Endowed Chairs & Fellowships

The Heart Institute offers a total of 12 Endowed Chairs to support our world-renowned physicians and scientists in their leadership, research, and educational activities. 

We are grateful to the donors for their support of these Endowed Chairs.

• Gordon F. Henderson Chair in Leadership
  Held by the President and CEO
  • Thierry Mesana, MD PhD
• Vered Chair in Cardiology 
  Held by the Chief of Cardiology
  • Rob Beanlands, MD 
• Michael Pitfield Chair in Cardiac Surgery
  Held by the Chief of Cardiac Surgery
  • Marc Ruel, MD
• Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery Research
  Held by an active cardiac surgeon who provides research and academic leadership in cardiac surgery
  • Marc Ruel, MD
• Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery Valve Research
  Held by an active cardiac surgeon conducting research to advance knowledge of cardiac valves
  • Thierry Mesana, MD PhD 
• Donald S. Beanlands Endowed Chair in Cardiology Education
  Held by an active cardiologist who provides leadership in cardiology education
  • Lyall Higginson, MD
• Endowed Chair in Electrophysiology Leadership
  Held by the Director of the Electrophysiology Program
  • David Birnie, MD
• Merck Frosst Canada Chair in Atherosclerosis Research
  Held by an Institute researcher leading translational research in atherosclerosis. These funds were established by Merck Frosst in recognition of Drs. Ruth McPherson, Ross Milne, and Yves Marcel, the founders of the Institute’s Lipoproteins and Atherosclerosis Research Group.
  • Ruth McPherson, MD PhD 
• Minto Chair in Interventional Cardiology Leadership
  Held by the Director of the Interventional Cardiology Program
  • Christopher Glover, MD
• Pfizer Chair in Hypertension Research
  Held by a researcher leading hypertension research
  • Frans Leenen, MD PhD 
• Saul and Edna Goldfarb Chair in Cardiac Imaging
  Held by an active clinician leading cardiac imaging research
  • Benjamin Chow, MD
• Women’s Heart Health Research Chair (term Chair)
  Held by a researcher leading women’s heart health research 
  • To be announced

2020-21 Endowed Fellowships and Scholarships

STRATEGIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

The Strategic Research Fellowship provides stipend for a two-year term to a postdoctoral or clinical fellow working in an area of research that aligns with the current Research Strategic Plan. 

• Robert Avram, MD, Fellow in Interventional Cardiology

  Supervisors: Derek So, MD and Aun-Yeong Chong, MD

  Prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events & bleeding events post-discharge in patients with STEMI using electronic health record data & deep learning 

• Marcelo Muñoz, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

             Supervisor: Emilio Alarcón, PhD

             ”On the spot” 3D bioprinting of small blood vessels

• Ramana Vaka, PhD, Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow

             Supervisor: Darryl Davis, MD

             Extracellular vesicle-based therapy for atrial fibrillation

DIVISION OF CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS 

These Fellowships provide stipends for up to two years to postdoctoral or clinical fellows conducting research in the Division of Cardiology.

Whit and Heather Tucker Fellowship

• Kevin Chung, MD, Clinical Fellow                                                         

  Supervisors: Alexander Dick, MD and Derek So, MD

  Poor outcome predictors in patients undergoing TAVI (POP-TAVI) 

Vered-Beanlands Fellowship

• Laura Petruescu, MD, Clinical Fellow

  Supervisor: David Messika-Zeitoun, MD, PhD

  Progression of MAC (Mitral Annulus Calcification)

LAWRENCE SOLOWAY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN CARDIAC SURGERY

The Lawrence Soloway Fellowship provides stipend for up to two years to a postdoctoral or clinical fellow conducting research in the Division of Cardiac Surgery.

• Hiroki Takaya, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Erik Suuronen, PhD

  Electroconductive cardiac patches for treating myocardial infarction

JAN & IAN CRAIG RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN PREVENTION & REHABILITATION

The Jan and Ian Craig Fellowship provides stipend for up to two years to a postdoctoral or clinical fellow conducting research in the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation. This year, the Fellowship is being shared by two recipients.

• Tasuku Terada, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Jennifer Reed, PhD

  Examining the roles of high-intensity interval training on glucose variability and atrial fibrillation symptomatology: A novel approach for patients with atrial fibrillation and diabetes? 

• Karen Bouchard, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Heather Tulloch, PhD

  Caring for Caregivers: The impact of a relationship-education program on cardiac caregivers’ wellbeing

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA CARDIAC ENDOWMENT FUND AT THE HEART INSTITUTE

These awards provide stipends for up to a two-year term to postdoctoral fellow(s) and graduate student(s) based at the Heart Institute and registered with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine.

• Zhenkun Hu, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Thomas Lagace, PhD

  Effect of LDL association on PCSK9 activity in vivo

• Aizhu (Alice) Lu, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Wenbin Liang, MD, PhD

  Novel mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction

• Mohammad Al-Khalaf, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Peter Liu, MD

  Genotoxic Stress & Downstream cGAS-STING Pathway Activated Senescence in Rodent Models & Human Hearts with HFpEF

• Zhe (Claudia) Li, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Jodi Edwards, PhD

  Investigating the utility of markers of left atrial cardiopathy for the estimation of dementia risk in aging adults

• Maxime Munch, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Benjamin Rotstein, PhD

  Bimodal PET/NIRF imaging of atherosclerosis at various disease stages for vulnerable plaque identification

• Victrine Tseung, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

  Supervisor: Jodi Edwards, PhD

  Developing a Population-Based Brain-Heart Multimorbidity Prediction Tool for Quality of Life in Heart Failure

• Cagla Eren Cimenci, PhD Candidate

  Supervisor: Erik Suuronen, PhD

  Biomaterial Therapies that Target Methylglyoxal for Treatment of the Infarcted Heart

• Nadya Morrow, PhD Candidate

  Supervisor: Erin Mulvihill, PhD

  Post-prandial Regulation of Intestinal Lipoprotein Secretion

• Leah Susser, PhD Candidate

  Supervisor: Katey Rayner, PhD

  Mitochondrial dynamics directs macrophage polarization during atherosclerosis: implications for disease regression

• Dominique Boucher, MSc Candidate

  Supervisor: Mireille Ouimet, PhD

  Investigating the effects of age-associated dysfunctions in macrophages on atherosclerosis regression

• Cassandra Locatelli, MSc Candidate

  Supervisor: Erin Mulvihill, PhD

  Evaluating the role of carbohydrate restriction and ketosis on the reversal of hepatic steatosis and islet hormone secretion in obese mice