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What is your role and what does it involve?
I am currently Chair of the Peter Munk Centre of Excellence in Aortic Disease Research. In addition, I am an associate professor, cross-appointed with the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Immunology.
As a basic scientist, the goal of my research is to identify fundamental molecular and cellular biology of the normal arteries, and mechanisms that regulate inflammation in atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
I hope to use this knowledge to identify novel therapeutic targets to treat these conditions.
How long have you been at LMP and what was your previous role?
I started at LMP in September of 2012. Prior to my recruitment to the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the University of Toronto, I completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
My research in Boston focused on cardiovascular immunology. Specifically, I determined the importance of tissues other than the bone marrow in generating inflammatory cells during cardiovascular disease.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
I am most proud of our current work that identifies atherosclerotic disease as an important driver of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition for which there are no reliable pharmacologic treatments.
Specifically, we demonstrate that damage to the aorta occurs as a result of overlying atherosclerotic plaque penetrating the artery wall.
Our work represents a significant conceptual advance in our understanding of the pathological consequences of the atherosclerotic process, previously thought limited to plaque growth (stenosis) and rupture (thrombosis).
Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?
COVID-19 is a major global health threat.
In severe cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi-organ failure, and cardiac injury.
Strikingly, those with a history of cardiovascular diseases (such as hypertension and coronary artery disease) are at much higher risk of cardiac injury and adverse clinical outcomes when infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Utilizing novel animal modeling systems, we are currently focused on understanding why cardiovascular risk factors increase the susceptibility of COVID-19 patients to adverse clinical outcomes. Moreover, we are determining whether cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients results from direct viral infection of the heart or is a consequence of the systemic inflammatory response.
What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Album: Lost Dogs (Pearl Jam)
Film: Lost in Translation
Novel: The Tin Drum (Gunter Grass)
What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?
If money doesn’t grow on trees, why do banks have branches?
Who would be your dream dinner guests?
I dream of having dinner with anyone outside my COVID lockdown bubble, and in a restaurant!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Worry less.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
Once upon a time, I used to be a firefighter.
What is your favourite place?
The north shoreline along the Massachusetts coast.