CARDIOVASCULAR SCIENCES

COLLABORATIVE SPECIALIZATION Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

ANNUAL REPORT 2018 – 2019

263 McCaul Street, Room 413, Toronto ON M5T 1W7 Tel: 416/978-0746 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…………………………………………………………...6-16 - Annual Student Research Day

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

AWARDS…………...………………………………………………………………………………..16-18 - Medtronic Travel Award - Bigelow Book Prize - Lorne Phenix Graduate Award

FINANCIAL SUPPORT.………………………………………………………………..................19-20 - Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Funds (OSOTF) Award - Queen Elizabeth II - Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)

ADVERTISING MATERIAL……………………………………………………………………………20

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………..………………………………………………………….20 STUDENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………..21-26 - Currently Enrolled - Convocated/Follow-Up - Awards and Honors - Publications

FACULTY………………..…………………………………………………………………………..27-29

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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

It is once again my pleasure to present this report highlighting the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization’s (CSCS) activities and accomplishments for the 2018-2019 academic year. We have settled into our new office space at 263 McCaul while our partnership with the Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research (HSRLCE) is now 5 years in. This has allowed us to continue to provide a high quality education experience for our trainees. Continuing to promote the high quality of work conducted by our graduate trainees was done through having our Bigelow Book prize winner from the previous year as a keynote speaker at the joint annual Ted Rogers/HSRLCE Science Day in May. This continues the important step of showing our trainees of

their value and highlight, beyond just the reaches of the CSCS, their outstanding work to the general cardiovascular community. We continue to ensure a high quality graduate training experience for each of our students through their annual one-on-one meeting 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 CSCS as well. This adds another layer of security to the student, as well as their 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 CSCS 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 20th, continues to be organized by the students and includes sessions on their research. This year it was held at our new location on McCaul Street with invited faculty Drs. Scott Thomas and Carolyn Cummins sharing 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 includes 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, now made up of 7 modules each worth .5 FTE, continue to be highly popular and well ranked by the students. These 7 graduate courses, that any of our students from our participating departments can take advantage of, are both unique and interdisciplinary in nature.

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Annual student enrollment for this past year sustained the increase we saw last year with the number of MSc level trainees now at the 45% increase we saw last year. Our total enrollment is an impressive 82 trainees which is what we have been averaging over the last 5 years or more.

Finally, it is also important to once again mention that the CSCS is a unique collaborative program not only because it offers and runs its own graduate courses but also it continues to allocate more than $153,000 of student support including scholarships, bursaries and awards annually. The CSCS is pleased to be able to provide this tangible monetary benefit for our 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 partners 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. Working together with our partners to secure donors and stable infrastructure funding continues to be a critical issue which has taken on a particular urgency with the winding down of funding from the HSRLCE who has been our biggest and staunchest supporter. Developing new partnerships will be the major effort in the foreseeable future. It is my fervent hope that this effort will finally result in 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, CSCS Professor of Surgery & Physiology Northrop Frye Scholar

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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

2018-2019 Student Participation

MSc PhD Total

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MISSION STATEMENT “The Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization, 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 specialization in cooperation with the academic units in which they are registered. Students in this collaborative specialization must fulfill the requirements of their home units as well as the CSCS. Upon graduation the notation “Specialization in Cardiovascular Sciences” will appear on the student’s official academic transcript and the CSCS will present the student with a certificate.

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 CSCS 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 and 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) TBA (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 JCV3065H* Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Sciences – Systems Biology 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 7 modules required); JCV denotes joint listing with most of our collaborating depts.

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

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Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization 20th Annual Student Research Day

The 20th Annual Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization (CSCS) Student Research Day was held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in our new location at 263 McCaul Street. This Day provided trainees the opportunity to present their research to their peers in a welcoming environment – promoting discussion and the free flow of ideas. The event also provides a

platform for the 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, CSCS Director, led the Day with opening remarks and highlighted the excellence and diversity of the CSCS, with Luke Dingwell, Chair of the Organizing Committee, briefing the audience on the events of the Day. We again offered ‘lightning talks’, or 3-Minute Theses (3MT), in addition to the standard presentation format. The Day had 3 student presentation sessions that focused on research into molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, vascular mechanisms and cardiovascular imaging, and cardiovascular health and clinical implications. Awards were presented to students receiving the ‘Bigelow Book Prize’ and the ‘Lorne Phenix Graduate Award’. As well, certificates were given to students whom had completed their CSCS training. The afternoon also had inspired presentations from our guest speakers, Dr. Carolyn Cummins, Associate Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Dr. Scott Thomas, Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. The day closed with a new peer-to-peer networking session and with awards being presented to students whom were judged by their peers to have given the best oral presentations and best 3MT. Akin to the previous year, a ‘question raffle’ with exceptional prizes from various donors encouraged questions and discussion with the audience.

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS As part of the CSCS requirements, all students must present their research once during their graduate training. This presentation consists of either an 8-minute or 3-minute talk, followed by a 2-minute question period. Below is a summary of the 3 sessions given by the students, with excellent and innovative presentations throughout. Session I: Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease (Chair: Luke Dingwell) Shelly Chauhan, PSL/MSc MicroRNAs regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation in the early postnatal period Da Hye (Julia) Kim, PSL/MSc

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Integrative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of human ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathic explanted hearts identifies etiology-specific phosphorylation patterns and signaling pathways Elizabeth G.Y. Kim, IMS/MSc The role of thrombospondin-1 as an activator of fibrosis in the pulmonary hypertensive-stressed right ventricle Xavier Lee, PSL/MSc Degradation mechanisms of phospholamban and its mutants Kenneth Williams, LMP/MSc Skipping a beat: development & characterization of a 3D in vitro model of human cardiac arrhythmia To begin the presentations, Session I focused on the molecular mechanisms of various cardiovascular diseases. The first speaker, Shelly Chauhan, investigated the role of microRNAs in the regulation of cell cycle progression in rat cardiomyocytes and found that a unique subset of microRNAs control cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest. Importantly, her work may allow for an experimental increase in cardiomyocyte proliferation post-myocardial infarction. Julia Kim then aimed to investigate the proteomic and phosphoproteomic landscapes of various forms of heart failure in humans. She obtained deep (phospho)proteomic coverage, found clear differential regulation of major signaling networks, and her work will undoubtedly increase our understanding of etiology-specific mechanisms of heart failure. The third speaker, Elizabeth Kim, studied fibrosis in pulmonary hypertension and is working to understand how TSP1 may regulate myofibroblasts to cause right ventricular fibrosis. Next, Xavier Lee investigated phospholamban, a calcium cycling protein with roles in cardiomyopathy, and showed how phospholamban is trafficked and degraded in cardiomyocytes. The final speaker, Kenneth Williams, generated and described a 3-dimensional model of cardiac arrhythmia using human-induced pluripotent stem cells that may ultimately allow for personalized, therapeutic screening.

Session II: Vascular Mechanisms and Cardiovascular Imaging (Chair: Kenneth Williams) Bailey Bernknopf, BME/MASc Characterization of sex differences in aortic valve disease in mice Nadia D. Bragagnolo, MBP/MSc Metabolic imaging of the human heart using hyperpolarized 13C MRI Anthony Cannavicci, IMS/PhD Decreased levels of miR-19a-3p and miR-132-3p in myeloid angiogenic cells from patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia Diana Hamdan, IMS/MSc Regulation of the metalloprotease ADAM17 activity in aortic endothelial cells Bushra Yusuf, IMS/MSc

(Session I: Left-Right) – Kenneth Williams, Shelly Chauhan, Julia Kim, Xavier Lee, Elizabeth G.Y. Kim, Luke Dingwell (Chair)

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Investigating the roles of SLIT2 signaling in macrophage lipid loading and the progression of atherosclerotic disease In Session II, presenters focused on identifying novel vascular-related mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and on developing innovative imaging techniques. The first speaker, Bailey Bernknopf, presented her work on assessing the role of sex in the most common heart valve disease, aortic valve disease (AVD), through the expression of the biomarker C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). This project will be the first to characterize AVD in both male and female mice and will also test the functional role of CNP signaling in sex-dependent AVD. The following speaker, Nadia D. Bragagnolo, discussed her ongoing work to optimize her hyperpolarized 13C MRI metabolic imaging methodology, which will undoubtedly serve clinical benefit in the future. The third speaker, Anthony Cannavicci, presented his work on identifying 2 microRNAs that appear to be linked to myeloid angiogenic cell dysfunction and consequently, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. His work has aided in our understanding of this complex disease and may ultimately lead to a therapeutic target. Diana Hamdan then discussed her work on how the metalloprotease ADAM17 is regulated in aortic endothelial cells. By understanding how ADAM17 is regulated, we will be closer to understanding the underlying mechanisms that lead to inflammation in vascular disease. To round out the session, Bushra Yusuf presented her work on assessing the effect of Slit2 in reducing lipid burden in atherosclerotic lesions. Her work and others suggest that Slit2 may serve as a therapeutic target for the prevention of both atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

Session III: Cardiovascular Health and Clinical Implications (Chair: Keith Colaco) Mitchell Adamson, IMS/MSc HLA-g 14bp polymorphism donor/recipient matching protects against development of post-transplant malignancy following heart transplantation Natasha Heath, EXS/MSc Cardiac strain in lifelong endurance athletes Tisiana Low, IMS/MSc Assessing the association between the spatiotemporal distribution of Kawasaki disease and environmental factors: discovering clues into the elusive etiology of a complex disease Daniel Y. Wang, IMS/MSc Impact of reduced baseline global longitudinal strain on treatment with anthracyclines in children with cancer Mohamed Adam, IMS/MSc [3MT] P300-mediated inhibition of p53 to protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity Yvonne Bach, IMS/MSc [3MT]

(Session II: Left-Right) – Kenneth Williams (Chair), Bailey Bernknopf, Nadia D. Bragagnolo, Diana Hamdan, Bushra Yusuf, Anthony Cannavicci

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Functional persistent moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation after percutaneous atrial septal defect closure in adults Edward Lin, EXS/MSc [3MT] Assessing the feasibility of high-intensity interval exercise in patients with peripheral artery disease Erika Opingari, IMS/MSc [3MT] Effects of empagliflozin on renal biomarkers in type 2 diabetes The theme of Session III was cardiovascular health and clinical implications. The session included 8 oral presentations, 4 of which featured shortened 3MTs. The first presenter, Mitchell Adamson, investigated cancer in heart transplant patients. He found that HLA-G, used by tumour cells to promote cancer development, may be relevant in reducing post-transplant cancer risk. Next, Natasha Heath presented her research on heart function in lifelong endurance athletes and will be determining the presence and magnitude of tissue deformation, also known as cardiac strain. Tisiana Low then presented the association between Kawasaki disease and environmental factors. She aims to develop a predictive model of Kawasaki disease incidence using national environmental data, including weather, pollution, and atmospheric particles. Finally, Daniel Y. Wang also examined cardiac strain; however, he investigated the impact of anthracycline chemotherapy on cardiac strain and dysfunction in pediatric cancer patients. He found that the effect of anthracycline chemotherapy did not differ significantly between cases and controls, and as a result, will inform clinical practice moving forward. Beginning the 3MTs, Mohamed Adam presented findings demonstrating that curcumin, a natural compound, protects cardiomyocytes from cell death in vivo due to the effects of doxorubicin, a widely-prescribed chemotherapy drug. Yvonne Bach then presented her study investigating tricuspid regurgitation in patients that underwent transcatheter atrial septal defect closure. Her study confirmed the efficacy and safety of this surgical procedure, regardless of disease severity. Edward Lin assessed high-intensity interval exercise in patients with peripheral artery disease and importantly found that patients experienced lower levels of pain and higher heart rate response, compared to traditionally-prescribed exercise. The final speaker, Erika Opingari, researched the effects of empagliflozin, an antihyperglycemic drug, on renal biomarkers in type II diabetes and found that empagliflozin reduced levels of tubular injury biomarkers compared to placebo.

(Session III: Left-Right) – Natasha Heath, Daniel Y. Wang, Tisiana Low, Keith Colaco (Chair); Mitchell Adamson (not pictured)

(Session III 3MT: Left-Right) – Keith Colaco (Chair), Edward Lin, Yvonne Bach, Erika Opingari, Mohamed Adam

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SESSION PRESENTATION AWARD WINNERS Each presenter was either evaluated for the Oral Presentation or 3-Minute Thesis awards by the student body. Criteria, which were objectively scored, included presentation skills (i.e. pace, flow, timing, clarity), slide content and structure, explanation of research (i.e. results, figures), and the ability to answer questions. The presentations were judged by fellow CSCS students and the awards were given to the presenters with the highest overall scores – those able to communicate their research, objectives, and hypotheses clearly and effectively. Certificates and gifts were presented to the winners by a member of the Organizing Committee, Elizabeth G.Y. Kim. Congratulations to Kenneth Williams (1st Place), Xavier Lee (2nd Place), and Anthony Cannavicci (3rd Place) for receiving their Oral Presentation Awards, and Erika Opingari for receiving the Best 3-Minute Thesis Award. Congratulations to all for their exceptional work and outstanding presentations.

GUEST SPEAKERS

We were fortunate to have two exceptional guest speakers, Dr. Carolyn Cummins (Right), an Associate Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Dr. Scott Thomas (Left), a Professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. 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. Cummins shared her unique journey from chemistry to interdisciplinary pathopharmacology research, while Dr. Thomas shared his own interesting trajectory that led him to become an esteemed Professor. Thank you

(Awardees: Left-Right) – Xavier Lee (2nd), Kenneth Williams (1st), Erika Opingari (Best 3MT), Elizabeth G.Y. Kim (Chair); Anthony Cannavicci (3rd; not pictured)

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very much, Dr. Cummins and Dr. Thomas, for taking the time to share your journeys and provide helpful advice to the students.

Dr. Carolyn Cummins is an Associate Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. Dr. Cummins completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) and her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California San Francisco with Dr. Leslie Z. Benet. During her postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center with Dr. David Mangelsdorf, she gained molecular biology, in vivo biology, and receptor pharmacology experience in the area of nuclear hormone receptors. Dr. Cummins is currently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. Her independent research program is interdisciplinary and focuses on the study of nuclear hormone receptors in diabetes and diabetic complications using a combination of methodologies including analytical chemistry, cell and molecular biology, epigenetics and small animal pharmacology. Her most recent studies have focused on the study of the Liver X Receptor (LXR) and Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) in these contexts. She is a recipient of an Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario and a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and her research is funded by CIHR, NSERC and HSFC.

Dr. Scott Thomas is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto. His research has included two streams related to exercise; characterizing elite athletes and modelling the relation between training and performance; investigating how to make exercise an accessible and effective intervention to enhance function and health for people with chronic diseases. Along the way, he helps educate undergraduate and graduate students, has been a senior administrator (Associate Dean), contributes to his professional societies, raised a family, and had some fun.

CERTIFICATES & AWARDS CSCS Completion Certificates: Dr. Wittnich announced the names of those students whom had successfully completed the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization over the past year. Unfortunately, many of those students were unable to attend the ceremony as they are pursuing their careers in various parts of the world.

Congratulations to Ishba Syed for receiving her certificate and being available to attend the ceremony.

MSc Mustafa Altaha, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: K. Connelly)

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Meghan Glibbery, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: J. Goodman) Gyu-Tae Kim, Faculty of Dentistry (Supervisor: B. Hinz) Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: A. Gramolini) Cindy Nguyen, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: S. Thomas) Ishba Syed, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: A. Cheema) Emily Vecchiarelli, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: J. Goodman)

PhD Robert Lakin, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: J. Goodman) Navneet Singh, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: A. Moody) Congratulations to all students that successfully completed the CSCS. We wish them success in their future career endeavors, which include medical school, clinical or post-doctoral training, an academic position, health-technology and industry-related careers!

CSCS Awards: Continuing the spirit of success and achievement, Dr. Wittnich presented the annual CSCS student awards beginning with the Bigelow Book Prize. This was followed by the Lorne Phenix Graduate Award, where we were honored to have Kathryn Phenix and her daughter Ava representing the family and giving out the award. These 2 awards are flagship to our program and recognize excellence and potential in our trainees. Congratulations to both Frank Shin-Haw Lee and Rachel Adams as this year’s respective recipients. Details of their work can be found below.

Dr. Carin Wittnich and Frank Shin-Haw Lee - Bigelow Book Prize Recipient

Dr. Carin Wittnich, Kathryn Phenix, Rachel Adams – Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient, and Ava Phenix

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2019 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient

Frank Shin-Haw Lee, PhD Candidate Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini

Heart failure remains the leading cause of inpatient hospitalization and mortality worldwide characterized by impaired ventricular function and reduced cardiac output. Although the etiology of heart failure varies, investigations into cardiac diseases have shown that the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SR/ER) plays an important role in the development and progression of many human heart diseases, responsible for biochemical changes, structural remodeling, and deterioration of the muscle. The SR provides many critical functions in cells. However, many aspects of its structural organization remain largely unknown, particularly in cells with a highly differentiated SR network. Utilizing proteomics and

detailed biochemical analyses of human and primary mouse cardiomyocytes as well as zebrafish models, Frank was able to identify a previously uncharacterized cardiac-enriched membrane protein, REEP5, and showed that it is centrally involved in regulating cardiac SR/ER formation and stress responses in cardiac myocytes. These findings provide significant insight into SR biology and physiology, revealing the previously unknown, and indispensable role of REEP5 in SR organization and heart function.

2018-19 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient

Rachel Adams, PhD Candidate Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine Supervisor: Dr. C. Simmons

Aortic valve disease is the most common heart valve disease in North America. Recent studies suggest that despite a similar clinical presentation, aortic valve disease develops differently in males and females: male valves harden and calcify like bone, whereas female valves scar in a process referred to as fibrosis. However, the underlying biological processes governing this are unknown. Our lab previously identified C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) as an anti-fibrotic protein found in male aortic valves. Rachel then tested the hypothesis that the predominance of aortic valve fibrosis in women is associated with

deficiencies in the CNP signaling pathway. Diseased human aortic valves were collected from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery and examined chemically. Female valves had more fibrosis compared with male valves, and this was significantly associated with a lower level of CNP and markers of its signaling pathway. Rachel then cultured female and male aortic valve cells, and treated them with CNP to test if male and female cells respond differently to this protective stimulus. In male cells, CNP treatment suppressed the development of fibrosis, but female cells were largely non-responsive to the anti-fibrotic effects of CNP. These observations demonstrated, for the first time, a relationship between fibrosis and decreased CNP signaling in human aortic valve disease and suggest that the suppression of CNP in females makes them susceptible to fibrosis.

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

NETWORKING In this session’s inaugural debut, students had the opportunity to network amongst their peers for 30-minutes. Students were asked to make efforts to meet and speak with 2-3 peers at other academic institutions, and to connect over social media, to facilitate collaboration and student development. The networking portion was well-received, and we look forward to it being a mainstay of the Annual Research Day for years to come.

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 (Luke Dingwell, Kenneth Williams, and Keith Colaco) for ensuring that the sessions ran smoothly, and our Guest Speakers, Drs. Cummins and Thomas, for their outstanding and inspiring presentations. Thank you to all of the CSCS students and to all those involved in making the 20th Annual CSCS Student Research Day a great success!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you for the generous donations from the UofT Bookstore, Diamed, and Cedarlane for our Session Award prizes, as well as the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), Institute of Medical Science Students’ Association (IMSSA), and Confederation of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Students (CLAMPS) for both financial- and non-financial support.

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

(Organizing Committee: Left-Right) – Keith Colaco, Luke Dingwell, Elizabeth G.Y. Kim, Kenneth Williams

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We would also like to thank and express our most sincere gratitude to the CSCS Annual Award donors – the Phenix and Bigelow families. Finally, thank you to the Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Cardiovascular Centre of Excellence and our participating units for their ongoing support of the CSCS: Contributions from our Participating Units:

Faculty of Medicine

Institute of Medical Science Physiology Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Medical Biophysics Rehabilitation Science Medical Imaging Anesthesia Medicine Surgery

Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education

Exercise Sciences

Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical Sciences

The CSCS Annual Student Research Day would not have been made possible without the support of our generous sponsors.

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.

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OPEN LAB: INNOVATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR TECHNIQUES The CSCS 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. Host labs were from Drs. Keller and Cheema. 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 CSCS 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 CSCS student body with this activity but we hope to resume this event in 2020.

AWARDS

CSCS TRAVEL AWARD Two competitions are held (spring and fall) for the CSCS Travel Award. This award, original established in 1995 by generous donations from Medtronic over the years, helps to defray costs of travel for program students presenting their research work at recognized scientific meetings. Fall 2018: Alan Lam, PhD Candidate, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (Supervisor: Dr. Craig Simmons) 8th Biennial Heart Valve Biology and Tissue Engineering Meeting, London, England, September 2018 “FHL2-RhoA Signalling Regulates Mechanically Directed Aortic Valve Interstitial Cell Osteogenic Differentiation” Spring 2019: Yvonne Bach, MSc Candidate, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. Eric Horlick) International Symposium on Congenital Heart Disease, Stevenson, Washington, May/June 2019

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“Functional Persistent Moderate to Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation after Percutaneous Atrial Septal Defect Closure in Adults (Poster)” Dakota Gustafson, PhD Candidate, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology (Supervisor: Dr. Jason Fish) International Society of Extracellular Vesicles Conference, Kyota, Japan, April 2019 “Circulating Extracellular Vesicle-Associated MicroRNAs as Predictive Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Complications in End-Stage Renal Disease (Oral)” “Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Cardiovascular Toxicity Induced by BCR-ABL Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (Poster)”

BIGELOW BOOK PRIZE This prize was established in 1995 by the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization 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 a book written by Dr. W.G. Bigelow entitled “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 2019 – Frank Shin-Haw Lee

2019 Bigelow Book Prize Recipient Frank Shin-Haw Lee, PhD Candidate Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini

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Heart failure remains the leading cause of inpatient hospitalization and mortality worldwide characterized by impaired ventricular function and reduced cardiac output. Although the etiology of heart failure varies, investigations into cardiac diseases have shown that the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SR/ER) plays an important role in the development and progression of many human heart diseases, responsible for biochemical changes, structural remodeling, and deterioration of the muscle. The SR provides many critical functions in cells. However, many aspects of its structural organization remain largely unknown, particularly in cells with a highly differentiated SR network. Utilizing proteomics and

detailed biochemical analyses of human and primary mouse cardiomyocytes as well as zebrafish models, Frank was able to identify a previously uncharacterized cardiac-enriched membrane protein, REEP5, and showed that it is centrally involved in regulating cardiac SR/ER formation and stress responses in cardiac myocytes. These findings provide significant insight into SR biology and physiology, revealing the previously unknown, and indispensable role of REEP5 in SR organization and heart function.

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. 2001/02 – Wm. Jack Wallen 2002/03 – Wm. Jack Wallen 2003/04 – Shathiyak Kulandavelu 2004/05 – Rachel Mitchell 2005/06 – Nesime Askin 2006/07 – Danny Quaglietta 2007/08 – Emma O’Donnell 2008/09 – Luke Tan 2009/10 – Amir Manbachi 2010/11 – Shazareen Khan 2011/12 – Not Awarded 2012/13 – Danielle Bentley 2013/14 – Mark Blaser 2014/15 – Antoinette Bugyei-Twum 2015/16 – Mathew Wong 2016/17 – Emily Vecchiarelli 2017/18 – Edward Lin 2018/19 – Rachel Adams

2018-19 Lorne Phenix Graduate Award Recipient Rachel Adams, PhD Candidate Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine Supervisor: Dr. C. Simmons

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Aortic valve disease is the most common heart valve disease in North America. Recent studies suggest that despite a similar clinical presentation, aortic valve disease develops differently in males and females: male valves harden and calcify like bone, whereas female valves scar in a process referred to as fibrosis. However, the underlying biological processes governing this are unknown. Our lab previously identified C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) as an anti-fibrotic protein found in male aortic valves. Rachel then tested the hypothesis that the predominance of aortic valve fibrosis in women is associated with

deficiencies in the CNP signaling pathway. Diseased human aortic valves were collected from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery and examined chemically. Female valves had more fibrosis compared with male valves, and this was significantly associated with a lower level of CNP and markers of its signaling pathway. Rachel then cultured female and male aortic valve cells, and treated them with CNP to test if male and female cells respond differently to this protective stimulus. In male cells, CNP treatment suppressed the development of fibrosis, but female cells were largely non-responsive to the anti-fibrotic effects of CNP. These observations demonstrated, for the first time, a relationship between fibrosis and decreased CNP signaling in human aortic valve disease and suggest that the suppression of CNP in females makes them susceptible to fibrosis.

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 CSCS 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 CSCS 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 students in the Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine received funding for the 2018-2019 year:

Luke Dingwell, PhD Candidate (Sup: M. Husain) Keith Colaco, PhD Candidate (Sup: L. Eder) Sophia Massin, MSc Candidate (Sup: V. Chauhan)

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

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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 during the 2018-19 academic year but the award will begin September 2018: Name Degree Dept. Supervisor Raabeae Aryan PhD REH A. Mansfield Jessica Caterini PhD EXS G. Wells Luke Dingwell PhD IMS M. Husain Mitchell Doughty PhD MBP N. Ghugre Rosanna Jiang MSc MolGen F. Roth Kyung Ha Ku PhD LMP P. Marsden Meaghan Leslie MSc MolGen I. Scott Bo Wen (Frank) Pang MSc IMS L. Robinson Rajiv Sanwal MSc LMP W. Lee Tao Wang MSc PSL M. Husain The following were also offered QEIIs but were successful in receiving other scholarships: Jason Buick PhD HPME C. Atzema Dorrin Zarrin Khat PhD LMP M. Husain Congratuations to all the applicants that were awarded this and other scholarships.

ADVERTISING MATERIAL The CSCS 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 CSCS on their web site.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support: 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 Tanroop Aujla M. Seed MSc PSL Yvonne Bach E. Horlick MSc IMS Beatrice Ballarin M. Tymianski PhD IMS Alyssa Belfiore R-K. Li MSc PSL Bailey Bernknopf C. Simmons MSSc BME Lynne Alis Bonsignore S. Thomas PhD EXS Nadia Bragagnolo C. Cunningham MSc MBP Antoinette Bugyei-Twum K. Connelly PhD IMS Anthony Cannavicci P. Dorian PhD IMS Jessica Caterini G. Wells PhD EXS Shelly Chauhan P. Billia MSc PSL Hao Chen H. Leong-Poi PhD IMS Kyung Sik Cho M. Seed MSc PSL Keith Colaco L. Eder PhD IMS Christian Delayun B. McCrindle MSc IMS Paul Devlin B. McCrindle MSc IMS Michael Dewar S. Heximer MSc PSL Luke Dingwell M. Husain MSc IMS Lina Elfaki H. Leong-Poi MSc IMS Meena Fatah M. Seed MSc 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 Dakota Gustafson J. Fish PhD LMP Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari A. Gramolini MSc PSL Diana Hamdan L. Robinson MSc IMS Natasha Heath J. Goodman MSc EXS Farwah Iqbal C. Librach PhD PSL Hamzah Khan M. Al-Omran MSc IMS Dorrin Zarrin Khat M. Husain PhD LMP Elizabeth (Ga Young) Kim M. Friedberg MSc IMS Gyu-Tae Kim B. Hinz MSc DEN Julia (Da Hye) Kim A. Gramolini MSc PSL Philippa Krahn G. Wright PhD MBP 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 Jennifer Lewis J. Goodman MSc EXS

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Jessie Lim M. Seed PhD PSL Edward Lin S. Thomas MSc EXS Shuangbo Liu A. Cheema MSc IMS Tisiana Low B. McCrindle MSc IMS Sophia Massin V. Chauhan MSc IMS Mathew Mathew B. McCrindle MSc IMS Antonio Mauro X-Y. Wen PhD IMS Mark Moon P. Liu PhD IMS Erika Opingari S. Verma MSc IMS Neha Parmar S. Mital MSc IMS Shouka Parvin Nejad C. Simmons PhD BME Louise Pei E. Horlick MSc IMS Cindy Nguyen S. Thomas MSc EXS Aric Pahnke M. Radisic PhD CHE Roberto Ribeiro V. Rao PhD IMS Brahmdeep Saini M. Seed PhD IMS Haisam Shah S. Heximer MSc PSL Khatera Mir Zaman Shah A. Cheema MSc IMS Sarah Shawky C. Cummins MSc PHM 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 Holly Wykes S. Thomas MSc EXS Amy (Jiawei) Xu M. Seed MSc PSL Donghe Yang* G. Keller PhD MBP Bushra Yusuf* L. Robinson PhD IMS Bowen Zhang A. Moody MSc IMS Aileen Zhong C. Simmons PhD BME * Students registered during the year at MSc and PhD training levels.

CONVOCATED STUDENTS/FOLLOW-UP Mustafa A Abdul Selam Altaha, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. K. Connelly): “Early Cardiac Remodeling in Women with Breast Cancer, Receiving Sequential Therapy with Anthracycline and Trastuzumab – Cardiac MRI Study” (Clinical Scientist) Paul Devlin, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. B. McCrindle): “Intervention for Arch Obstruction after Norwood: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Practice Variability” (Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon)

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Tameshwar Ganesh, PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Science (Supervisor: Dr. H-L. Cheng): “Employing Gas Challenges and Breathing Manoeuvres to Assess Microvascular Functional Dynamics” (Pharmaceuticals) Meghan E. Glibbery, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. J. Goodman): “Characterizing the Left and Right Atrial Adaptations in Middle-Aged Chronic Endurance Athletes: A cMRI Study” (Medicine) Gyu-Tae Kim, MSc, Faculty of Dentistry (Supervisor: Dr. B. Hinz): “Novel High-Throughput Drug Screening Application Using Human Cardiomyocytes in Mechanically Controlled Environment” Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari, MSc, Department of Physiology (Supervisor: Dr. A. Gramolini): “Analysis of Specialized Subcellular Regions in Cardiac Myocytes in Health and Disease” (Clinician Scientist) Cindy Hong-Phuc Nguyen, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. S. Thomas): “Comparing the Effectiveness of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Peripheral Artery Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, and Concomitant Disease” (Career in Physical/Occupational Therapy or Medicine) Robert Lakin, PhD, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. J. Goodman): “Exercise-induced Right Ventricular Impairment and Arrhythmia Susceptibility in Mice” (Post-Doctoral Fellowship, York University) Navneet Singh, PhD, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. A. Moody): “Carotid Magnetic Resonance Imaging Depicted Intraplaque Hemorrhage and a High-Risk Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Phenotype” (Clinician Scientist) Ishba Syed, MSc, Institute of Medical Science (Supervisor: Dr. A. Cheema): “Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Patients with Infective Endocarditis (IE)” (Clinical Research) Emily Vecchiarelli, MSc, Department of Exercise Sciences (Supervisor: Dr. J. Goodman): “Atrial Electromechanical Function in Middle-Aged Endurance Athletes With and Without Atrial Fibrillation” (Medical School)

AWARDS AND HONORS

NAME HONORS AND AWARDS Mohamed Adam - Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2018-19

Rachel Adams - Phenix Graduate Award, 2019

Mitchell Adamson - Institute of Medical Science Open Fellowship Award, UoT, 2018 - Office of Research Trainees Conference Travel Award, UHN, 2019

Nadia Bragagnolo - QEII/GSST Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Science Centre Graduate Scholarship, 2018-19

Shelly Chauhan - Dr. John Hepburn Award, Dept. of Physiology, UoT, 2019

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- QEII Physiology Medicine Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, 2018-19

Keith Colaco - Office of Research Trainees Travel Award, UoT - Conference Grant, SGS, UoT - Enid Walker Graduate Scholarship in Women’s Health Research, UoT - QEII-GSST/Edward Dunlop Foundation, IMS, UoT

Michael Dewar - Human Biology Excellence Award - Student Leadership, UoT, 2018-19

Luke Dingwell - QEII/GSST Heart & Stroke/HSRLCE Scholarship, CSCS, 2018 - HSRLCE Studentship, UoT, 2018 (Declined) - OSOTF CSCS Graduate Student Fund, UoT, 2019 - 2018 TGHRI Poster Competition, 1st Place, Toronto General Hospital - Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research Education Fund PhD Award, UoT, 2018

Lina Elfaki - IMS Scientific Day Alan Wu Poster Competition – Basic Sciences, 2019 - IMS Open Fellowship, UoT, 2018 - Keenan Center for Biomedical Sciences Rising Star Recognition, St. Michael’s Hospital, 2018 - 2019 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (nomination), UoT - Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, UoT, 2019

Meena Fatah - Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) Discovery Award, 2018

Diana Hamdan - IMS Open Fellowship Award, 2018

Alan Lam - CSCS Travel Award, 2018

Shin-Haw (Frank) Lee - Bigelow Book Prize, Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization, UoT, 2019 - NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral, 2018-21 - Dr. Joe A. Connolly Memorial Award, UoT, 2018-19

Shuangbo Liu - St. Michael’s Hospital Research Training Centre Scholarship, Honourable Mention, 2018-19 - St. Michael’s Hospital Resident Research Day – 2nd Place Clnical Poster, 2018-19

Tisiana Low - Restracomp Scholarship, 2018 - Have a Heart Bursary Award, 2019

Sophia Massin - IMS Entrance Award, UoT, 2018 - Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund, UoT, 2019

Erika Opingari - CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s Award), 2018 - Banting and Best Diabetes Centre Novo-Nordisk Studentship, 2018 - Best 3-Minute Thesis, CSCS Annual Student Research Day, 2019

Sarah Shawky - CIHR Masters Graduate Scholarship, 2018-19

Daniel Wang - SickKids Research Training Scholarship (Restracomp), 2018 - Enbridge Gas Distribution Award, 2018 - SickKids Cardiac Advisory Cttee Travel Award, 2018

Tao Wang - QEII-GSST Heart & Stroke/HSRLCE Scholarship, UoT, 2018-19

PUBLICATIONS Adamson MB, Gilmore G, Stratton TW, Bakatash N, and Jog MS. Medication status and turning in Parkinson Disease. J Neurolog Sci. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2018.11.028.

Callaghan NI, Hadipour-Lakmehsari S, Lee SH, Gramolini AO, Simmons CA: Modeling Cardiac Complexity: Advancements in Myocardial Models and Analytical Techniques for

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Physiological Investigation and Therapeutic Development in vitro. APL Bioengineering, 2019;3(1):011501. doi: 10.1063/1.5055873.

Cannavicci A, Zhang Q, Dai SC, Faughnan ME, Kutryk M: Decreased Levels of MicroRNAs-28-5p,-361-3p and Increased Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 mRNA Levels in Mononuclear Cells from Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Patients. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2018;97(6):562-569. Chandy M, Ishida M, Shikatani EA, El-Mounayri O, Park LC, Afroze T, Wang T, Marsden PA, Husain M: c-Myb Regulates Transcriptional Activation of miR-143/145 in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. PLoS ONE, 2018;13(8):e020277.

Hadipour-Lakmehsari S, Driouchi A, Lee SH, Kuzmanov U, Callaghan NI, Heximer SP, Simmons CA, Yip CM, Gramolini AO: Nanoscale reorganization of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium regulating proteins in pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy visualized by dSTORM. Scientific Reports, 2019;9, doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-44331-y.

Hu L, Dai SC, Luan X, Chen J, Cannavicci A: Dysfunction and Therapeutic Potential of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Diabetes Mellitus. J Clin Med Res. 2018;10(10):752-757. Lam AYL, Simmons CA: Cell and Extracellular Matrix Interactions in a Dynamic Biomechanical Environment: The Aortic Valve as an Illustrative Example. In: Labrosse MR, eds. Cardiovascular Mechanics. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2019. Lazarte J, Adamson MB, Tumiati LC, Delgado DH. 10-Year Experience with HLA-G in Heart Transplantation. Hum Immunol. 2018;79:587-593. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2018.05.003.

Lee SH, Murthy HR, Langburt D: Stem-Cell Cardiospheres for Myocardial Regeneration: Advancing Cell Therapy in Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure. J Physiol, 2018; doi:10.1113/JP276660.

Lim JM, Porayette P, Marini D, Chau V, Au-Young SH, Saini A, Ly LG, Blaser S, Shroff M, Branson HM, Sananes R, Hickey EJ, Gaynor WJ, Van Arsdell G, Miller SP, Seed M: Associations Between Age at Arterial Switch Operation, Brain Growth, and Development in Infants with Transposition of the Great Arteries. Circulation, 2019;139:2728-2738. Liu S, Parr C, Zhang H, Elbarouni B, Shah A, Kass M, Ravandi A: Patient Outcomes in GuideLiner Facilitated Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Stratified by the SYNTAX Score: A Retrospective Analysis. JRSM Cardiovascular Disease. 2019;20:8. Liu S, Worme M, Yanagawa B, Kumar N, Buller C, Cheema A, Bagai A: Treatment of Drug Eluting Stent In-Stent Restenosis with Drug Eluting Balloons: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Invasive Cardiol. 2018;30(10);360-366.

Mociornita A, Adamson MB, Tumiati LC, Ross HJ, Rao V, Delgado DH. Effects of everolimus and HLA-G on cellular proliferation and neutrophil adhesion: Impact on Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy. Am J Transplant. 2018. doi: 10.1111/ajt.15015. Parr C, Liu S, Perija B, Shaikh N, Kass M: Patent Foramen Ovale Treatment Strategies Correspond to an Index Predicting Pathogenicity. Cureus. 2019;11(5):e4778.

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Ribeiro RVP, Alvarez J, Yu F, Adamson MB, Fukunaga N, Serrick C, Bissoondath V, Meineri M, Badiwala MV, Rao V. A pre-clinical porcine model of orthotopic heart transplantation. J Visualized Experiments (JOVE), 2019. doi: 10.3791/59197. Ribeiro RVP, Alvarez J, Yu F, Paradiso E, Adamson MB et al., Hearts Donated After Circulatory Death and Reconditioned Using Normothermic Regional Perfusion Can Be Successfully Transplanted Following an Extended Period of Static Storage. Circulation: Heart Failure, 2019. doi: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.118.005364. Steinbach SK, Wang T, Carruthers MH, Li A, Besla R, Johnston AP, Robbins CS, Husain M: Aortic Sca-1+ Progenitor Cells Arise from the Somitic Mesoderm Lineage in Mice. Stem Cells Dev, 2018;27(13):888-897. Wang DY, Esmaeilzadeh M, Friedberg M, Fan S, Manlhiot C, Mital S, Kantor P, Liu P, Nathan P, Mertens L: Low Global Longitudinal Strain Prior to Anthracycline Treatment Impacts Post- Treatment Left Ventricular Function in Pediatric Cancer Patients. Circulation, 2018;138(Supp1):A16140. Wang DY, Saleem M, Paes BA, Mitchell I, Li A, Lanctot KL, and the CARESS Investigators: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis in Neurologic and Muscular Disorders in the Canadian Respiratory Syncytial Virus Evaluation Study of Palivizumab. Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2019;38(8):775-780. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002297. Zhang Q, Cannavicci A, Dai SC, Wang C, Kutryk MJ: MicroRNA Signature of Human Blood Mononuclear Cells. Mol Cell Biochem. 2019;416:1-6. Zhang Q, Cannavicci A, Dai SC, Wang C, Kutryk MJ: MicroRNA Profiling of Human Myeloid Angiogenic Cells Derived from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Biochem Cell Biology. 2019;416:1-21.

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FACULTY Faculty are divided into Full and Associate members. Details on faculty research interests, and contact information are available on the CSCS web site. Departmental affiliations listed below are those within the CSCS. 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 Mohammed Al-Omran IMS/Surgery St. Michael’s Hospital 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 Christopher Caldarone BME/IMS/Surgery Hospital for Sick Children Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng MBP/IBBME/PHM/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children David Cherney IMS/Medicine University Health Network 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 Adria Giacca PSL/Medicine UofT – MSB Richard Gilbert IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Benjamin Goldstein PCL Sunnybrook Health Sci Ctr 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. 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 Clifford Librach IMS/PSL Bay Street office 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 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. Michael Tymianski IMS/Surgery Toronto Western Hospital 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 Xiao-Yan Wen IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital 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 Filia Billia IMS/Medicine Toronto General Hospital Vijay Chauhan IMS/Medicine/PSL Toronto General Hospital Asim Cheema IMS St. Michael’s Hospital Kim Connelly IMS/Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Lihi Eder IMS Women’s College Hospital Slava Epelman LMP MaRS Mark Friedberg IMS Hospital for Sick Children Eric Horlick IMS Toronto General Hospital Andrea Kassner IMS/Medical Imaging Hospital for Sick Children David Mazer Anesthesia/IMS/PSL St. Michael’s Hospital Luc Mertens EXS/IMS Hospital for Sick Children Rulan Parekh IMS/Medicine Hospital for Sick Children Mike Seed IMS Hospital for Sick Children Sara Vasconcelos BME/LMP MaRS Centre Rachel Wald IMS/Medicine University Health Network Gregory Wells EXS Fac. Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. Bernd Wintersperger IMS Toronto General Hospital

Faculty publications can be found through their departmental websites.