The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is pleased to recognize Erin Mulvihill, PhD as the 2024 UOHI Investigator of the Year. Dr. Mulvihill is a pioneer in the molecular control of glucose metabolism by gut hormones known as incretins. She brings together innovative research, active knowledge dissemination, patient engagement, robust external funding and exceptional mentorship to make transformative contributions to cardiometabolic health. As Director of UOHI’s Energy Substrate Metabolism Research Laboratory, Dr. Mulvihill leads a program of research on the action, regulation, and bioactivity of pancreatic islet and gut hormones (incretins): these are both key players in glucose and lipid metabolism in the context of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Through generating novel mouse models and experimental models of diabetes and obesity, she is driving new understanding of the molecular events that lead to cardiometabolic disorders.
For example, using a combination of mouse genetics and pharmacology, Dr. Mulvihill was the first to detail how the inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase 4, an enzyme that inactivates incretins, can lower blood glucose. She then demonstrated the cardiovascular effects of incretins and DPP4 inhibitors in a mouse model of diabetes and atherosclerosis. Taken together, these key findings provide a model for the analysis of mechanisms linking fibrosis, inflammation, and impaired cardiovascular function to DPP4 inhibition.
In trailblazing work, Dr. Mulvihill characterized the cardiometabolic benefits and mechanisms of action of incretin-based therapies, a class of medications that mimic GLP-1 and/or GIP to stimulate insulin release, reduce glucagon levels, slow gastric emptying and promote satiety, which together help control blood sugar levels and support weight management. Her work led to the discovery that inactivation of the GIP receptor improves outcomes following experimental myocardial infarction. In another line of investigation, Dr. Mulvihill studies the impact of phytochemical compounds on cardiometabolic disorders such as hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and atherosclerosis. Her findings that citrus flavonoids such as naringenin and nobiletin regulate lipid metabolism open opportunities for new therapeutic strategies, particularly in states of insulin resistance.
Dr. Mulvihill is a widely sought-after member of numerous editorial and advisory boards, as well as scientific societies, and has been widely recognized through multiple national new investigator awards, $3.5M in peer-reviewed funding, institutional excellence recognitions, and national mentorship awards.
Committed to translating her research into therapeutic strategies that are meaningful to people with lived experience, Dr. Mulvihill has built skills, team capacity and key relationships to change the way her team works. With the Patient Circles of the Diabetes Action Canada SPOR, for example, she led the integration of people with lived and living experience PWLLE in the annual meeting’s plenary lectures, growing to 10 participants in 2024. She has co-authored two publications with patient partners, and her most recent grant, addressing the cardiometabolic challenges women with type 2 diabetes face during the menopause transition, was co-developed with two patient partners living with diabetes.
Dr. Mulvihill has distinguished herself as a mentor with impact, from extraordinary service with the UOHI Trainee Committee locally, to leadership in the Canadian Islet Research and Training Network. She’s championed EDI initiatives; training in peer evaluation and scholarship; trainee engagement in WIP and rounds; building better human connections throughout and beyond the pandemic; and the Dr. Frans Leenen Award for Trainee Publication Excellence. It’s thus especially appropriate that Dr. Mulvihill’s nomination as UOHI Investigator of the Year came from her own staff and trainees, who stated that “Equally remarkable are Erin's outstanding mentorship skills - she is deeply committed to the development and success of trainees, providing both the technical expertise and personal guidance to excel and pursue impactful careers.”
Congratulations to Dr. Mulvihill on these remarkable achievements!