Meet and defeat the villains out to destroy cardiovascular health
LIBIN LIFE | Message from the Director
Recently, Libin members were awarded nearly $3 million in Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding. These projects range from a study looking at the impact the loss of a microscopic-sized receptor has on the heartbeat to research on whether a nutrition coupon program is improving the dietary behaviours and psychological wellbeing of low-income adults. See page 5 for a description of all of the CIHR-funded projects.
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mplementation of the new research strategic plan has been a priority for Institute members over the past few months. Groups of Libin researchers have come together to discuss collaborative ways to meet our bold research vision of reducing the burden and suffering of premature death due to cardiovascular research through transformative research. Members of the electrophysiology, vascular, cardiac imaging, autonomic and P2 (person to population) groups have held fruitful discussions on research opportunities. Peer-reviewed grants have already been written as a result of discussions from these collaborative retreats. The Libin Institute has also sought feedback on our strategic plan during the International Expert Advisory Committee meeting. Bringing together this group of international experts was a critical step in ensuring our research goals are attainable. Work is underway to incorporate many of the suggestions made by these experts into our precision-medicine, patientcentered approach to research. We also continue to recruit researchers and clinicians onto our already world-class team of more than 175 members. We know our institute is only as strong as our people, and we are proud to have assembled a team that continues to shine.
While we are proud of the research underway at the Libin Institute, we are cognizant that bettering patient outcomes is the reason behind this work. Our clinicians are responsible for implementing cutting-edge research, and we are humbled by the work and innovation underway in this area. The focus of our clinicians on introducing and studying new procedures, such as a novel way to get patients moving after open-heart surgery, is a source of pride. See pages 14-16 for more on the Libin’s clinical innovations. We are also looking forward to showcasing the work of our students at the annual Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day, to be held on April 16 in the Libin Lecture Theatre, located in the Health Sciences Centre at UCalgary’s Foothills Campus. We invite all members of the public to attend this exciting event, which will feature George Washington University’s Igor Efimov, PhD, a biomedical engineer and this year’s Dr. E.R. Smith lecturer. Finally, we at the Libin Institute thank all of our community partners for your generous support. Without you, the critical work underway at the Libin Institute wouldn’t be possible!
Dr. Todd Anderson Director
Libin Cardiovascular Institute Of Alberta
About the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta is an entity of Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary. It is the only Canadian health institute to offer a single cardiovascular program, which promotes a standard of quality across the city of Calgary and the region. It is made up of 1,500 members, staff, students and clinical trainees that coordinate cardiovascular research and education, along with delivering world-class cardiac care to a population of more than two million people in Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Eastern British Columbia. The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta is committed to reducing the burden of suffering and premature death due to cardiovascular disease through transformative research.
Libin Life
Libin Life is published semi-annually by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, an entity of the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services (Calgary Zone). Our mission is to share news and information about the Institute’s impact in research, education, and patient care. Institute Director Dr. Todd Anderson @Libin Director Institute Deputy Director Dr. Anne Gillis Institute Research Training & Mentorship Director Dr. Sofia Ahmed Institute Associate Director Al-Karim Walli @aswalli Editor Dawn Smith Editorial Committee Barb Jones, Myrna Linder, Martin Mackasey, Judy Siu, Dawn Smith, Jeannine Turnbull, Al-Karim Walli Contributors Dr. Todd Anderson, Leah Miller, Dawn Smith, Kelly Johnston Design and Layout Dawn Smith Printer McAra Printing @mcaraprinting Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta University of Calgary HSC G242, 3330 Hospital Drive NW Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1 Phone 403.210.6271 Email libin@ucalgary.ca Website libininstitute.org Twitter @LibinInstitute Facebook @LibinInstituteCV Editorial Inquiries Dawn Smith Communications Coordinator dawn.smith@ucalgary.ca Send comments, requests for magazine copies, digital magazine issue subscriptions or change of mailing address notifications to libin@ucalgary.ca. Please request permission to reproduce any part of this publication. All rights reserved. © 2018 Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta to share news and information about the Institute’s impact in research, education and patient care.
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Contents Departments:
Care Delivery:
2 Upcoming Events
14 Keep your move in the tube
4 Awards & Accolades
15 Providing unique care
6 Community Engagement
16 Generous hearts: a new organ donation protocol
7 Strategic Plan Implementation 23 New recruits
Features: 3 Getting to the heart of the problem Q&A with Dr. Christine Seidman, winner of the Libin/AHFMR prize 8 Giving hearts Guyana Program to Advance Cardiac Care gets boost from educational documentary 11 Tackling dietary risks Libin Cardiovascular Institute co-hosting nutrition policy forum 12 Heartbreakers Meet and defeat the cardiovascular risk factors 17 Donor profile Tine Haworth leaving a lasting legacy 24 Million dollar weekend Community partners help Libin raise funds for care and research
Education: 18 Legacy of learning 19 Bioengineer the heart: E.R Smith lecturer shares his story 26 Focus on trainees
Research: 20 Passion for Research 21 Imaging equipment boon for researchers 22 Assessing future risk: Tool developed to predict kidney disease
About the cover The Libin Institute is committed to enabling cardiovascular health and educating the community about risk factors and preventative measures is one of its mandates. The Heartbreakers provide an interactive, memorable way for the institute to engage with the public. For a complete list of the Heartbreakers, and to learn ways to prevent cardiovascular problems, see pages 12-13.
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Upcoming Events Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day - April 16
With a focus on the Libin Institute’s trainees, this event features a poster competition, rapid-fire talks, Transformative Original iDeas Talks (TOD) and faculty presentations. This year’s E.R. Smith Lecture will be delivered by National Institutes of Health funded researcher, Igor Efimov, PhD, a biomedical engineer at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Libin/AHFMR Lecture - May 14
This year’s prize winner is Dr. Christine Seidman, the T.W. Smith Professor of Medicine & Genetics and the Director of Brigham & Women’s Genetics Centre in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.
To find out more or to register for an event, visit LibinInstitute.org
Nutrition Policy Forum - June 18-19
This two-day event is being co-hosted by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health to discuss the latest Canada Food guide, set to be unveiled in 2018. The conference will feature local, national and international experts.
Libin 101 April 9 - Fish Creek Library at 6:30 pm
May 23 - Saddletowne Library at 7:30 pm
Topics: TBA Libin 101 is a free educational series that educates and engages the public on cardiovascular health promotion, disease prevention and the latest research in cardiovascular care underway in Calgary. Don’t miss out on the chance to engage with local clinicians, researchers and clinician-researchers. Visit Libin101.ca for more information.
@LibinInstitute @LibinInstituteAB
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Getting to the heart of the with Libin/AHFMR prize winner problem Q&A Dr. Christine Seidman
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r. Christine Seidman is the T.W. Smith Professor of Medicine & Genetics and Director, Brigham & Women’s Cardiovascular Genetics Center at Harvard Medical School. She will be delivering the 2018 Libin/AHFMR (formerly the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, now Alberta Innovates) lecture on May 14 in the Libin Lecture Theatre. How did you become interested in a career in research? As an undergraduate biochemistry major at Harvard College, I became fascinated with understanding the detailed molecular events that “explained” biologic processes. I enjoyed experimentation and reductionist science, but I had always wanted to become a physician, so after college I went to the George Washington School of Medicine and subsequently became an intern and resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where my experiences in taking care of patients rekindled a desire to know the causes and mechanism of disease– particularly conditions that appeared in seemingly healthy individuals. Dr. Victor McKusick was the Chair of Medicine at Johns Hopkins at that time, and his tutelage led to my continued interest in human genetics. I cared for many patients with heart disease at Hopkins and became interested in these pathologies. I obtained sub-specialty training in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and during that fellowship I became fascinated by a familial heart condition called idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS). Patients with IHSS have remarkably curious presentations and often devastating outcomes. I thought new tools, developed while I was in clinical training, might allow discovery of genetic causes and mechanisms for IHSS. To retool in these skills, I joined the laboratory of my husband, Jon Seidman, PhD, (the Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Professor of Cardiovascular Genetics).
Since then, we have been a scientific team and lead a joint program in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School that studies IHSS (now called HCM– hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) and genetic causes for other cardiomyopathies and for congenital heart malformations. Your research on the role of genes in human heart disease is fascinating. Tell us what you have discovered. We have discovered the gene mutations that cause two common conditions: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). HCM, the most common cause of sudden death on the athletic field, thickens the walls of the heart and relaxation becomes progressively poorer. We learned that HCM is due to mutations in the eight proteins that comprise the sarcomere, which cause the heart cells to contract. By studying the biophysical properties of heart cells with abnormal sarcomere proteins, we’ve learned why the heart fails to fully relax and why this promotes arrhythmias and heart failure. In our studies of DCM, which is characterized by thinning of heart muscle walls and very poor contraction, we have discovered many disease genes. Although a variety of genes are altered in DCM patients, the most important one is titin, the largest protein in heart cells and is foreshortened (or truncated) by mutation in about 20 per cent of DCM patients and about 15 per cent of young women with peripartum cardiomyopathy. Titin mutations prevent full development of normal sarcomeres, which limits the heart’s ability to respond to lifelong stresses. How has this research helped you define novel therapeutic targets? Our studies of both HCM and DCM point to the sarcomere as a critical element that controls heart function. Until recently,
there were no molecules that interacted with the sarcomere and directly altered its function, but discoveries made by our group and others have led pharmaceutical and biotech companies to screen small molecules to identify those that interact with the sarcomere. Two are currently in development: Omacamtiv (Amgen) and Mavacamtiv (Myokardia, co-founded by Drs. Leinwand, Spudich, C.E. and J.G. Seidman) binds the sarcomere and increases relaxation, which should benefit HCM patients. How does your work help patients? We could not have accomplished so much without the input of patients, their doctors and their family members. Pre-clinical and early clinical trials show that Omacamtiv and Mavacamten are safe drugs and ongoing clinical trials will establish if these are effective, direct therapies. While we hope so, we know that genetic studies have already benefitted patients with cardiomyopathies. Gene-based diagnosis is available today and can accurately define individuals with these conditions and their relatives who are at risk of developing cardiomyopathy in the future. Early recognition of disease can enable screening to prevent life-threatening arrhythmias and interventions as well as indirect therapies to support heart function and to control symptoms. As we learn more about genes that have escaped detection, we can expect better diagnostic tools and more precise therapies.
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Data researcher nationally recognized By Dawn Smith
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he Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s Dr. Hude Quan, PhD, continues to make a name for himself.
The epidemiologist is world-renowned for his work in data sciences as well as chronic disease surveillance and outcomes and has made the Clarivate Analytics Highly
“This isn’t just about me, it was a team effort.” Hude Quan, PhD Cited Researchers (formerly Thomson Reuters) list for several years. He was recently recognized again, this time by two prestigious national organizations. Quan is the recipient of the 2017 Hypertension Canada Senior Investigator
Award for his significant contributions to the knowledge of high blood pressure.
These recent accolades are part of a long list of successes for the researcher.
He was also named the winner of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Harold N. Segall Award of Merit, given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to cardiovascular health care in Canada. Quan received both awards in October.
Quan is the director of the University of Calgary World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Classification, Terminology and Standards and was recently named the Chair of the Chiu Family/AstraZeneca Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
Quan, a researcher and a professor in the department of community health sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine, was humble about the accolades.
As chair, he has assembled a multidisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians committed to improving cardiovascular health at both the individual and population levels.
“This isn’t just about me, it was a team effort,” said Quan, explaining his successes are a direct reflection of the amazing work being done by his team and by the Libin Institute as a whole.
That team, P2 Cardiovascular Health: Person to Population Research Collaborative, has been recognized as a priority in the Libin Institutes’s Strategic Plan 2017-2022.
Accolades Dean’s Talk
Peak Scholar
Dr. Paul Fedak was chosen to speak at this year’s Cummings School of Medicine Dean’s Talks on Nov. 15. Fedak’s talk focused on the past, present and future of cardiac surgery. Professor Fedak, who started his career in Calgary about a decade ago, is not only a heart surgeon, but he also runs an innovative research lab where he mentors highly successful trainees; holds numerous grants, including a $3.3-million National Institutes of Health (NIH) RO1 grant; and has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award.
Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Wilton, who was nominated by Cumming School of Medicine Dean Dr. Jon Meddings to be part of the Peak Scholars Celebration on Nov. 17. Hosted by President and Vice-Chancellor Elizabeth Cannon and VicePresident (Research) Ed McCauley, the event recognized scholars across numerous faculties for their impactful achievements in entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge engagement.
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Libin members receive $3.2M in CIHR grants Projects range from bench to bedside Wayne Chen, PhD, received
$1,005,975 in CIHR funding to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying sudden cardiac death caused by loss-offunction (LOF) mutations in the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2). Over the next five years, Chen and his colleagues will seek to identify and characterize these mutations and their associated heart defects, understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of their actions and develop novel diagnostic tests and therapeutic strategies for diseases associated with them. The ultimate goal is to develop novel diagnostic tests and treatments for patients with this new entity of cardiac arrhythmia.
Andrew Braun, PhD, and
his collaborators received $589,052 for their research project entitled “The type 1 IP3 receptor as a critical regulator of cerebro-vascular function.” Over the next four years, Braun and his team will be examining how genetic mutations in the IP3 receptor, similar to those found in patients with neurological deficits, impair blood vessel function within the brain. These investigators are also hoping to identify new strategies that minimize the negative impact of these genetic defects on cerebral blood flow and brain activity.
Dr. James White received
$562,275 in CIHR funding for a three-year study assessing 4D cardiac and machine modelling to identify patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. White plans to use these beating heart 3D models, generated by motion capture software–developed at the Stephenson Cardiac Imaging Centre by Alessandro Satriano, PhD–using routine
cardiac MRI images, to describe the shape and motion of hearts at greatest risk of lifethreatening events. The aim is to use this data, along with information gathered from patients, to better understand disease and choose patients that would benefit from an implantable defibrillator.
Centred Care Indicators.” The three-year study includes patients and family caregivers in an effort to develop evidence-based and informed patient-centred quality indicators. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve care by implementing and monitoring patientcentred care where ever patients are treated.
Dana Olstad, PhD, received
Dr. Todd Anderson was
$539,325 in CIHR funding to study the impact of the B.C. Farmers Markets’ nutrition coupon program on the eating habits and social and mental wellbeing of the low-income adults involved in the program. The goal of the study is to determine the success of this taxpayerfunded program and how it can be improved. Olstad hopes the information gleaned from her research will help other jurisdictions decide if they should start a similar program.
the co-lead investigator in a study, “Microvascular Angina and Oxygen Sensitive CMR,” that was recently awarded $221,000 in CIHR funding. The project will investigate the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging combined with prolonged breath holds and hyperventilation (oxygen sensitive CMR) as a diagnostic tool for women with non-obstructive coronary artery disease and angina chest pain. Recruitment is now underway in Calgary and Montreal for the study.
Maria Santana, PhD, and
her collaborators received $252,450 for her project “Including Patient Voice in Healthcare System Performance: Development of Patient-
Accolades Nephrologists published in JAMA Matt James, MD, PhD, was the lead author and Brenda Hemmelgarn, MD, PhD, the principal investigator in an article published in JAMA that found prediction of advanced chronic kidney disease following hospitalization with acute kidney injury is possible with a model developed with 9,973 participants and validated externally with 2,761 participants.
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Sharing knowledge
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Winners of the 2017 The Beat Goes on Gala live auction gathered alongside Libin members for Heart Health Day at Azuridge Estate on Feb. 22. Attendees learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle and about research underway in Calgary. Photo by Al-Karim Walli.
Libin Institute engages with community
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ommunity engagement is a mandate of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. Some of our goals in this area include creating awareness about the risks of cardiovascular disease, sharing tips for prevention of illness and detailing how researchers are working to solve the problems related to cardiovascular disease, which is still the No. 1 killer globally. Libin members and trainees regularly attend public engagement sessions to share their insights into clinical care and research. For more information about free public events, visit libininstitute.org, libin101.ca, or follow us on Twitter at @ LibinInstitute or Facebook at @LibinInstituteAB.
Drs. Satish Raj and William Kent, researcher Aaron Phillips, PhD, and Dr. Vikas Kuriachan pose for a photo after the annual Heart Month Libin 101, held at Central Library on Feb. 22. This event was part of Libin 101, a speaker series that brings together experts and the public to engage about local advances in cardiovascular care and research. The theme of the event was how technology is changing cardiovascular health care. Missing: Dr. Faisal Alqoofi. Photo by Dawn Smith.
One of the approximately 150 attendees at Heart Month Libin 101 engages with Dr. Kuriachan following the event.
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Making headway Researchers come together to help reach Institute goals
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he Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta is committed to reducing the burden of suffering and premature death due to cardiovascular disease through transformative research, a goal outlined in the Institute’s Strategic Plan 2017-2022. As part of the implementation of this Strategic Plan, institute leaders organized vascular, P2 (Person to Population), electrophysiology, autonomic and cardiac imaging retreats. The retreats brought together researchers across many disciples who discussed their projects. The goal of the meetings was to encourage collaboration and networking in tackling the problems related to cardiovascular disease in an effort to improve patient outcomes.
Seeking feedback International experts advise Libin Institute
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he Libin Institute received some expert advice from members of the International Expert Advisory Committee (IEAC), which met at UCalgary’s Foothills Campus on Sept. 30. Attendees discussed the institute’s new research priorities, outlined in its Strategic Plan 20172022, released in 2017. The IEAC meeting was chaired by D. George Wyse, MD, PhD, a professor emeritus at the Cumming School of Medicine. He said getting feedback from the four outside experts, who reviewed the Libin’s plan and provided suggestions for improvement, was key to the institute’s success. “We are serious about getting peer review about what we are doing and where we are going,” said Wyse, noting the Libin Institute hosts similar meetings on a regular basis. “We aren’t just doing our own thing; we are trying to align with the outside world.” The four experts, who met with leaders from the Lbin Institute, included:
Penny Borden, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at Columbia University in New York;
Dr. Joao Lima, a professor of medicine, radiology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine;
Dr. John Spertus, a professor at the University of
Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and clinical director of outcomes research at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute; and
Dr. John Cairns, a professor of cardiology at the
University of British Columbia and former dean of Medicine at the same institution.
“We are serious about getting peer review.” D. George Wyse, MD, PhD
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Dr. Debra Isaac, a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and a clinical professor of cardiac sciences in the Cumming School of Medicine, works with a congenital heart patient as part of the Guyana Programme to Advance Cardiac Care. Photo courtesy of Project 7 Media Group.
Giving HEARTS
Guyanese heart health program highlighted in documentary
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hristopher lies in a hospital bed barely holding onto life after suffering a massive heart attack.
The critically ill man is young, just in his 30s, and lies on a bed surrounded by other patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in the Georgetown Public Hospital in Guyana. Karen Then, RN, PhD, an Alberta Health Services (AHS) nurse practitioner and professor in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing, is on the unit and prays
By Dawn Smith desperately for Christopher to “please, please don’t die on me today.” The good news is that Christopher pulled through, something that would likely have been impossible just five years ago. That’s when members of the University of Calgary community founded the Guyana Programme to Advance Cardiac Care (GPACC) to create sustainable change to cardiovascular health care in Guyana, one of South America’s poorest countries.
Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta cardiologists Drs. Debra Isaac and Wayne Warnica co-founded the initiative, which recently got a boost from an educational documentary. Switching Rhythm is the first documentary produced by Project 7 Media Group and focuses on the cardiovascular care programs and year-round health-care training being conducted by GPACC. Isaac, a clinical professor of cardiac sciences
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and medicine at the CSM, hopes the documentary will be a useful tool for raising awareness about, and funds for, GPACC. “We need funds to keep going,” she said, noting all money raised will go towards education programs for Guyanese health-care workers, including doctors and nurses, to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability. Isaac said 19 nurses have already graduated from GPACC’s cardiac nursing certification program, and a Guyanese doctor, Michael Chin, is currently taking cardiology residency training at the CSM.
There is also a prevalence of sub-optimally treated diabetes and hypertension and a high incidence of congenital and rheumatic heart disease in the country. Over the past five years, GPACC has partnered to provide more than 100 cardiac surgeries and a similar number of cardiac catheterizations. Thousands of patients— both pediatric and adult—have been treated. GPACC has also been involved in public education in the country, work that has been amplified by the work of Project 7 Media Group.
Funding is required for support for another Guyanese doctor, Terrence Haynes, who has been working with GPACC in Guyana for two years. The goal, said Isaac, is to bring Haynes to Calgary to allow him to study at the CSM as a cardiology training fellow.
Stephen Warnica is the executive producer of the Project 7 Media Group. He has visited the country three times and said the group has been involved in creating about 15 training and education videos, which assist health-care workers along with patients and their families.
“When Doctors Chin and Haynes go back [to work in Guyana], we will have a solid base,” said Isaac, noting she would like to see Guyanese nurses training in Calgary as well.
He noted the group recently created several videos that will be released on Guyanese public television as part of a public health campaign. Stephen, who is the son of Drs. Warnica and Isaac, said he
Besides highlighting GPACC’s education and training programs, Switching Rhythm focuses on the organization’s other programs, including a cardiac intensive care unit, outpatient heart function clinic, cardiology clinic, in-patient ward cardiology service, active echocardiography and treadmill lab and a cardiology electronic patient database to help manage patient records and track patient care.
“GPACC is about creating sustainable change through education.” Stephen Warnica was compelled to create Switching Rhythm because of GPACC’s unique work. “GPACC is about creating sustainable change through education… [which makes it] completely different than many other medical mission out there,” he said. “They are building something sustainable from the ground up.” Switching Rhythm will be released publicly in 2018. To find out more about GPACC or to donate funds, visit https:// netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/medicine/ md-donation-page-guyana-programadvancement-of-cardiac-care.
All of these programs are located in the country’s largest public health-care facility, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Before GPACC, there was no consistent access to cardiac diagnostics and no facility or expertise for monitoring and managing cardiac patients in Guyana. According to Warnica, an adult cardiologist and professor emeritus at the CSM, heart problems are prevalent in Guyana. He said it’s not uncommon to see people in their early 30s suffer from heart attacks, partly due to genetics and the poor diet and infrequent exercise habits of the average Guyanese resident.
Dr. Wayne Warnica, a cardiologist and emeritus professor of medicine and cardiac sciences at UCalgary, speaks to a patient. Warnica is the co-founder of GPACC alongside Dr. Debra Isaac and has worked many hours with cardiac patients in Guyana. Photo courtesy of Project 7 Media Group.
June 18-19, 2018
CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE And a Healthier Canada Through Effective Nutrition Policy A forum brought to you by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health
University of Calgary Downtown Campus
This is free event. Register at canadasfoodguideeventbrite.ca or scan the QR code above
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Tackling Dietary Risks Libin Institute co-hosting nutrition policy forum By Dawn Smith
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algarians will soon have the chance to discuss the latest Canada Food Guide, set to be unveiled in 2018.
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health are co-hosting Canada’s Food Guide: And a Healthier Canada Through Effective Nutrition Policy. The forum will be held June 18-19 and will feature local, national and international experts, including Dr. Norm Campbell, who is a member of both the Libin and O’Brien institutes and chair of the scientific committee. “Dietary risks are the leading risk for death in Canada… and about three-quarters to 80 per cent of those deaths are cardiovascular,” said Campbell. “This conference will bring federal, provincial and municipal representatives to the table alongside academic and health-care professionals to discuss how best to implement the new food guide.” Campbell, an expert in hypertension and public policy, said the new Canada Food Guide is the first to not be heavily influenced by the food industry. He added it was last updated in 2007. He explained with the food guide and other nutritionrelated policies, the federal government is taking on dietary risk by investigating reduced dietary transfat and sodium, enhanced food labelling and restricting marketing to children, as examples.
Organizers are excited that Dr. Hasan Hutchinson, director general of nutritional policy and programs at Health Canada, will be presenting during the forum. Numerous other experts will also speak, and the public is encouraged to attend to discuss best practices. The conference has three subthemes: achieving dietary equity, led by Libin and O’Brien member Dr. Dana Olstad; innovative interventions, led by Dr. Aleem Bharwani, lead for Public Policy at the O’Brien Institute for Health; and children and adolescence, led by Dr. Charlene Elliot of the Libin and O’Brien institutes. Bharwani said he hopes the conference will help demonstrate that important innovation occurs in the public and private sectors and in civil society, as each of these plays unique and distinct roles in improving citizen health. He also hopes the event will showcase innovations to policymakers, trainees and junior faculty; help scale existing innovations; and create a forum for academia, innovators and policymakers to share perspectives on how to best serve the public.
Olstad is hoping the conference will help create public awareness about healthy eating and the need for policy that can support a healthy diet among individuals across the socioeconomic spectrum in Canada. She said she is looking forward to discussing ways to ensure social standing doesn’t constrain anyone to a poor quality diet, a huge factor in health. “The vast majority of our health-care dollars are spent on treating people who have developed disease, when we could have prevented illness through healthy eating in the first place,” she said of the importance of discussing these issues. Campbell agreed, saying healthy eating is a critical topic for policymakers, academics, the public and other stakeholders, because of the high cost unhealthy diets have on our society. “Unhealthy eating exceeds tobacco as a cause of death in our country,” said Campbell. “We need to do things differently if we want people to be healthier and be more productive.” This event is possible, in part, by a generous donation from Canadian Pacific Railway.
“Dietary risks are the leading risk for death in Canada.” Dr. Norm Campbell
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Members of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta are engaged in an epic battle with a set of evil villains. These six villains are no joke — they represent cardiovascular risk factors and can have deadly consequences for their victims. But luckily, they can be defeated! Read on for a description of these evil characters and to learn how to overcome them.
Greasanova
Nic Coffin
Sir Girth-A-Lot
You may have been acquainted with this villain through a family history of high cholesterol, but he probably made his first appearance at the drive-through or the steak house, while you were devouring lots of saturated fat. He attacks the heart, narrowing the arteries with a lining of plaque and can cause circulatory problems, heart disease and stroke.
Nic Coffin will make you cough and smell bad and serve you a wicked chemical cocktail that includes carbon monoxide, arsenic, ammonia, acetone, hydrogen cyanide and formeldahyde — the same chemicals that can be found in car exhaust and rat poison! This villain kills 37,000 Canadians every year and makes hundreds of thousands sick.
Sir Girth-A-Lot has a round shape and reels his victim in by offering up high-fat foods and a sedentary lifestyle. His victims may have bad genes, but it’s more likely they burned fewer calories than they consume. As his victims get bigger, their hearts work harder and it becomes more likely they will suffer from high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
Greasanova, you’ve got to go
Nic the habit
Beating the bulge
Ridding yourself of this evil villain is easy. Ask your doctor to test your cholesterol and adopt a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and a diet low in saturated and trans fats. Limit your alcohol intake and eat appropriate portion sizes.
Nic Coffin can be beat. Check out AlbertaQuits.ca, an online community with a free programs and supports to help you defeat Nic. Or, you can take advantage of medication or complementary therapies to help quit smoking. It’s worth it to Nic the habit: you’ll feel better and have an extra $3,000 in your pocket each year.
Defeating Sir Girth-A-Lot is simple: lose weight by eating healthy and exercising regularly. Calculate your body mass index to determine if you need to go to battle with this villain, and if you do, rest assured that you will feel better after losing just 10 pounds.
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Stressa
Ten-Shun
Sweetu
Stressa attacks her victims by putting their every sense on red alert — their hearts pound, muscles tense and breath comes faster. She goes after people who overbook their calendar, try to solve the world’s problems and internalize their anger. Those who are under her hold can expect an increase in blood pressure and cholesterol, a possible increase in the risk of heart disease and stroke and even a heart attack!
Nicknamed the silent killer, Ten-Shun lulls her victim into a false sense of security then surprises them with strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. In fact, this sneaky villain’s first move might be a heart attack or stroke. Her powers are so pervasive that she is the leading risk for death in the world.
Sweetu is one sweet villain. She snags her victims with tempting sweet treats and leaves them with a lasting impression of her visit: a little extra around the middle. She often goes after African and Asian Canadians, and she gives her victims kidney problems and heart disease. She may look sweet, but this villain is no joke.
Saying no to Stressa The first step in defeating this nemesis is identifying the sources of stress. Next, share your feelings with friends, family or a therapist and use problem-solving techniques to find solutions. Exercise is a Stressa-buster, and so is eating healthy foods regularly. Taking time for yourself and enjoying the good things in life can help keep this villain at bay.
Take a hike, Ten-Shun Early detection is the best strategy for defeating Ten-shun. Your doctor can perform a simple blood pressure check and may prescribe medication to keep this villain at bay. Staying active, restricting your sodium intake, losing weight and avoiding cigarettes and too much alcohol will also help defeat this villain.
See ya later, Sweetu Your doctor can prescribe a sugar test to see if this villainess has left a lasting impression. If she has, you can stop Sweetu from further harming you and manage her effects by reducing your sugar intake, eating a healthy diet, monitoring your blood sugar, exercising and drinking alcohol in moderation. Prescription medicine may also be necessary.
The heartbreakers characters have been reproduced with permission of the copyright owner C-era Medical Clinic.
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Rick Gach, PhD, a doctor of physiotherapy, teaches patient Richard Soukeroff a new method of moving after his open heart surgery, called “Keep Your Move in the Tube.” The new procedure gets patients back to their normal activities faster and will soon be implemented at the Foothills Medical Centre. Photo by Dawn Smith.
Keep your move in the tube By Dawn Smith
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taff members at the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) are blazing a path when it comes to post-cardiac-surgery care.
Clinical nurse educators Chris Coltman, Heather Agren and Susan Colwell, along with physiotherapist Lauren Park, are thrilled Section Chief of Cardiac Surgery Dr. Imtiaz Ali jumped on their suggestion
to implement new sternal precautions following heart surgery. The suggestion was based on research by the Alberta Health Services staff members, who work in the cardiac clinics at the FMC. According to Coltman, patients are now told not to push, pull or lift more than 10 pounds, raise their hands above their head
or use their arms to get out of bed for up to eight weeks following surgery to allow the sternum to heal. “Currently, it is very restrictive—it’s don’t, don’t, don’t” said Coltman, noting there really wasn’t any scientific evidence supporting the restrictive procedures for patients after heart surgery.
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Nor was there a standard of care, noted Park, saying there are nearly as many procedures as there are post-surgery care centres. The group’s research led to an approach developed by Jenny Adams, PhD, of the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. She developed “Keep Your Move in the Tube” as an alternative way to help prevent sternal wound complications that involves keeping elbows tucked into the sides while lifting, pushing, pulling or raising the arms above the head. The method allows patients to return to their normal activities much quicker, which may alleviate anxiety and even lower health-care costs. The FMC group presented their research to Ali, who gave them the green light to move ahead with the project. Nurse educators already met with a group from Florida who have implemented the procedure, and training of nursing staff will begin shortly. Especially exciting for the group is the response they have received from other
Medical staff at the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) pose alongside Jenny Adams, PhD (front left) and Dr. Rick Gach, a doctor of physiotherapy, (front, second from left) during a training session to learn a science-based method of getting patients up and moving after open heart surgery called “Keep Your Move in the Tube.” The procedure will soon be implemented at the FMC. medical centres in Alberta, such as Red Deer, Lethbridge and Edmonton, interested in the procedure. “We are starting a new movement,” said Park.
“We are starting a new movement.” Lauren Park
Providing unique care Clinic treats genetic condition that causes heart to thicken
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algary’s only Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic is reinventing itself following a recent move from the Peter Lougheed Centre to South Health Campus. The clinic treats hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a relatively common condition that affects the left ventricle of the heart. It is caused by a faulty gene that affects 0.5 per cent of the population and results in the cells stacking rather than lying flat, which causes thickening of the heart. This thickening can affect the way electricity moves around the heart, causing arrhythmias, altering mechanics and causing obstructions that may decrease efficiency or even block blood from pumping out of the heart. According to Bethany Trotter, a nurse clinician at the clinic, those with the condition—who can be any age—often feel tired, short of breath and notice changes in the heartbeat. Other times, they have no symptoms. As the problem persists,
patients may experience changes in blood pressure, fainting, arrhythmias, strokes and even sudden cardiac death. The outpatient clinic, which has a patient list of about 400 from all over Alberta and Southern B.C., has four cardiologists that manage patients. It partners with surgeons and can refer patients to device clinics for implantable cardiac defibrillators. Because of the genetic aspect, Trotter says it’s critical that family members of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy be tested and monitored for the condition. It is also important they receive education about the condition. “We are able to test, look at family history and follow up with the patient,” said Trotter. The clinic is always accepting new referrals with documented or suspected HCM. They are also hoping to get more involved in research through collaborations with such groups as the Stephenson Cardiac Imaging Centre.
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Generous hearts Clinic implements new organ donation protocol By Dawn Smith
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he Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) has implemented a new procedure dealing with organ and tissue donation after cardiac death. The clinic provides life support to the sickest heart patients in Southern Alberta and into B.C., including those who have suffered devastating cardiac arrests. According to Brian McGuigan, an RN and unit manager for the CICU, some of these patients suffer traumatic brain injuries resulting in neurological death—meaning they are essentially brain dead with no hope of recovery. Others may suffer cardiac death and have no chance of recovery without life support.
Lougheed Hospital and the CICU at the Foothills Medical Centre. McGuigan said the new program has been well received by both staff and the families of the unit’s patients. “Organ donation is something good that can come out of something so sad,” he said. “People understand that organs are in short supply, so anything we can do to increase the supply is a good thing.”
In these cases, the CICU now works with the Southern Alberta Transplant Program, offering families the chance for their loved ones’ tissues and organs to be harvested for transplant. McGuigan said the new protocol involves removing all life support equipment and medications and waiting for the cardiac death patient to die naturally before rushing him or her into the operating room where two doctors, on standby, harvest the patients’ healthy organ and tissues. This new protocol, which is an established procedure in Europe and Eastern Canada, was first introduced in Calgary at the general Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at FMC before moving to the ICU at the Peter
“Organ donation is something good that can come out of something so sad.” Brian McGuigan
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Donor profile:
Tine Haworth Extraordinary donor leaving lasting legacy By Dawn Smith
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ine Haworth has lived an extraordinary life. Now 96, her tenacity and business acumen allowed Haworth to be successful in her career. But she is also extraordinarily generous to the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta.
Haworth accepted a job in the emergency department in Regina, where the couple continued to raise their children until the doctor suffered a heart attack. He was only in his 40s, but was unable to work full time again, causing the couple to rely on their real estate business, which they continued after moving to Calgary about 30 years ago.
The namesake of the annual Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day and the Tine Haworth Scholarship in Cardiovascular Research, the mother of four has donated more than $3.2 million to the institute. Her last two large gifts have been made to provide the institute’s trainees with opportunities, something Haworth is passionate about. “When I was going to university, I had no money, so I thought maybe I can help someone,” she said. Haworth’s desire to provide students with opportunities was born out of her own experience. She grew up in rural Saskatchewan during the 1930s and, although she attended university for one year, money for higher education was scarce and the young woman dropped out of university to attend Normal School to become a teacher—a much more practical choice, she thought. Six months into the 12-month program, she landed a job in a rural community in the prairie province. She stayed for three years, teaching children ages six to 12, before meeting and marrying Roy Voice and retiring from her teaching career to move to a farm. The couple had moved to Edmonton and had two children when Roy tragically died of polio, leaving the young mother of two
The success of the business prompted Haworth to become a donor to the Libin Institute. Her gifts have allowed for an endowment that will provide students with opportunities for years to come.
Tine Haworth, 96, is one of the Libin Institute’s most generous donors. Especially focused on education, her generosity in this area allows the Libin to host the Tine Haworth Research Day annually. to fend for herself. It wasn’t easy, but Haworth started a career in real estate, purchasing and renovating two houses that she rented out, thereby providing for herself and her children. After being a single mom for five years, Haworth met and married family physician Dr. Derek Haworth. The two moved back to Saskatchewan, settling into a small town, where they had another two children. It was while living in this town that the husband and wife received their pilot’s licenses and purchased a small plane. While Dr. Haworth addressed the residents’ health-care needs, Haworth continued to manage her growing real estate business. Seeking new opportunities, Dr.
It’s a wonderful legacy for the tenacious woman who continues to embrace life with a rousing card game, a glass of chilled wine and daily “playing” of the stock market, which she knows inside and out. Dr. Todd Anderson, director of the Libin Institute, is deeply humbled by Haworth’s gifts for cardiovascular research and education and is thankful for her ongoing support. Ms. Haworth has lived a remarkable life and is an inspiration to all who have the opportunity to meet her,” he says. “Her incredible generosity to the Libin Cardiovascular Institute will create a legacy for our researchers and students for decades to come.”
[Ms. Haworth’s] incredible generosity... will create a legacy for our researchers and students for decades to come.” Dr. Todd Anderson
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Legacy of Learning
Education key to future of cardiovascular care
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ducation is a mandate of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. That’s why the organization dedicates so many resources to its trainees. Dr. Sofia Ahmed, Director of Research Training and Mentorship, says the Libin’s focus on education is all about leaving a legacy for the future. “We are training the next generation of cardiovascular researchers and caregivers,” she said, adding whether trainees have a career in research, medicine, industry or education, “Excellence in education is critical to the future of health care.” Students can take advantage of numerous initiatives, such as presenting their work for colleagues and faculty at the biweekly Research Update Seminar Series and gleaning information from local and visiting experts in Grand Rounds or the External Speaker Series. Ahmed said that besides offering the opportunity to showcase their work, these initiatives give students the chance to network, collaborate and take on leadership positions. Students are also encouraged to take part in the annual Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day, which highlights the work of students through poster presentations, Rapid Fire Talks and TOD (Transformative Original iDeas) Talks. Libin trainees are provided other leadership opportunities, such as sitting on committees as student representatives, to help prepare them for success in their
future careers. Ahmed said scholarships and awards are also important vehicles of support for Libin trainees. “Scholarships and awards allow us to support the accomplished and hardworking trainees,” said Ahmed, adding receipt of scholarships and awards is also an important addition to trainees’ CVs. The Libin has a number of prizes available to clinical and research trainees such as the Kertland Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scholarships, the MSc Graduate and Tine Haworth PhD
Graduate Scholarships, and—with the support of the CSM—the CSM Postdoctoral Scholar Program. —DS
“Excellence in education is critical to the future of health care.” Dr. Sofia Ahmed
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BIOengineering the heart Dr. E.R. Smith Lecturer to present on innovative devices designed to treat problems of the heartbeat By Dawn Smith
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ational Institutes of Health funded researcher, Igor Efimov, PhD, will be bringing his expertise on the biophysical mechanisms of cardiac conduction and arrhythmia to the University of Calgary this spring. Efimov, the Alisann & Terry Collins Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., will be featured as the Dr. ER Smith Lecturer at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Calgary’s Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day on April 16, 2018. The focus of Efimov’s lab is on future treatments for heart rhythm disorders and on engineering the pacemaker and conduction system of the heart using electrical engineering, molecular biology and multimodal imaging techniques. Efimov’s career has been highly influenced by his longtime interest in sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmias.
“I am interested in how the heart goes into a frenzy of activity and stops,” he said, explaining sudden cardiac death is the No. 1 killer globally, making it an important area of study. But Efimov, who holds a masters degree in physics and a doctorate in bioengineering, isn’t content to merely understand the mechanisms of heart arrhythmias: his research takes a practical approach. In fact, he co-founded a company, Cardialen, Inc. in 2008, to develop a pain-free implantable defibrillator for treatment of atrial fibrillation – the most common form of arrhythmia, which can have a huge impact on a patient’s quality of life. Efimov explained the goal is to augment the current treatment of ablation—an invasive method that involves scarring the heart—and to prevent the condition from worsening. A second company, Cardioform, which Efimov also co-founded, is working on a flexible electronic device that conforms to, and contracts with, the heart.
The device is being engineered to not only provide diagnostic tools by monitoring such things as electrical activity, pH and ionic concentrations, but also to treat patients by acting as a pacemaker, defibrillator or even to deliver gene therapy. A teacher with more than 20 years of experience, Efimov is excited about attending the Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day, where he will speak about a 10-year study he recently published that details how human fibrillation works and how the new electronics can treat problems related to the heartbeat. He is also excited to interact with CSM trainees during the event. “Teaching has been my passion for many years,” he said. “Students always have questions that professionals don’t.” To find out more or to register for this event, visit libininstitute.org and search under the community tab, or visit libin.eventbrite.ca
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Passion Research Lab manager details her
for
By Dawn Smith
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eannine Turnbull is seriously invested in her work. She has spent the last seven years as the lab manager and a surgical technician in the Marlene and Don Campbell Translational Research Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Paul Fedak, MD, PhD. She is driven by the impact the research is having.
Jeannine Turnbull sits beside a heart monitoring device in the lab of Paul Fedak, MD, PhD. Turnbull manages the lab and works on numerous research projects. Photo by Dawn Smith.
“One thing I love specifically about this lab is the translational aspect of it,” said Turnbull. “The things I am doing… have a pretty immediate impact.” Indeed, Turnbull has seen her main research project go from bench to bedside with a pilot clinical trial recently completed. Turnbull first arrived at the University of Calgary as an 18 year old with aspirations to become a veterinarian. However, her career goals changed while she was a student completing a zoology degree and working in a vet clinic. She ultimately decided to pursue a second undergrad degree, this time in cellular molecular microbial biology. Upon completion of her education, Turnbull began working in the lab of Dr. Derrick Rancourt, a professor in the departments of oncology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and medical genetics at UCalgary.
She stayed in that transgenics lab for seven years, perfecting her fine motor and microscope skills. After spending four years at home with her first son, Turnbull was hired by Fedak and hasn’t looked back. In her role as lab manager, she ensures everyone working in the lab, including students and research associates, have what they need. “I am a bit of a lab mom,” said Turnbull with a laugh.
Turnbull especially enjoys the students that come through the lab and works hard to create an environment that fosters good relationships and mentorship. “The students that come in are so driven, so smart, so knowledgeable, and I rely on them a lot,” said Turnbull, explaining everyone in the lab learns from one another. Turnbull is also inspired by the vision of Dr. Fedak.
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“I really do love [working here], and I love working with Dr. Fedak,” she said. “I think we work well together.”
The research has netted several awards while advancing from a culture dish to pilot clinical trial.
In addition to managing the lab, she excels in her role as surgical technician and thrives on perfecting this work.
“Until now there hasn’t been a way to restore function to the part of the heart damaged by a heart attack,” said Turnbull. “Using epicardial infarct repair in conjuction with coronary bypass surgery could be a revolutionary therapy for these patients, potentially preventing or reversing chronic heart failure.”
Turnbull explains the Fedak lab is interested in understanding the changes that occur in the heart after a heart attack, with the goal of restoring and regenerating damaged cardiac tissue. According to Turnbull, the heart remodels after an injury such as a heart attack, eventually leading to enlargement and ineffective contraction. This condition is known as chronic heart failure. Turnbull’s primary focus in the lab is examining the effectiveness of using extracellular matrix—a material that provides the scaffolding that holds cells together and influences their behaviour and survival as a surgical therapy by sewing it on the surface of damaged heart tissue to stimulate tissue repair—a process that has been named “epicardial infarct repair.”
Research in this area is continuing in the Fedak lab, with the current focus being on understanding what is happening at the molecular level. “I’m excited about the future in Dr. Fedak’s lab,” Turnbull says. “We have a really great team and lots of innovative projects ongoing and planned.” Every day is just a little bit different for Turnbull, which is another reason she loves her job. Not just anyone could do the meticulous work that Turnbull accomplishes. Besides requiring a
“I’m a bit of a lab mom.” Jeannine Turnbull knowledge of science, Turnbull’s job demands fine motor skills and an attention to detail that few possess. She says she learned the skills on the job—being trained by cardiac surgeons and other surgical technicians—and has honed her skills in the lab. Fedak says Turnbull is “at the heart and soul” of his research laboratory, explaining her skills as a surgical technician—capable of developing and reproducing any and all animal models of human cardiovascular diseases—are outstanding. “She is an enormous asset to me and the University at large,” said Fedak. “We are all fortunate to work with her.”
Imaging system boon for researchers
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ibin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta (LCIA) researchers have a new piece of state-of-the-art imaging equipment, thanks to the generosity of donors.
The institute purchased a $290,000 Vevo 3100, a noninvasive ultrasound imaging system for use on preclinical models, from net proceeds from the 2017 The Beat Goes on Gala and a donation from Canadian Pacific Railway. Robert Rose, PhD, who investigates disease mechanism in the atria of the heart, is thrilled with the purchase. “This equipment is a real advantage for researchers investigating disease mechanism and progression,” said Rose. He explained the unit enables high-frequency imaging of the heart and vasculature that will allow researchers to better visualize changes in heart and blood vessel structure and measure cardiovascular function, in their
preclinical models, with the ultimate goal of preventing and treating cardiovascular disease in patients. A number of Libin research labs at the CSM will share the Vevo 3100, which is compact and mobile. Rose was quick to thank the Libin’s community partners for their generous donations to research. “Being able to purchase cutting-edge equipment in a timely fashion really increases our ability to achieve our research goals,” said Rose. “It gives us such an advantage in allowing us to do the work we do.” Dr. Todd Anderson, Director of the LCIA, agreed. “Providing state of the art cardiovascular imaging equipment for Libin scientists is vital in helping them understand the mechanisms of disease,” said Anderson. “The purchase of this ultrasound machine would not have been possible without the generous support of the community. We are very grateful to our partners for their continued support.”
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Assessing future RISK Tool developed to predict kidney disease
By Leah Miller, for the O’Brien Institute of Public Health and Kelly Johnston, Cumming School of Medicine
Recently, however, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease related to her experience 13 years ago and is now being treated by the Libin Institute’s nephrologist, Matthew James, MD, PhD. James says 12 per cent of people who are hospitalized will experience a kidney complication, despite being admitted for a different reason. Called acute kidney injury, for some, the problem can be as simple as not making as much urine; for others, like McIlvena, the kidneys stop functioning for a time. “There are a wide range of outcomes after someone experiences acute kidney injury. Many patients will have a good recovery and their kidney function will return to normal, but others can develop kidney failure afterward,” says James. Teasing out those who need follow up Until recently, doctors had no way to know which patients were most at risk of longterm complications. Through research, James and his colleagues developed a risk assessment tool that can be used in Alberta hospitals to guide subsequent care. “The tool allows us to identify people who
need follow up and tailor care specifically for them,” says James. Kidney disease is considered a silent disease: you often don’t know you’re sick until you’re into the late stages of the illness, when treatment means dialysis for life, or transplant. Science behind the tool To design a tool that could hone in on whether acute kidney injury may progress to advanced chronic kidney disease, two groups of patients were studied. Over the course of 11 years, data from 9,973 Alberta patients was reviewed with six health measurements routinely taken: age, sex, urine protein levels, kidney function levels when admitted to hospital, kidney function levels throughout hospital stay, and kidney function levels when discharged. Combined, these factors provided researchers with a framework with which to estimate a patient’s risk level of developing advanced kidney disease over the next year. To confirm the approach, 2,761 patients from Ontario were assessed. The results validated the model. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Next steps The research team will evaluate the tool in clinical practice. They know the tool works, but want to find out if it can improve care and outcomes for patients. If use of the tool results in better follow up care and outcomes for patients after hospital discharge, then strategies to scale up its use across Canada could begin. The model could also be used in other countries down the road.
Cumming School of Medicine
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aulette McIlvena went to bed at home and woke up, three weeks later, in hospital. She became severely ill due to complications from pancreatitis. While she was in a coma, McIlvena underwent surgery and was put on dialysis as a temporary measure. Following those events in 2004, the pancreatitis cleared up, McIlvena’s kidneys started working again, and she thought her kidney troubles were behind her.
“We hope to improve the experiences for patients and tools available for health care providers by providing them with personalized risk information, so that patients and doctors can make better decisions together that improve long-term kidney health,” says James. James is an associate professor and clinician scientist in the departments of medicine and community health sciences at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. In addition to the Libin Institute, he is also a member of the O’Brien Institute of Public Health.
“The tool allows us to identify people who need follow up and tailor care specifically for them.” Matthew James, MD, PhD
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New recruits Dana Olson, PhD Dana Olstad, PhD, RD, has a passion for impacting society’s food choices. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine whose research investigates the impact of public policy on health, with a focus on how policy can help reduce socioeconomic inequities in dietary behaviours, obesity and health. Olson holds a masters and PhD from the University of Alberta and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia before moving to Calgary in the spring of 2017. Olstad is taking on an organizing role in the nutrition forum being hosted by the O’Brien and Libin institutes to discuss the new Canada Food Guide. See pages 12-13 to learn more about this conference, to take place at UCalgary’s Foothills Campus on June 18-19.
Dr. Steven Reynolds
Dr. Stephen Reynolds recently joined the clinical section of cardiology at Alberta Health Services as a cardiologist with a specialty in adult congenital heart disease and echocardiology. He is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine. Reynolds received his medical degree at the University of Calgary, where he also completed his internal medicine and cardiology residency training. Afterwards, Reynolds completed an echocardiology fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco and an adult congenital heart disease fellowship at the Royal Brompton Hospital/Imperial College of London.
Dr. Deepa Suryanarayan
Dr. Deepa Suryanarayan is a hematologist with Alberta Health Services. She is also a clinical associate professor UCalgary’s Division of Hematology and Department of Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine and recently joined the Libin Institute. The busy clinician has an interest in researching the safety and efficacy of novel direct oral anticoagulant medications, especially in special populations such as cancer patients. Suryanarayan earned her medical degree in India before completing a master’s degree in health research methodology from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. She completed a hematology fellowship at the University of Calgary.
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Philipp Weishaupt of GER rides LB Convall during the CP ‘International’ at the Spruce Meadows Masters 2017. CP donated $10,000 to the Libin Institute for each clear round jumped during this event. Photo courtesy Spruce Meadows.
Million Dollar Weekend
Community partners provide outstanding support By Dawn Smith
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he Libin Cardiovascular had a very successful fundraising weekend in September, raising a million dollars to support cardiovascular care, research and training in Southern Alberta. The fourth annual The Beat Goes on Gala, held Sept. 9 at the BMO Centre, was a resounding success, raising more than $900,000. More than 400 people attended the event, enjoying a four-course meal, taking in an inspiring classical violin performance by Anna Stube, 11, and dancing to the tunes of multi-Juno-award-winning Canadian artist Randy Bachman. Ken King, the co-chair of the gala and president/CEO, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, was pleased with the event, expressing his gratitude to attendees and sponsors.
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Alvin Libin speaks during the Libin Institute’s fourth annual The Beat Goes on Gala. Photo by Adrian Shellard.
Multi-Juno-award-winning Canadian artist Randy Bachman performs during the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta’s fourth annual The Beat Goes on Gala, held Sept. 9, 2017 at the BMO Centre. The event raised more than $900,000 for cardiovascular research in Southern Alberta. Photo by Adrian Shellard. The fifth annual The Beat Goes on Gala will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. For more information, visit libinbeat.ca
“Each year The Beat Goes On Gala finds new friends and continued support from many annual contributors,” said King. “The Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s work is essential to heart health and an important player in the world.” Since the gala’s inception in 2014, it has raised more than $3.6 million for cardiovascular research. Proceeds from this year’s gala event will help fund clinical researchers at the Libin Institute and help purchase cutting-edge experimental imaging equipment for basic science researchers. (See “Mouse Echo” on page 21). In addition to this premier event, the institute received a $100,000 boost on Sept. 10 thanks to the generous support of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP International riders cleared 10 rounds during the Masters week at Spruce
Meadows and for each clear round jumped, including those with time faults, the company donated $10,000 to support the Libin Institute. The donation was made through CP’s Clear Rounds for Heart, an initiative of the CP Has Heart community investment program, which has raised $775,000 for heart health research and care since its inception in 2014. CP also donated $20 for each participant who completed the Superhero for Heart Challenge on Sept. 10, an activity featuring the Heartbreakers, a set of kid-friendly heart villains designed to educate about cardiovascular health risks. (Check out these characters on pages 12-13). CP’s donation will go to support Libin researchers working in the area of cardiovascular health promotion and to
put on a forum on the new Canada Food Guide, to take place in June. (See more on this forum on pages 10-11). Tony Dilawri, gala co-chair and partner of the Dilawri Group of Companies, said the community should be proud of its generosity in supporting the Libin Institute. “I know firsthand the importance of cardiac expertise, and I can assure you that the staff at the Libin Institute are some of the best in the world,” said Dilawri.
“The Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s work is essential to heart health.” Ken King
Focus on Trainees A glimpse into the work of the next generation of cardiovascular researchers
Loryne Bohne
Loryne Bohne is a masters student working in the lab of Robert Rose, PhD, conducting basic science research focusing on different mechanisms of atrial fibrillation in diabetes. Bohne received her bachelor of science (honours) in biomedical physiology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. and plans to continue her education as a doctoral student. Bohne is considering a career in research investigating cardiac electrophysiology or may take a bench-to-bedside approach by pursuing medicine after she completes her PhD.
Anshul S. Jadli, PhD
Anshul S. Jadli, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow working in Dr. Vaibhav Patel’s lab in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in the CSM. Jadli received his doctorate in applied biology from Mumbai University, India in 2017. Jadli’s research focuses on the role of exosomes, which are critical in intercellular communication, vascular repair and regeneration. Specifically, Jadli’s current research project involves exosome characterization, identification of their cargo, and evaluation of their effectiveness in treating type 2 diabetic vascular complications with the goal of developing new therapies. Jadli hopes to continue working in the field of translational research with the goal of improving patient health outcomes.
Christina Sandall
Christina Sandall is a PhD candidate working in the lab of Justin MacDonald, PhD. Research in the MacDonald lab is focused on the underlying biochemistry of various biological processes, including inflammation associated with cardiovascular dysfunction. Sandall’s work, specifically, is centred on the activation mechanisms of the inflammasome—a protein platform responsible for “sounding the immunological alarm” when it recognizes an invading pathogen or internal danger signal. By identifying the molecular mechanisms controlling this important regulator of inflammatory responses, the team aims to find a way to block the inflammation often associated with human disease. Sandall hopes to pursue a research career focused on the detailed workings of proteins at the molecular level.
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