Appointments and affiliations
Director
Cardiac Function Laboratory
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Professor
Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
Professor
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto
Dr. Peter Liu is a Cardiologist and a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the University of Ottawa. He was the former Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Background
Dr. Liu joined the Heart Institute as the Scientific Director in 2012. He received his M.D. and completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at University of Toronto and Harvard Medical School.
Formerly, as the inaugural Director of the Heart & Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence at the University of Toronto, Dr. Liu successfully fostered collaboration amongst researchers from various institutions, while increasing the impact of publications. Subsequently as Scientific Director of the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. Liu launched national networks in imaging, clinical trials and knowledge translation and fostered national and international research networks. Dr. Liu has designed the Ottawa region cardiovascular research strategy (ORACLE) and is implementing it in stages. Dr. Liu also directs several large-scale national and international research programs.
Dr. Liu has been recognized with numerous awards, including both the Research Achievement Award and the Life Time Achievement Award of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Rick Gallop Award of the Heart & Stroke Foundation, and the Institute of Circulatory & Respiratory Health Distinguished Lecture Award of CIHR, the Margolese Award from UBC and the Order of Ontario amongst others.
Research and clinical interests
Well known for his contributions to heart failure and cardiac inflammation research, Dr. Liu discovered how viruses can enter the myocardium and trigger inflammation, and how innate and acquired immunity contribute to cardiac remodelling and heart failure progression following injury. His laboratory currently focuses on innovative proteomic biomarkers to more precisely detect and diagnose different forms of heart failure at early stages, develop personalized treatments and elucidate novel mechanisms of disease.
Dr. Liu is also interested in knowledge translation, having harmonized and simplified the major national guidelines using a novel evidence-based consensus approach (C-CHANGE program), and finding ways to maximize knowledge translation globally using innovative technologies.
Publications
Dr. Liu has over 350 peer-reviewed publications, many in the most celebrated journals in the world, and his publications have been cited over 20,000 times.