The Dr. Frans Leenen Trainee Award for Publication Excellence is a prestigious recognition presented by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) to honour outstanding research by a trainee. Named after Dr. Frans Leenen—a respected clinician scientist and dedicated mentor—the award celebrates a trainee-led publication from the previous year that demonstrates innovation, impact, and scientific excellence.
Congratulations to Yena Oh, PhD at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Dr. Oh is being recognized with the Dr. Frans Leenen Trainee Award for Publication Excellence for her groundbreaking first-authored publication in Nature Communications (2024), titled "Transcriptional Regulation of the Postnatal Cardiac Conduction System Heterogeneity." This work, completed entirely during her PhD training, represents a major advance in our understanding of the heart’s electrical conduction system.
The cardiac conduction system (CCS) is essential for maintaining a regular heartbeat, yet its molecular complexity has remained largely unexplored due to the rarity and inaccessibility of CCS cells. Dr. Oh’s study overcomes these challenges by generating the first high-resolution, spatially informed single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the postnatal mouse CCS. Through the integration of cutting-edge multi-omics techniques—including scRNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq—she identified key transcription factors, such as Irx3 and Tbx3, that drive cellular diversity within the CCS.
Her work not only deepens our molecular understanding of cardiac rhythm regulation but also introduces an in vitro model that mimics CCS heterogeneity, offering a powerful platform for disease modeling and therapeutic discovery. The study has already garnered significant attention, with multiple oral presentations at prestigious conferences and postdoctoral offers from leading cardiovascular research labs.
Dr. Oh’s leadership, technical skill, and scientific insight have produced a foundational dataset that is poised to shape future research and precision therapies for conduction disorders. Her work exemplifies the spirit of innovation and excellence that the Dr. Frans Leenen Award for Publication Excellence seeks to honour.