP Student Association Vice-President, CSCP Student Association

COURSES OFFERED EXS5508H Cardiovascular Disease and Exercise 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 JEB1365H Ultrasound: Theory and Applications in Biology and Medicine JTC1331H Biomaterials Science LMP1015H Vascular Pathobiology LMP1504H Cell and Molecular Biology of Cardiovascular Diseases

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PSL1462H Molecular Aspects of Cardiovascular Function * Core Courses for PhD Trainees (2 of 5 modules required); JCV denotes joint listing with most of our collaborating departments. 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

PROGRAM SPONSORED ACTIVITIES ANNUAL STUDENT RESEARCH DAY The 16th Annual Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program (CSCP) Student Research Day was held on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Each year the Research 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. This year, Dr. Carin Wittnich, Director of the CSCP, led the day with opening remarks highlighting the excellence and diversity of the CSCP. The morning continued with the students sharing their research aimed at improving the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, followed by inspiring presentations from our guest speakers, Dr. Paul Dorian, Division of Cardiology & Clinical Pharmacology, and Dr. Carin Wittnich, Professor of Surgery & Physiology. Awards were 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 continued with more excellent student presentations concerning molecular mechanisms and imaging and analysis of cardiovascular disease. A workshop on preparing an academic CV was given by Dr. Wittnich. Awards were also presented to students who were judged to have given the best oral presentation and most innovative presentations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STUDENT PRESENTATIONS As part of the CSCP requirements, all students must present their research once during their graduate training. This presentation consists of a 10-minute talk followed by a 3-5 minute

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question period. This year students were grouped into three main topics – seen below – with excellent and innovative presentations given throughout. Session I: Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease (Chair: Mark Blaser) Hajera Amatullah, PhD/PSL Targeted Deletion of DJ-1 Attenuates Morbidity and Mortality in Experimental Sepsis Through Enhanced Bacterial Clearance Robert Civitarese, MSc/IMS The Fibroblast-Specific α11β1 Integrin is Important for Post-Natal Cardiomyocyte Development and Function Danny D. Dinh, MSc/PSL Recovery of Skeletal Muscle Microvascular Myogenic Reactivity after Major Blockade Joobin Sattar, MSc/PSL Investigating the Mechanism & Functional Role of RGS5 Upregulation in VSMCs Following Statin Treatment Adil Rasheed, PhD/PHM Liver X Receptors (LXR) Modulate the Negative Effects on Endothelial Progenitor Cells after Feeding a High Cholesterol Diet Session I highlighted the importance of basic research and how understanding fundamental processes can drive the discovery of new treatment approaches. All five presentations demonstrated how a specific protein can influence physiological and pathophysiological responses and provided novel insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

Session II: Imaging and Analysis of Cardiovascular Disease (Chair: Amish Jain)

Tina Binesh Marvasti, MSc/IMS Haptoglobin 2-2 Genotype is Associated With Presence and Progression of MRI Depicted Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage

Navneet Singh, PhD/IMS

(Session I: L-R): Mark Blaser, Robert Civitarese, Adil Rasheed, Danny Dinh, Joobin Sattar, Hajera Amatullah

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Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage and Cardiovascular End-Organ Outcomes: Preliminary Core Site Results Travis Wilder, MSc/IMS Determining the Trends in Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Tricuspid Regurgitation after Single Ventricle Palliation for Neonates with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Their Differential Impact on Survival Omodele Olowoyeye, PhD/IMS Developing a Novel MR Technique for Measuring Flow Mediated Dilation In session II the speakers introduced new approaches to image and analyze cardiovascular disease. The first presentation focused on identifying a biomarker that can be used for the identification of pre-symptomatic individuals at a high risk of developing intraplaque hemorrhage, while two subsequent presentations from the same lab focused on magnetic resonance imaging; with one assessing the ability of magnetic resonance imaging depicted intraplaque hemorrhage to predict cardiovascular outcomes. Another presentation in this session centered on using echocardiographic data to analyze the outcomes of children with congenital heart disease.

Session III: Modeling and Applications of Molecular Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Disease (Chair: Arash Ghashghai)

Zachary Laksman, MSc/IMS Modeling Human Atrial Fibrillation Using Pluripotent Stem Cells Farrokh Mansouri, PhD/IBBME Model of Electrophysiology and Metabolism of the Heart Ji Dong K. Bai, MSc/IMS Identification and Mechanistic Studies of Novel Gluconeogenesis Regulators for Anti-Diabetic Drug Repurposing Using Transgenic Zebrafish Pck1 Reporters Azza Ramadan, PhD/IMS Effects of Long Term Autophagy Inhibition with Chloroquine on the Development and Progression of Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

(Session II: L-R): Amish Jain, Omodele Olowoyeye, Tina Binesh Marvasti, Travis Wilder, Navneet Singh

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High fidelity, consistent models are important tools for studying cardiovascular disease. Session III presentations featured an in vitro model of atrial fibrillation generated from human embryonic stem cells able to display appropriate electrophysiological responses and an in silico model of the heart that incorporates electrophysiology and metabolism to faithfully predict NADH dynamics. Both models have potential to be used in drug development: for drug screening or studying drug mechanisms of action.

Two other presentations investigated drug candidates to treat cardiovascular disease. One presenter was able to identify four compounds from an FDA-approved clinical drug library able to down-regulate PEPCK expression that could potentially have an anti-diabetic effect. Another presenter studied whether chloroquine could be used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms and found that it would not be an effective treatment when administered in a global and non-specific manner.

Session IV: Cardiovascular Health and Clinical Implications (Chair: Cedric Manlhiot)

Danielle C. Bentley, PhD/EXS Characterization of Post-Exercise Hemodynamics Following Two Handgrip Protocols in a Cohort of Older Women Shira Sasson, MSc/PCL Implications of Acute Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension on the Right Heart in Endurance Athletes Rawan Rumman, MSc/IMS Disease Beyond the Arch: A Systematic Review of Middle Aortic Syndrome in Childhood Julieta Lazarte, MSc/IMS Human Leukocyte Antigen-G Polymorphisms as Predictors of Early Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy Adam McKillop, PhD/IMS Rehabilitative Exercise and Activity Clinical Trial in Congenital Heart Disease (REACT IN CHD)

Accurate definition and stratification of disease is important to good patient care. In the final Session of the day, one researcher investigated pulmonary pressures in performance athletes during exercise and identified “high” and “low” pressure generator groups with distinct heart

(Session III: L-R): Arash Ghashghai, Zachary Laksman, Azza Ramadan, Ji Dong K. Bai, Farrokh Mansouri

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function characteristics and troubling similarities in the right heart between “high” pressure generators and early-stage pulmonary hypertension patients. Another investigator conducted a systematic review of scientific journal articles of Middle Aortic Syndrome and identified a gap in understanding the etiology of the disease with 64% of cases being idiopathic and identified rates of involvement for various extra-aortic arteries with the renal artery being the most common. One speaker presented their work on the association between HLA-G single nucleotide polymorphisms and early cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) having discovered that the +3196 CC/CG genotype is associated with reduced risk for early CAV while the +3196 GG genotype is associated with increased risk.

While improvements in treatment are vital, ideally cardiovascular disease can be prevented in the first place by promoting cardiovascular health. One presenter investigated the ability of a commercially available ZONA handgrip device as well as an in-house device as exercise tools to reduce the systolic blood pressure and increase the heart rate of normotensive, post-menopausal women, but found that these were not effective in the tested cohort. The final presentation described efforts in applying Motivational Interviewing as a means to increase physical activity among adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease. While efficacy results are still under study, the presentation highlighted the difficulties in patient recruitment and adherence in clinical studies, especially when targeting a young population.

SESSION PRESENTATION AWARD WINNERS Each presenter was evaluated for the best oral presentation and most innovative research by members of the organizing committee. 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. Certificates and gifts were presented to the winners by a member of the Organizing Committee, Alan Lam.

(Session IV: L-R): Adam McKillop, Cedric Manlhiot, Julieta Lazarte, Danielle Bentley, Rawan Rumman

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Congratulations to Adil Rasheed (Session I) for “Best Oral Presentation” for his insightful and well-delivered presentation on the liver X receptors and how they modulate the negative effects of cholesterol on endothelial progenitor cells. Adil was able persuade the audience with his findings and addressed all questions thoughtfully and convincingly.

Congratulations to awardee Zachary Laksman (Session III) for “Most Innovative Research” for his novel approach of using pluripotent stem cells to model human atrial fibrillation in vitro.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GUEST SPEAKERS The CSCP would like to thank our guest speakers, Drs. Dorian and Wittnich, for their very insightful and interesting talks that related to their careers and how they got to where they are today!! Both speakers initiated an animated discussion with the audience and answered questions in a thought provoking and helpful manner. These talks are a great way for students to hear and gain insights from individuals they aspire to become, and we certainly are grateful for the excellent talks provided!

(L-R) Alan Lam, Zachary Laksman

(L-R): Alan Lam, Adil Rasheed

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Dr. Paul Dorian is the Dexter H.C. Man Chair in Cardiology, Department Director, Division of Cardiology, University of Toronto and Staff Cardiac Electrophysiologist at St. Michael's Hospital. He is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, and a Staff Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. Dr. Dorian received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal in 1976. He continued training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Toronto, and received certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine in 1983 and certification in Cardiology in 1984. He completed training in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Toronto in 1982, and received an MSc in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto in 1982. From 1983 to 1985, he completed a Fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Stanford University Medical Centre in California. He is the immediate Past-President of the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society, Chairman of the Cardiac Arrest Committee, St. Michael’s Hospital, Co-PI on the NIH funded Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, serves on the steering committee of multiple multicenter clinical trials in arrhythmia care, and is the Chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Quality Committee. His research interests include basic science research in advanced cardiac life support and atrial fibrillation, the clinical pharmacology of antiarrhythmic drugs, and clinical research on implanted devices, antiarrhythmic drugs, and quality of life in patients with arrhythmias. He has published over 350 peer reviewed papers and is Associate Editor of the textbook Electrophysiological Disorders of the Heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Carin Wittnich is a tenured Full Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Physiology at the University of Toronto, and is the founding Director of the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program. As well, she is Staff in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children and Division of Cardiology at the Toronto General Hospital. She has held grants from the Heart & Stroke Foundation and MRC for work in newborn hearts response to

(L-R): Dr. Carin Wittnich, Dr. Paul Dorian, Katherine Allan

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(L-R): Adrienne Siu, Dr. Wittnich, and Kathryn Lipsett, Dr. Wittnich

stress and role of sex. As primary supervisor, she has trained over 13 MSc and 5 PhD students to date and continues to maintain an active research program, having published over 80 papers in peer reviewed journals. Outside of the University, she is a founding Director and Senior Scientist of the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society, serves on a number of editorial boards for scientific journals and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology (JMATE). Dr. Wittnich was recognized by the Department of Surgery in 1991 with the George Armstrong Peters Prize for her outstanding initial research productivity and then in 1999 with the Lister Prize for her continuing Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario grant funded research of international stature. In 1996 the University of Toronto awarded her the prestigious “Northrop Frye Award” for her innovation and exemplary linking of teaching and research. The Faculty of Medicine continues to recognize her outstanding teaching contributions with the “Sustained Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award” (2005), Excellence in Life Science Teaching (2008) and Excellence in Laboratory Undergraduate Teaching (2013). Outside the University of Toronto, in 2001 she was invested with the Order of Ontario for her work in promoting awareness and education of heart disease in women and children, and received the Queen's Jubilee Medals (Golden 2002, Diamond 2012). In 2006, she received the OVC Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater the University of Guelph for her outstanding contributions and successes in both academic and research fields. Her volunteer efforts are also well known and respected and she received the OVMA Recognition Award for her work with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CERTIFICATES/AWARDS Dr. Wittnich presented certificates to students who successfully completed the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program over the past year: MSc Carlos S. Fernando, IMS (Supervisor: G. Moe) Kathryn R. Lipsett, PSL (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) Zhen Q. Lu, PSL (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) Nour Qa’aty, IMS (Supervisor: A. Hinek) Adrienne G. Siu, MBP (Supervisor: G. Wright) Lily Zou, PCL (Supervisor: P. Dorian)

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PhD Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi, EXS (Supervisor: S. Thomas) June Guo, PSL (Supervisor: A. Giacca) Congratulations to all the students and success in their future career endeavours! Continuing the spirit of success and achievement, Dr. Wittnich continued with the annual CSCP student awards and presented:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2015 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient – Navneet Singh The CSCP congratulates Navneet Singh (shown here with Dr. Wittnich), a doctoral candidate in the Institute of Medical Science, supervised by Dr. A. Moody, who was presented with the 2015 Bigelow Book Prize for his continued and sustained academic scientific excellence.

Identifying patients most at risk for strokes and heart attacks is a challenge for physicians. Advancements in Medical Imaging provide a major opportunity to directly visualize arteries implicated in strokes and heart attacks, allowing for the detection of diseased vessels that may benefit from treatment. Dr. Navneet Singh, an aspiring Radiologist Physician-Scientist, is dedicated to the translation of advanced and novel imaging technologies from bench to bedside, and hopes to provide physicians with cutting-edge tools to help patients. His Ph.D. thesis is focused on evaluating intraplaque hemorrhage, a component of unstable atherosclerotic plaque that can be visualized with MRI and predicts strokes and heart attacks. His CIHR supported Ph.D. aims to investigate MRI detected intraplaque hemorrhage, using a multicenter Canadian Atherosclerosis Imaging Network trial, under the mentorship of Dr. Alan R. Moody.

2014-15 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient – Antoinette Bugyei-Twum

The CSCP congratulates Antoinette Bugyei-Twum (shown here – middle), a doctoral candidate in the Institute of Medical Science, supervised by Dr. K. Connelly, who was presented with the 2014-15 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award for her continued and sustained academic scientific excellence. Shown here with Antoinette is Ms. Kathryn Phenix and Dr. Wittnich. Investigating the Role of TGF-β Signaling in the Failing Diabetic Heart Heart failure constitutes a significant health care

burden. In Canada, over 500,000 individuals are reported to experience heart failure. Of these

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individuals, roughly 50% experience a specific type of heart failure called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a condition characterized at the cellular level by cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis. Strikingly, individuals with diabetes are particularly prone to developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. However, with considerable debate surrounding the exact nature/cause of cardiac dysfunction attributable to diabetes, very little advancement has been made with respect to the development of effective therapies. In fact, a major challenge to the development of effective therapies is the identification of modifiable pathways responsible for the hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes – a key pathological feature of the failing diabetic heart. Of the reported pathways, the transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway emerges as an attractive therapeutic target as it is consistently implicated in organ hypertrophy and fibrosis. With a large proportion of diabetic women at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, the aim of my research is to better understand the role/contributions of TGF-β1 in diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction – an aim that closely aligns with the spirit of the Lorne Phenix Graduate Award. Following the awards presentations, students socialized and networked during the complimentary lunch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ACADEMIC CV WORKSHOP This year Dr. Wittnich provided her ever popular academic workshop on CV preparation to the students. She went over the key ingredients to a succinct yet impactful CV and identified some common errors and oversights made by students as they look to the future and begin putting together their own CV. Key points included the importance of a targeted CV, honesty in the information contained and clarity so that the reader can appreciate the breadth and depth of the individual. Dr. Wittnich’s presentation was well received and tailored specifically to CSCP students.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLOSING The Student Research Day was a success and would not have been possible without the combined efforts of several individuals. Thank you to the Organizing Committee, Antoinette Bugyei-Twum (Chair), Alan Lam (Committee member) and Katherine Alan (Committee member) for all their hard work; Victoria Simpson for her support and knowledge in making this day successful, Professors Dorian and Wittnich for their outstanding and inspiring presentations, and the Sessions Chairs, Mark Blaser, Amish Jain, Arash Ghashghai and Cedric Manlhiot for keeping the sessions running smoothly.

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We are also grateful to the generous donation from GoodLife Fitness, the University of Toronto Book Store, the Phenix family, the Bigelow family, and the contributions from our participating units.

Thank you to all the CSCP students and to all involved in making the 16th Annual CSCP Student Research Day a great success! 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 student body with the CSCP Forum and Dinner. We hope to resume this event in 2016. 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

(L-R): Katherine Allan, Antoinette Bugyei-Twum, Alan Lam

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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. CIRCULATION ROUNDS The CSCP student body organizes and runs this event which highlights the diverse nature of research carried out by our faculty. 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. In 2015 host labs were from Drs Jason Fish, Clint Robbins, and Jacques Belik.

AWARDS MEDTRONIC TRAVEL AWARD Two competitions were 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 research work at recognized scientific meetings. Students supported by this award this academic year were: Fall 2014: Danielle Bentley, PhD Candidate, Dept. of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. Scott Thomas) Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, St. John’s Nfld, October 2014 “The Influence of Sex on Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Health in Young Healthy Participants” Spring 2015: Rawan Rumman, MSc Candidate, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. R. Parekh) Pediatric Academic Societies, San Diego, CA, April 2015 “Disease Beyond the Arch: A Systematic Review of Middle Aortic syndrome in Childhood” 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

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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

2015 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient Navneet Singh, PhD Candidate, Institute of Medical Science Supervisor: Dr. A. Moody, Department of Medical Imaging

Identifying patients most at risk for strokes and heart attacks is a challenge for physicians. Advancements in Medical Imaging provide a major opportunity to directly visualize arteries implicated in strokes and heart attacks, allowing for the detection of diseased vessels that may benefit from treatment. Dr. Navneet Singh, an aspiring Radiologist Physician-Scientist, is dedicated to the translation of advanced and novel imaging technologies from bench to bedside, and hopes to provide physicians with cutting-edge tools to help patients. His Ph.D. thesis is focused on evaluating intraplaque hemorrhage, a component of unstable atherosclerotic plaque that can be visualized with MRI and predicts strokes and heart attacks. His CIHR supported Ph.D. aims to investigate MRI detected

intraplaque hemorrhage, using a multicenter Canadian Atherosclerosis Imaging Network trial, under the mentorship of Dr. Alan R. Moody.

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.

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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 2014-2015 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient Antoinette Bugyei-Twum, PhD Candidate, Institute of Medical Science Supervisor: Dr. K. Connelly

Investigating the Role of TGF-β Signaling in the Failing Diabetic Heart Heart failure constitutes a significant health care burden. In Canada, over 500,000 individuals are reported to experience heart failure. Of these individuals, roughly 50% experience a specific type of heart failure called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a condition characterized at the cellular level by cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis. Strikingly, individuals with diabetes are particularly prone to developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. However, with considerable debate surrounding the exact nature/cause of cardiac dysfunction attributable to diabetes, very little advancement has been made with respect to the development of effective therapies. In fact, a major challenge to the

development of effective therapies is the identification of modifiable pathways responsible for the hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes – a key pathological feature of the failing diabetic heart. Of the reported pathways, the transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway emerges as an attractive therapeutic target as it is consistently implicated in organ hypertrophy and fibrosis. With a large proportion of diabetic women at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, the air of my research is to better understand the role/contributions of TGF-β1 in diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction – an aim that closely aligns with the spirit of the Lorne Phenix Graduate Award.

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

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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 2015-2016 year: Diana Buchsbaum, MSc Candidate, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) Jake Cosme, PhD Candidate, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) Shanna Stanley-Hasnain, MSc Candidate, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: P. Billia) 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 2015: Name Degree Dept. Supervisor Ryan Sless MSc EXS J. Goodman Shanna Stanley-Hasnain MSc IMS P. Billia Harsh Desai MSc LMP M. Woo Sammen Huang MSc PSL H-S. Sun Ian Brennan PhD IMS L. Morrison Stephen Wright PhD IMS S. Mak/J. Goodman Michael Sugiyama PhD LMP W. Lee Henry Cheng PhD LMP J. Fish Laura Chiavaroli PhD NUSCI D. Jenkins

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 Centres of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research, the Lorne Phenix Family, the Bigelow Family, and the contributions from our participating units (see page 5).

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STUDENTS Name Supervisor Degree Department Rachel Adams C. Simmons MSc BME Alanna Adleman C. Hudson MSc IMS Katherine Allan P. Dorian PhD IMS Hajera Amatullah H. Zhang PhD PSL Karen Bai X-Y. Wen MSc IMS Beatrice Ballarin M. Tymianski MSc IMS Stephanie Beadman S. Heximer MSc PSL Danielle Bentley S. Thomas PhD EXS Mark Blaser C. Simmons PhD BME Lynne Alis Bonsignore S. Thomas PhD EXS Diana Buchsbaum A. Gramolini MSc PSL Antoinette Bugyei-Twum K. Connelly PhD IMS Jessica Caterini G. Wells PhD EXS Hao Chen H. Leong-Poi PhD IMS Henry Cheng J. Fish PhD LMP Robert Civitarese K. Connelly MSc IMS Jake Cosme A. Gramolini PhD PSL Danny Dinh S-S. Bolz MSc PSL Mehroz Ehsan S. Verma MSc IMS Suzan El-Rass X-Y. Wen PhD IMS Carlos Fernando G. Moe MSc IMS Arash Ghashghai V. Rao PhD IMS Gabriela Ghisi S. Thomas PhD EXS June (Hui Jun) Guo A. Giacca MSc PSL Ustina Huh H. Zhang MSc PSL Farwah Iqbal C. Librach MSc PSL Amish Jain R. Jankov PhD PSL Hany Kashani N. Paul PhD IMS P. (David) Kosinski A. Kassner MSc IMS Lee-Anne Khuu C. Hudson PhD IMS Susith Kulasekara C. Hudson/J. Flanagan PhD IMS Robert Lakin J. Goodman PhD EXS Zachary Laksman P. Backx MSc IMS Alan Lam C. Simmons PhD BME Julieta Lazarte V. Rao MSc IMS Elena Leontieva C. Hudson PhD IMS Kathryn Lipsett A. Gramolini MSc PSL Zhen Lu A. Gramolini MSc PSL Cedric Manlhiot B. McCrindle PhD IMS Farrokh Mansouri N. Nanthakumar MSc BME Tina Binesh Marvasti A. Moody MSc IMS Mathew Mathew B. McCrindle MSc IMS Antonio Mauro X-Y. Wen PhD IMS Adam McKillop B. McCrindle PhD IMS Azadeh Mofid H. Leong-Poi PhD IMS Mark Moon P. Liu PhD IMS Shouka Parvin Nejad C. Simmons MaSc BME

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Yena Oh P. Backx MSc PSL Omodele Olowoyeye A. Moody PhD IMS Aric Pahnke M. Radisic PhD CHE Nour Qa’aty A. Hinek MSc IMS Azza Ramadan S. Verma PhD IMS Adil Rasheed C. Cummins PhD PHM Rawan Rumman R. Parekh MSc IMS Patricia Rose C. Hudson PhD IMS (inactive status) Trisha Roy G. Wright MSc IMS Shira Sasson J. Parker MSc PCL Joobin Sattar S. Heximer MSc PSL Eric Shikatani M. Husain PhD LMP Kaustabh (Bunty) Singh R-K. Li PhD LMP Navneet Singh A. Moody PhD IMS Adrienne Siu G. Wright PhD MBP Marianne Skrinjar J. Goodman MSc EXS (inactive status) Ryan Sless J. Goodman MSc EXS Shanna Stanley-Hasnain P. Billia MSc IMS Brian Vadasz H. Ni MSc LMP Marianne Wauchop P. Backx MSc PSL Travis Wilder C. Caldarone MSc IMS Mathew Wong R. Jankov MSc PSL Steve Wright J. Goodman PhD IMS Holly Wykes S. Thomas MSc EXS Mary Yang Y. Yucel MSc IMS Aileen Zhong C. Simmons MaSc BME Kangbin Zhou J. Parker PhD PCL Lily Zou P. Dorian MSc PCL CONVOCATED STUDENTS/FOLLOW-UP Carlos Sia Fernando, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. G. Moe): “Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure and Not Left Ventricular Systolic Function is Associated with Renal Insufficiency in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure” (Clinical Research/Medical School) Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi, PhD, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. S. Thomas): “Patient Education in Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Role of Knowledge on Behavior Change and Its Mediators” (Post-doctoral Fellowship, UHN) June Guo, PhD, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Giacca): “The Effects of Insulin and Insulin Sensitizers on Neointimal Formation after Arterial Injuries in Rodent Models” (Dentistry) Kathryn R. Lipsett, MSc, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini): “Proteomic Anaylsis of Endothelial, Smooth Muscle, Myocytes and Fibroblasts Derived From Human Cardiac Tissue Identified Cell Type Specific Expression Signatures” (Master of Teaching, OISE)

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Zhen Qi Lu, MSc, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini): “Proteomic Analyses of Human Fetal Atria and Ventricles” (Medical School) Farrokh Mansouri, MHSc, Department of Clinical Engineering (Supervisor: Dr. K. Nanthakumar): “Model of Electrophysiology and Metabolism of the Heart” (PhD, University of Toronto) Nour Qa’aty, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. A. Hinek): “Anti-Diabetic Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Induces Formation of New Elastic Fibers in Human Cardiac Fibroblasts after Cross-Activation of IGF-1R” (MD/PhD, University of Toronto) Adrienne Grace Siu, MSc, Department of Medical Biophysics (Supervisor: Dr. G. Wright): “Characterization of the Ultra-Short Echo time Magnetic Resonance (UTE MR) Collagen Signal Associated With Myocardial Fibrosis” (PhD Degree) Lily Zou, MSc, Department of Pharmacology (Supervisor: Dr. P. Dorian): “Attenuation of Cardiac Fibrillation Vulnerability by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in a Rat Model of Cardiomyopathy” (Pharmaceutical industry or healthcare profession) AWARDS AND HONORS

NAME HONORS AND AWARDS Rachel Adams - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, IBBME, UoT, 2015 Katherine Allan - AHA 3CPR Junior Investigator Travel Stipend, 2014

- Frederick Banting & Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, CIHR Doctoral Award, 2011-2014

Beatrice Ballarin - IMS International Student Fee Differential Award, UoT, 2015 Stephanie Beadman - Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, UoT, 2015 Mark Blaser - HSRLCE Studentship, UoT, 2014-15

- OSOTF, CSCP, UoT, 2014-15 - Dalton Whitebread Scholarship, UoT, 2014-15 - NAVBO Gordon Research Conference Trainee Travel Award, 2015 - Best Podium Presentation Award, IBBME Scientific Day, UoT, 2015 - Small animal echocardiographic particle-image velocimetry, NSERC Grant, PI: Simmons, $25,000, 2015-16 - The roles of C-type natriuretic peptide in aortic valve disease, HSFC Grant-in-Aid, PIs: Simmons/Yau, $288,867, 2015-18

Diana Buchsbaum - HSRLCE Studentship, UoT, 2014-15 - OSOTF, Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program, UoT, 2014-15

Antoinette Bugyei-Twum - QEII/HSFO Graduate Scholarship in Science & Technology, 2014-15 - Lorne Phenix Graduate Award, Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program, UoT, 2015

Henry Cheng - NAVBO Travel Award, 2014 - Ontario Graduate Studentship, UoT, 2014-15 - Ontario Graduate Studentship, 2014-2015

Jake Cosme - Conference Grant, School of Graduate Studies, UoT, 2015 - CNPN Graduate Student Travel Award, Canadian National Proteomics

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Network, 2015 - ORT Conference Travel Award, Office of Research Trainees, University Health Network, 2015 - Frontiers in Physiology Best Cardio Oral Presentation, Dept. of Physiology, UoT, 2015 - HSRLCE Studentship, UoT, 2014-15 - Dr. Albert & Dorris Fields Graduate Scholarship in Cardiovascular Physiology, Dept. of Physiology, UoT, 2014-15

Danny Dinh - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2014 Suzan El-Rass - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, UoT, 2014-15

- Best Graduate Student, 2nd place, 2014 Arthurs LKSKI Research Academy Award, 2014 - Travel Award, Genomics: the Power & Promise Conference, 2014 - SGS Conference Grant, UoT, 2014 - Best Poster Presentation Award, Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America Conference, 2014

Arash Ghashghai - Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award finalist, Council on Cardio- vascular Surgery and Anesthesia, American Heart Assoc, 2014 - American Heart Assoc Travel Award, 2014

Ustina Huh - Dept. of Physiology Fellowship, UoT, 2014-15 Farwah Iqbal - SGS Conference Grant, 2015

- Graduate Stimulus Award, Dept. of Physiology, UoT, 2014 Lee-Anne Khuu - Best Poster Presentation Award, Vision Science Research Program

Award, UHN Ophthalmology Research Day, UoT, 2014 - Doctorate Fellowship, Vision Science Res Program Award, UoT, 2014

Elena Leontieva - Graduate Student Scholarship OSOTF Award, Vision Science Research Program, University of Toronto, 2014-15

Cedric Manlhiot - Labatt Family Heart Centre Innovations Fund, UHN. Coronary flow Patterns and bike testing in patients undergoing aortic valve surgery pre- dict short term outcomes. 2014-15 - CIHR Team Grant. Novel approaches to the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of cardiac late effects in survivors of childhood cancer. 2012-17 - HSFO. Determinants of disease progression and recovery in paediatric heart failure. 2012-16 - NIH/Nat. Heart, Lung & Blood Inst. Pediatric Heart Network – The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, 2011-16 - CIHR Operating Grant. Clinical Assessment of Thrombosis in Children and Heart surgery: The CATCH Study. 2010-15

Mathew Mathew - IMS Entrance Award, UoT 2015 - Western Scholar, University of Western Ontario, 2014 - Dean’s Honor List, University of Western Ontario, 2014

Antonio Mauro - Institute of Medical Science Open Fellowship Award, UofToronto, 2014 - Ontario Graduate Scholarhip, UoT 2014 - Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, Ontario Government, University of Toronto, 2015

Mark Moon - Coralie Lalonde Innovation Award, Finalist, 2014 Adil Rasheed - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, UoT 2014

- Rx&D Student Research Poster Award, 2014 - OSOTF, Faculty of Pharmacy, UoT 2014 - Best Oral Presentation, CSCP 16th Annual Student Research Day, 2015 - AAPS Foundation Grad Student Fellowship, Honorable Mention, 2015 - American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual Meeting and Exposition Travel Award, 2015

Trisha Roy - International MR Angiography Working Group Travel Award, 2015 - SGS Conference Grant, UoT, 2015

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- Best Presentation, Louridas Award, Winnipeg Vascular & Endovascular Symposium, 2015 - Society of Cardiovascular MR Regional Scholarship, 2015 - Clinician Investigator Progra, Ministry of Health Award, 2014-15 - CIHR-CGS M, Canada Graduate Scholarship, 2014-15

Navneet Singh - Bigelow Book Prize, Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Prog, 2015 - CIHR Fellowship, 2012-16

Ryan Sless - QEII/GSST, UoT 2015 (rejected) - Frederick Banting & Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, CIHR Master’s Award, 2015 - Dept of Exercise Science Fellowship, UoT, 2014

Shanna Stanley-Hasnain - Life Sciences Fellowship, UoT 2014 Mary Yang - IMS Entrance Award, UoT 2014

- Academic Conference & Travel Fund, UTS, 2014 Kangbin Zhou - QEII-GSST Scholarship, UofT, 2014

- Ontario Graduate Scholarship, UoT, 2014-15 - Inaugural Romet Award, 2015

PUBLICATIONS Ahmed S, Bott D, Gomez A, Tamblyn L, Rasheed A, et al: Loss of the mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase, TIPARP, increases sensitivity to dioxin-induced steatohepatitis and lethality. J Biological Chem, 2015;290:16824-16840. Allan KS, Drennan IR, Golan E: Letter to the Editor: A pilot study examining the role of regional cerebral oxygen saturation monitoring as a marker of return of spontaneous circulation in shockable (VF/VT) and non-shockable (PEA/Asystole) causes of cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 2014;85(9):e121-122. Alsoufi B, Manlhiot C, Ehrlich A, Oster M, et al: Results of palliation with an initial pulmonary artery band in patients with single ventricle associated with unrestricted pulmonary blood flow. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2015;149(1):213-220 [Epub 2014-08-08] Alsoufi B, Manlhiot C, Mahle WT, Kogon B, et al: Low-weight infants are at increased mortality risk after palliative or corrective cardiac surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2014;148(6):2508-2514 [Epub 2014-08-01] Ayling O, Roy T, Cusimano RJ, McGilvray I, Roche-Nagle G: Intravenous leiomyomatosis with cardiac extension. Eur J Vasc Med, 2015;44:151-155. Borik S, Crean A, Horlick E, Osten M…Manlhiot C, Benson LN: Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation: 5 years of follow-up – does age influence outcomes? Circulation: Cardiovasc Interventions, 2015;8(2):e001745. Bugyei-Twum A, Advani A, Advani SL, Zhang Y, Thai K, Kelly DJ, Connelly KA: High glucose induces Smad activation via the transcriptional coregulatory p300 and contributes to cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy. Cardiovasc Diabetology, 2014;13:89

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Buick JA, Allan KS, Kiss A, Dorian P, Gozdyra P, Joel RG, Morrison LJ: Does location matter? A study protocol to determine the neighbourhood effect on bystander CPR and cardiac arrest survival. CJEM, 2015;17(3):286-294. Chen CK, Manlhiot C, Conway J, Allain-Rooney T, McCrindle BW, Tinckam K, Dipchand AI: Development and impact of de novo anti-HLA antibodies I pediatric heart transplant recipients. Am J Transplant, 2015 [Epub 2015-03-17] Cheng HS, Njock MS, Khyzha N, Dang LT, Fish JE: Noncoding RNAs regulate NF-KB signaling to modulate blood vessel inflammation. Frontiers in Genetics, 2014;5. Cifra B, Dragulescu A, Brun H, Slorach C, Friedberg MK, Manlhiot C, McCrindle BW, Dipchand AI, Mertens L: left ventricular myocardial response to exercise in children after heart transplant. J Heart Lung Transplant, 2014;33(12):1241-1247 [Epub 2014-07-21] David TE, David CM, Manlhiot C: Simplici-T annuloplasty band for mitral valve repair for degenerative disease. Ann Thorac Surg, 2015;98(5):1551-1556 [Epub 2014-09-04] Deb S, Singh SK, Moussa F, Tsubota H, Une D, Kiss G, Tomlinson M, Afshar, Sless R, et al: The long-term impact of diabetes on graft patency after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. A sub-study of the multi-centered Radial Artery Patency Study. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2014;148(4):1246-1253. Deliva RD, Patterson C, So S, Pellow V, Miske S, McLister C, Manlhiot C, et al: The World Transplant Games: An incentive to improve physical fitness and habitual activity in pediactic solid organ transplant recipients. Pediatric Transplant, 2014;18(8):889-895 [Epub 2014-10-12] Dipchand AI, White M, Manlhiot C, Pollock-BarZiv S, et al: Myocyte growth, repair and oxidative stress following pediatric heart transplantation. Pediatric Transplant, 2014;18(7):764-770. [Epub 2014-08-13] Drennan IR, Allan KS, Dao LI: Letter to the Editor: use of rapid sequence intubation predicts improved survival among patients intubated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 2014;85(8):e113. Etoom Y, Govindapillai S, Hamilton RM, Manlhiot C, Yoo SJ, et al: Importance of magnetic resonance within the Task Force Criteria for the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in children and adolescents. J Am Coll Cardiol, 2015;65(10):987-995. Floh AA, Manlhiot C, Redington AN, et al: Insulin resistance and inflammation are a cause of hyperglycemia after pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Surg, 2015;150(3):498-504 [Epub 2015-05-25] Ford C, Civitarese R, Bugyei-Twum A, Mitchell M, et al: The SRT1 activator, SRT1720 attenuates cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in a rodent pressure overload model. Circulation, 2014;130(22;2):A19029. Grosman-Rimon L, Jacobs I, Tumiati MA, McDonald S, Pollock B-Z, Kawajiri H, Lazarte J, Ghashghai A, Shogilev D, Cherney DZ, Rao V: Longitudinal assessment of inflamaation in recipients of CF-LVADs. Can J Cardiol, 2015;31(3):348-356.

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Grosman-Rimon L, McDonald MA, Jacobs I…Ghashghai A, Chruscinski A, Cherney DZ, Rao V: Markers of inflammation in recipients of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices. ASAIO, 2014;60(6):657-663. Hatch J, Andreazza A, Olowoyeye O, Rezin GT, Moody A, Goldstein BI: Cardiovascular and psychiatric characteristics associated with oxidative stress markers amng adolescents with bipolar disorder. J Psychosomatic Res, 2015;79(3):222-227. Lord S, Manlhiot C, Tyrrell PN, et al: Lower socioeconomic status, adiposity and negative health behaviours in youth: a cross-sectional observational study. BMJ Open, 2015-5(5):e008291 [Epub 2015-05-18] Luca P, Dettmer E, Khoury M, Grewal P, Manlhiot C, McCrindle BW, Birken CS, Hamilton JK: Adolescents with severe obesity: Outcomes of participation in an intensive obesity management program. Pediatric Obesity, 2014;148(6):2508-2514 [Epub 2014-09-18] Matkar PN, Wei JC, Chen HH, Civitarese R, Jog R, Bugyei-Twum A: Rac1: an emerging player in stretch-stimulated glucose transport. J Physiol, 2015;593(8):1771-1772. McCrindle BW, Clarizia NA, Khaikin S, Holtby HM, Manlhiot C, et al: Remote ischemic preconditioning in children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a single-center double-blind randomized trial. J Am Heart Assoc, 2014;3(4):e000964 [Epub 2014-07-28] McCrindle BW, Li JS, Manlhiot C, Tweddell JS, et al: Challenges and Priorities in Research: A report from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)/National Institutes of Health (NIH) Working Group on Thrombosis in Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital heart Disease. Circulation, 2014;130(14):1192-1203 [Epub 2014-09-30] McDonald MA, Braga JR, Li J, Manlhiot C, Ross HJ, Redington AN: A randomized pilot trial of remote ischemic preconditioning in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. PloS One, 2014;9(9):e105361 [Epub 2014-09-02] Miner SES, Nield LE, Plante S, Goldman L, Prabhakar M, Elliot K, Manlhiot C, McCrindle BW: Increasingly aggressive, evidence-based changes in percutaneous coronary intervention practive patterns are associated with increased risk-adjusted mortaligy. Future Cardiol, 2015;11(2):137-146. Mondal T, Slorach C, Manlhiot C, Hui W, Kantor PF, McCrindle BW, Mertens L, Friedberg MK: Prognostic implications of the systolic to diastolic duration ratio in children with idiopathic or familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Circulation: Cardiovasc Imaging, 2014;7(5):773-780 [Epub 2014-08-19] Njock MS, Cheng HS, Dang LT… Fish JE: Endothelial cells reprogram inflammatory responses through secretion of microvesicles containing anti-inflammatory microRNAs. Blood, 2015;125(20):3202-3212. Patel M, Wang X, Magomedova L, John R, Rasheed A, et al: Liver X receptors preserve renal glomerular integrity under normoglycaemia and in diabetes in mice. Diabetologia, 2014;57:435-446.

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Peterson MD, Mazine A, El-HamamsyI, Manlhiot C, Ouzounian M…Moon MC, et al: Canadian Thoracic Aortic Collaborative (CTAC) Investigators. J Cardiothor Vasc Surg, 2015 [Epub 2015-07-14] Reddy S, Fung A, Manlhiot C, Selamet Tierney ES, et al: Adrenergic receptor genotype influences heart failure severity and β-blocker response in children with dilated cardiomyopathy. Pediatric Research, 2015;77(2):363-369 [Epub 2014-11-19] Sun L, Macgowan C, Sled J, Yoo SJ, Manlhiot C, et al: Reduced fetal cerebral oxygen consumption is associated with smaller brain size in fetuses with congenital heart disease. Circulation 2015;131(15):1313-1323 [Epub 2015-03-11] Tamayo C, Manlhiot C, Patterson K, Lalani S, McCrindle BW: Longitudinal evaluation of the prevalence of overweight/obesity in children with congenital heart disease. Can J Cardiol, 2015;31(2):117-123 [Epub 2014-08-27] Wang DY, Abbasi C, El-Rass S, Li JY, Dawood F, Naito K, et al: Endoplasmic reticulum resident protein 44 (ERp44) deficiency in mice and zebrafish leads to cardiac developmental and functional defects. J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3(5):e001018 Weber R, Kantor P, Chitayat D…Manlhiot C, Jaeggi EJ: Spectrum and outcome of primary cardiomyopathy diagnosed during fetal life. J Am Coll Cardiol Heart Failure, 2014;2(4):403-411 [Epub 2014-07-09]

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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 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 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 Paul Dorian IMS/Medicine/PCL St. Michael’s Hospital Daniel Drucker IMS/LMP Mount Sinai Hospital Joel Fisher Anesthesia Toronto General Hospital John S. Floras IMS/Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital Stephen Fremes IMS/Surgery Sunnybrook Health Centre Adria Giacca PSL UofT – MSB Richard Gilbert IMS 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 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 Princess Margaret Hospital Fred Keeley LMP Hospital for Sick Children Warren Lee IMS/LMP St. Michael’s Hospital Howard Leong-Poi IMS 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

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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 Gordon Moe IMS 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 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 Sunnybrook Health Centre Michael Tymianski IMS Toronto Western Hospital Subodh Verma IMS 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/Surgery 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/PSL St. Michael’s Hospital Associate Mohammed Al-Omran IMS St. Michael’s Hospital Filia Billia IMS Toronto General Hospital Vijay Chauhan IMS/Medicine/PSL Toronto General Hospital David Cherney IMS University Health Network Kim Connelly IMS St. Michael’s Hospital Jason Fish LMP Toronto General Hospital Benjamin Goldstein PCL Sunnybrook Health Sci Ctr

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Andrea Kassner IMS/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children Clifford Librach IMS/PSL Bay Street office David Mazer Anesthesia/IMS St. Michael’s Hospital Rulan Parekh IMS Hospital for Sick Children Mike Seed IMS Hospital for Sick Children Rachel Wald IMS University Health Network Gregory Wells EXS Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Bernd Wintersperger IMS Toronto General Hospital Xiao-Yan Wen IMS St. Michael’s Hospital Faculty publications can be found through their departmental websites.