News

AHA 2011: UOHI Research Named among Top 5 Canadian Abstracts

Mutations in the gene are associated with striated muscle diseases such as cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy. Filling in the unknowns about a previously unexplored gene is a good way to get the attention of your peers. Heart Institute scientist Patrick Burgon is doing just that with a gene he

AHA 2011: Other Honours

Dr. Ruth McPherson, an active CARDIoGRAM participant and a co-author on the interferon biomarker study, was honoured by the AHA Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) with its Special Recognition Award. Dr. McPherson, a tireless clinician and scientist, directs the

Graduate Research: Building Collaborations and Careers

Every research institute is driven by its army of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. They bring their enthusiasm and curiosity to the lab each day and create new collaborative relationships between research groups, both down the hall and around the globe. The Beat spoke with four graduate

Transforming Advanced Imaging Technology into Patient Care

New cardiac imaging technology at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute will allow physicians and researchers to greatly expand their pursuit of advanced heart function studies while ensuring shorter diagnostic wait times for patients. A new hybrid machine that combines computerized tomography

The Heart Institute at AHA 2011

It was another busy American Heart Association meeting for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Staff presented more than 40 talks and posters this year in Orlando, Florida. With some 20,000 people in attendance, several Institute researchers were singled out for their achievements. UOHI

Fresh Challenges Ahead for New Foundation Leadership

Jim Orban, the new President and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, is ready for his next significant milestone – a major construction project that will add a five-storey extension along with badly needed renovations to the existing 35-year-old facility. The Foundation, the

Helping the Heart Heal Itself: The Promise of Regenerative Medicine

When a blocked artery causes a heart attack, tissue in the region of the heart served by that blood vessel quickly starts to die. Today, most patients survive an acute heart attack, but there are downstream health implications for these serious cardiac events. Scar tissue that forms in the weeks and

In Conversation: Dr. Robert Roberts: Looking Ahead to Our Expansion

On August 24, 2011, Dr. Robert Roberts, Heart Institute President and CEO, welcomed the Government of Ontario’s commitment to fund detailed plans, renovations and the construction of a new building extension that provides five storeys of additional space to the Heart Institute. The extension will

Researchers Discover Cellular Process that Could Reverse Major Cause of Heart Attack

A research team at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute led by biochemist Yves Marcel, PhD, Director of the Heart Institute’s High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Biology Laboratory, has discovered a new function for a known cellular pathway: mobilization and exportation of cholesterol from cells. The

Plans for Expansion and Renovation in Hand

It takes time and nurturing to grow a top-flight hospital. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which began largely as an extension of the Ottawa Civic Hospital when its doors first opened in 1976, has matured to become Canada’s foremost cardiovascular centre. Superior expertise in surgical