Ottawa Heart Institute receives $3M to advance breakthrough cardiovascular research

February 4, 2026
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The newly funded projects span cutting-edge cardiovascular research, from surgical innovation to clinical trials and lifestyle interventions.

OTTAWA, February 4, 2026 — The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded more than $3 million in funding to several projects led by investigators at the Ottawa Heart Institute through the highly competitive Fall 2025 Project Grant competition.

The CIHR Project Grant Program supports innovative research with the potential to transform fundamental and applied health knowledge, healthcare practices, and health systems.

The newly funded projects (listed below) span a diverse range of cutting-edge cardiovascular research—from surgical techniques and molecular mechanisms to clinical trials and lifestyle interventions—each with the potential to significantly improve patient care and outcomes.

Munir Boodhwani, MD
Dr. Munir Boodhwani is a professor in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the Ottawa Heart Institute. His research interests include mechanisms of thoracic aortic disease, pre-clinical models of aortic valve insufficiency and repair, and clinical trials in aortic surgery.

Munir Boodhwani, MD
Project: Comparing hypOtherMic teMperaturEs duriNg hemiarCh surgEry: COMMENCE Trial
Amount: $910,350 over five years

 
Wenbin Liang, MD, PhD
Dr. Wenbin Liang is a Scientist and the Director of the Cardiovascular Electrophysiology Laboratory at the Ottawa Heart Institute. His research focuses on the mechanisms of cardiac remodeling after an injury, and how this remodeling leads to lethal heart rhythm disorders. 

Wenbin Liang, MD, PhD
Project: Role of Wnt5a in Arrhythmogenesis of Heart with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
Amount: $1,044,225 over five years

 
Hassan Mir, MD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Dr. Hassan Mir is a cardiologist in the Division of Cardiology at the Ottawa Heart Institute, and program chair of the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation. He is an expert in advanced echocardiography with a special interest in interventional echocardiography. 

Hassan Mir, MD
Project: Varenicline, Cytisine, or Placebo for Vaping Cessation in Adult Exclusive E-Cigarette Users: A Triple-Blinded, Multi-Centre Randomized Controlled Trial (VICTORY RCT)
Amount: $891,225 over five years

 
Dr. Daniel Ramirez
Dr. Daniel Ramirez is a cardiac electrophysiologist and clinician-scientist in the Division of Cardiology at the Ottawa Heart Institute. His research interests focus on the diagnosis and treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, understanding the impact of percutaneous ablative therapies on cardiac physiology, and improving the predictive ability of translational research.

Daniel Ramirez, MD
Project: Study Evaluating Dexmedetomidine in the Acute Treatment of Electrical storm (SEDATE)
Amount: $382,500 over two years

 
Jennifer Reed, PhD, UOHI
Dr. Jennifer Reed is a scientist, program chair of cardiac rehabilitation, and director of the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Laboratory at the Ottawa Heart Institute. Her research program focuses on the role of exercise in cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation. 

Jennifer Reed, PhD
Project: Exercise Training in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Amount: $100,000 over one year

 

To schedule an interview with one or more of the funded investigators from the Ottawa Heart Institute, please contact the liaison below.

Media contact

Leigh B. Morris
Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
lmorris@ottawaheart.ca