13th Annual Canadian Cardiovascular Trainee Day at CCC 13e Journée annuelle des stagiaires en science cardiovasculaire au CSCC

Saturday, October 25th, 2014 – samedi le 25 octobre 2014 08:00 to 17:00

Hotel – Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver, BC

The Road Ahead – Le chemin vers l’avenir

Trainee Day Planning Committee – Comité de planification de la journée des stagiaires Sanjog Kalra, MD, MSc, Academic Co-Chair Matt Chamberlain, BSc, MD, Community Co-Chair Sonya Hui, MSc, Past Co-Chair Ala Al-Lawati, MD Preeti Anand, MD, MBA Laura Banks, PhD Judy Luu, MD Debraj Das, BMSc, MD Christina Luong, BSc, MD Valérie Rodgers, MD Abhinav Sharma, MD

Target audience

Cardiovascular trainees from research and clinical cardiovascular streams are encouraged to participate in this year's Trainee Day.

Learning objectives

Provide a networking opportunity for trainees in both professional and social forums

Share your experiences with your peers and gain practical skills

Identify strategies for succeeding as a trainee regardless of ultimate career choice

Develop practical solutions to career-establishment challenges after training

ACCESS TO TRAINEE DAY IS RESTRICTED TO DELEGATES WHO HAVE SELECTED AND PAID FOR THIS ACTIVITY IN ADVANCE

7:30 – 8:00 Trainee Day Welcome Desk Opens – light snack available - Room: Waterfront Ballroom C

800 - 900 Plenary: How to succeed in the first 3-5 years of your career - Kim Connelly - Room: Waterfront Ballroom C

Concurrent Workshops Interactive Teaching Labs

ROOMS Waterfront

Ballroom A

Waterfront

Ballroom B

Nootka

MacKenzie I

Malaspina

Mackenzie II

Cheakamus

910-1010 Maximizing

Mentor

Relationships:

Finding the Right

Fit Mark Haykowsky

& Phyllis Billia

Money Matters:

Tips/tricks for

cardiovascular

professionals Greg Lee Son

Focus on

Negotiation: the

Basics Callie Bland with

Mansoor Husain,

Stuart Smith,

Heather Warren,

Brian Clarke,

Maral Ouzounian,

Simon Jackson,

Daniel Wong, Viet

Le, Matthew

Bennett, Catherine

Kells and Tara

Sedlak

ECG: Beginner Philip Podrid

Cardiac Cath Kevin Bainey and

Brian Potter

Echo: Drop-in Jasmine Grewal

and Miriam

Shanks

Surgical Skills:

Beginner Peter Skarsgard

1020-1120 The Nuts & Bolts

of Starting up

your Practice Jean-Bernard

Masson

Find a new

Niche: New

subspecialties in

CV medicine and

research Donald Palisaitis

and Duncan

Stewart

ECG: Advanced Philip Podrid

Echo: Drop-in Jasmine Grewal

and Miriam

Shanks

1130-1300 Networking Lunch - Room: Waterfront Ballroom C

Concurrent Workshops Interactive Teaching Labs

1310-1410 Finding an

International

Clinical/

Research

Fellowship Jayan Nagendran

Academic vs.

Community

Practice: Which

one is Right for

you? Charles Lefkowitz

Focus on

Negotiation: the

Basics Callie Bland with

Mansoor Husain,

Stuart Smith,

Heather Warren,

Brian Clarke,

Maral Ouzounian,

Simon Jackson,

Daniel Wong, Viet

Le, Matthew

Bennett and

Catherine Kells

ECG: Beginner Philip Podrid

Cardiac Cath Neil Fam and

Akshay Bagai

Echo: Drop-in Miriam Shanks

and Brian

Sonnenberg

Surgical Skills:

Advanced Peter Skarsgard

1420-1520

Take a Different

Road: Non-

traditional career

paths Simon Pimstone &

Michael

McLaughlin

Don’t survive,

Thrive! Skills for

early career

success Ed O’Brien

ECG: Advanced Philip Podrid

Echo: Drop-in Miriam Shanks

and Brian

Sonnenberg

1530-1700 Jeopardy and Closing - Room: Waterfront Ballroom C

How to Succeed in the First 3-5 Years of Your Career

Kim Connelly

Waterfront Ballroom C

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Dr. Kim Connelly joined St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto in 2009 after completing cardiology

training, a PhD and a post-doctoral fellowship. He is primarily interested in defining how diabetes and kidney disease

results in "heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction" utilizing novel therapeutic strategies such as pharmacological

interventions and stem cell based therapies. He is also an expert in clinical cardiac MRI and cardiac ultrasound, thus

enabling a "bench to bedside" approach.

Dr. Connelly has published more than 70 basic and clinical papers on the topic of diabetic cardio-renal disease and the

use of cardiac MRI as a non-invasive tool to characterize the pathophysiology of remodeling post myocardial infarction.

He is a true translational investigator who has funding for 3 clinical trials based upon his preclinical work – two utilizing

stem cells technology to improve cardiac outcomes post MI and in the diabetic heart, and a third to assess the role of a

DD4 inhibition in modifying the ischemic response in chronic angina.

He is recognized as an expert in this area both locally and internationally, recently receiving the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Young

investigator award for top basic cardiovascular scientist in Canada. He has numerous operating grants from HSF, CIHR and CFI. He also holds a

prestigious HSF Clinician Scientist phase 2 award and an Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Ontario. Finally, Dr. Connelly is a member of

the executive committee for the HSF Richard Lewar centre for excellence at the University of Toronto.

Maximizing Mentor Relationships: Finding the Right Fit

Mark Haykowsky and Filio Billia

Waterfront Ballroom A

9:10 – 10:10 a.m.

Dr. Mark Haykowsky is a Professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta (U of A). He

completed his Ph.D. in cardiovascular exercise physiology at U of A in 1998 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship

(Heart Failure specialization) in the Division of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine (U of A). Dr. Haykowsky’s research

program examines:1) the biologic mechanisms responsible for the decline in aerobic capacity across the heart failure

continuum and the role of exercise training to restore cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function and quality of life;

(2) the efficacy of physical conditioning to reverse chemotherapy and/or biological therapy mediated cardiotoxicity in

women with breast cancer, and 3) cardiac mechanics and ventricular remodeling in athletes. Dr. Haykowsky has

published over 150 papers in high-impact medical and physiology journals and has been an invited or keynote

speaker at numerous national and international cardiology and exercise science meetings. Dr. Haykowsky has

supervised/supervisor committee member for 95 trainees during the past 15 years.

Dr. Filio Billia is a member of the Division of Cardiology at the University health Network and a Scientist at the

Toronto General Research Institute. She completed her medical and research training at the University of Toronto.

Recently she completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the world-renowned Dr. Tak W. Mak at the Campbell Family

Institute for Cancer Research. She currently is the co-Director of the Peter Munk Cardiovascular Biobank and Medical

Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Assist Program. She has embarked in her own research career with funding

from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Money Matters: Tips/tricks for Cardiovascular Professionals

Greg Lee Son

Waterfront Ballroom B

9:10 – 10:10 a.m.

Greg Lee Son is an Early Career Specialist at the Canadian Medical Association in Vancouver, British

Columbia. Greg started his career in the sciences with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in

Neurophysiology. After graduating, he transitioned into business while still holding ties to the health sciences by

working in Biotechnology and Consulting for Provincial Health Authorities. Greg went back to school to complete his

MBA and soon after began working for the Canadian Medical Association and MD Physician Services. Greg’s role

is to connect with medical students, residents, and early-practicing physicians and share the offerings the Canadian

Medical Association and MD Physician Services can bring to physicians.

Focus on Negotiation: the Basics

Callie Bland, Mansoor Husain, Stuart Smith, Heather Warren, Brian Clarke, Maral Ouzounian,

Simon Jackson, Daniel Wong, Viet Le, Matthew Bennett, Catherine Kells and Tara Sedlak

Nootka Room

9:10 – 11:20 a.m.

Callie Bland is an Executive Coach and Registered Nurse and has over 10 years experience in both public and private healthcare

systems in Canada and the US. Callie partners with clients to support them in a variety of areas including leadership development,

workplace relationships, communication, career transition, workplace wellness, and work/life satisfaction. Callie has created and

facilitated leadership development workshops for physicians, allied healthcare professionals and managers at all levels. She specializes

in partnering with medical leaders to promote an organizational culture that harnesses the potential of individuals and teams to optimize

performance.

Through her work with the Physician Health Program of BC, Callie supports physicians in the development of communication skills to

help them advocate and negotiate within complex systems more effectively. She also contributed her coaching expertise to help

develop a patient self-management education module for the Practice Support Program of BC. She innovatively developed and

integrated a wellness coaching program into a family practice and collaborative care centre in Vancouver. Through this program, she

successfully supported patients to make lifestyle choices to manage chronic disease more effectively and optimize patient health

outcomes.

She holds a BSc from the University of Victoria, BSN from the University of British Columbia School of Nursing, and earned a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach

(CPCC) certificate from The Coaches Training Institute. Callie holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation with the International Coach Federation and is

a Registered Nurse of BC. She served as a Vancouver Chapter Board Member for the International Coach Federation from 2009-2011.

Dr. Mansoor Husain graduated as the Gold Medalist in Medicine with Distinction from the University of Alberta (1986). After

Residencies in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Husain undertook Postdoctoral Studies in the

Department of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1993-7), and in the Joint Program in Nuclear Medicine at Harvard

Medical School.

Dr. Husain returned to the University of Toronto in 1997, where he is now Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Laboratory Medicine

& Pathobiology (2011), and Director of the Toronto General Research Institute (2011). Previously, Dr. Husain was Director of the

Heart and Stroke Richard Lewar Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Toronto (2006-2012).

Dr. Husain holds a Career Investigator Award of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (2016) and has been recognized by the Ontario Premier’s Research

Excellence Award for his work on the creation and characterization of unique pre-clinical models of human disease. He has also been recognized by research

awards from the Clinical Research Society of Toronto, the University of Toronto and the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Husain’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, hypertension and atherosclerosis. His research

has attracted operating grant support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, as well as infrastructure

support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. More recently, Dr. Husain has received investigator-initiated research support from the pharmaceutical

industry on the cardiovascular effects of drugs used for the treatment of diabetes. He has developed intellectual property from several of his discoveries, including

a licensing arrangement with a Canadian biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Husain is also co-principal investigator of the EMPRES clinical trial, a randomized

placebo-controlled study in post myocardial infraction patients that has stemmed directly from his translational laboratory investigations.

Clinically, Dr. Husain is an attending physician in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit of the Toronto General Hospital and the Nuclear Cardiology Laboratories of the

University Health Network.

Dr. Stuart J. Smith received his medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada in 1986.He did his Postgraduate

Training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Western Ontario. In addition, he has done postgraduate training in

Infectious Disease & Immunology at the Hospital For Sick Children; and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Western Ontario.

Dr Smith worked as a Staff Cardiologist and Associate Professor (Medicine) at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He was the

Director of the Heart Failure Clinic at the Heart Institute and a member of the Cardiac Transplant Team. His particular areas of interest

are the therapeutic management of patient’s with advanced heart failure with a particular emphasis on surgical options; organization of

heart failure care in the hospital, outpatient clinic and the community; clinical trials and uses of devices including Left Ventricular Assist

Devices and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy for heart failure management.

He has been a member of the steering committees for several large clinical trials and has made over 150 presentations at local,

national and international meetings. In 1999, he was asked to make a presentation to the Government of Canada’s Special

Commission on Organ Donation. More recently he has been involved with reviews of new cardiac technology for the Ontario Ministry of Health’s Technology

Evaluation and Assessment program as well as being a member of the Institute of Clinical and Evaluative Services Cardiology Technical Committee. He was a

member of the Ontario Ministry of Health Task Force on (ICD) Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator therapy. In addition to his clinical and research interests he

has won several prestigious awards for Clinical Teaching and remains very active in postgraduate medical education. He has been an examiner for the Royal

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Cardiology Board (1999 – 2007)

He was the Chief of Cardiovascular Services for St Mary’s Regional Cardiac Centre in Kitchener-Waterloo – a full service regional cardiac centre (Sept 2007 – Oct

2013) .A part of this program is a very active regional heart failure program. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario

and currently sits on the MOH Expert Panel for Diagnostic Testing as well as Health Care Ontario ‘s Quality Indicators Steering Committee for Heat Failure. As of

September 2014, he will be joining the Western University – Division of Cardiology as the Director of Heart Failure Services.

Dr. Heather Warren

Dr. Heather Warren B.Sc.(Hons), B.Ed., MD, FRCPC

Medical School - Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005

Internal Medicine Residency - Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2008

Cardiology Training - University of Western Ontario, 2011

Echocardiology Fellowship - University of Toronto, 2013

Currently, Clinical Cardiologist, and Director of Echocardiography at St. Mary's Regional Cardiac Care Centre, Kitchener, Ontario

and Postgraduate Medical Education Representative for Cardiovascular Medicine, Waterloo Regional Campus for McMaster,

Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Dr. Brian Clarke is clinical assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology, Dalhousie University & QE II Health Science Center in

Halifax, with a primary focus in advanced heart failure, cardiac transplantation and VAD. He received internal medicine and cardiology

training in Halifax and then went on to Stanford University to receive his advanced heart failure training. Following his time in the U.S.,

he worked as a locum community cardiologist prior to accepting an academic position. Upon his return to Halifax, Dr. Clarke led the

restructuring and creation of an integrated inpatient/outpatient advanced heart failure service at the QE II Health Science Center and

co-developed the cardio-oncology clinic. He is active in the national and international heart transplant arena and enjoys a multifaceted

practice involving invasive non-interventional procedures, general cardiology, heart function, cardio-oncology, transplant/VAD, in

addition to involvement in education at the medical school and residency levels, and active in clinical research, with a focus on

multimodality imaging in allograft vasculopathy.

Dr. Maral Ouzounian

Dr. Ouzounian is a cardiac and aortic surgeon at University Health Network and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the

University of Toronto. She completed her cardiac surgery residency training at Dalhousie University and her PhD with

Dr. Peter Liu at the University of Toronto. She spent a year in Houston developing expertise in complex open and

endovascular aortic surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Coselli at the Texas Heart Institute.

Dr. Simon Jackson

Dr. Jackson graduated from Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine in 1990 with an MD (cum laude), was awarded the Dr. C.B. Stewart Gold

Medal in Medicine, and the Black and the Merritt Prizes in Surgery. Following graduation he interned at Victoria Hospital, London and

then was full time in Emergency Medicine at Cape Breton Regional Hospital from 1991-95, in parallel doing part-time family practice.

From 1995-1998 he trained in Internal Medicine and from 1998-2001 completed a Cardiology residency at Dalhousie University,

becoming a Fellow of the Royal College, in Internal Medicine in 1999 and in Cardiology in 2001. From 2001 to 2002 he attended the

University of Dundee where he obtained a Masters of Medical Education with distinction and at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London

as a Registrar in Adult Congenital Heart Disease. He joined the Department of Medicine and the Division of Cardiology of Dalhousie’s

Faculty of Medicine and the QEII Health Sciences Centre in 2003 where he is a Professor and Deputy Head Department of Medicine,

Medical Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program, and active with interests in diagnostic catheterization, congenital heart

disease and pulmonary hypertension. He has had multiple additional educational responsibilities as the co-chair of the Atlantic

Canada Cardiovascular Conference, past chair CCS National Trainee Review Program and initial chair of the highly successful Med

IV Curriculum Review and Mastery (CRAM) LMCC preparation course, and Director of the Department of Medicine Medical Teaching Unit.

Daniel Wong is a cardiac surgeon at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster. He went to medical school at the University of Toronto

and trained in cardiac surgery at Dalhousie University, with clinical fellowships in aortic surgery (Texas Heart Institute) and transcatheter

valves (St. Paul's Hospital). He has an interest in clinical outcomes with an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health. Daniel lives in

beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife, Becky.

Dr. Viet Lê

Depuis juillet 2012 - Cardiologue et échocardiographiste à l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal

Depuis 07/2013 Professeur adjoint de clinique, Université de Montréal

Depuis 01/2013 Membre du comité du programme de cardiologie adulte, Université de Montréal

Depuis 01/2013 Responsable de l'enseignement en cardiologie, Hôpial du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal

Champs d'intérêt particuliers

- Enseignement

- Stress écho

- Écho 3D

Dr. Matthew Bennett works as a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist in Vancouver as part of the Heart Rhythm BC

group. He completed his internal medicine and cardiology training in Vancouver followed by his electrophysiology

fellowship in London Ontario.

Dr. Catherine M. Kells was born in Halifax and graduated from Dalhousie University with her MD in 1984. She studied Internal

Medicine and was appointed Chief Resident Cardiology at Dalhousie University. She attained her FRCPC in Internal Medicine in

1988 and in Cardiology in 1989. Her postgraduate fellowship training was done in Interventional Cardiology at Dalhousie, followed by

a fellowship in Heart Transplantation at Stanford Medical Center, California. She returned to join the Faculty of Medicine at

Dalhousie in 1990 and continues as a staff cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center

and consultant cardiologist to the IWK Health Center for Women and Children.

Dr. Kells completed the Canadian Physician Manager Institute levels I - IV in 2004-05

She is past Program Director for Adult Cardiology Residency Training from 1997-2005 and served as a member of the Cardiology

Examination Board for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for 9 years until 2005. Dr Kells was the Region IV

representative to the Nucleus committee of the Cardiology specialty committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of

Canada 2002-2008. Dr Kells was the Local Arrangements Chair for the Canadian Cardiovascular Annual Meeting in Halifax 2001

and served on the Scientific Planning committee for CCS 2000. She has been a member of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society

Nomination committee 1997-2000, Strategic Planning working group 1998-2002, Membership committee 2012-14 and Governance

committee 2013. She chaired the Canadian Cardiovascular Society working group on Standards of Training for Subspecialty CCS Groups and has been a liaison

with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as 3 of these programs serve as pilot Diploma Programs. She is past Governor of the American

College of Cardiology for the Atlantic Provinces of Canada and is a member of the ACC Women in Cardiology section.

She presently serves as the Chief of Cardiology for Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University and Capital District Health Authority, Director of the Congenital

Heart Program and an Interventional cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center, Dalhousie University.

Dr. Tara Sedlak received her Bachelor’s degree with Honours from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta) and her Doctor of

Medicine degree from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia). Dr. Tara Sedlak was awarded the Gold

Medal for top graduate from the Doctor of Medicine Program. She completed two specialist residencies (Internal Medicine and

Cardiology) at the University of British Columbia, where she twice served as Chief Medical Resident. Dr. Tara Sedlak also

completed a fellowship at Cedar Sinai Medical Centre (Los Angeles, California) with Dr. Bairey Merz, the world’s leading expert in

women’s heart health. Dr. Tara Sedlak is the only Canadian physician to have completed this program.

Dr. Tara Sedlak practices General Cardiology for men and women at Vancouver General Hospital. She is also the only certified

Women’s Heart Health Cardiologist in Canada. Her research interests include etiologies of myocardial infarction in women with

normal coronary arteries and therapeutic strategies in microvascular coronary dysfunction and spontaneous coronary artery

dissection.

ECG: Beginner and Advanced Philip Podrid

McKenzie I Room 9:10 – 10:10 – Beginner

10:20 – 11:20 – Advanced 13:10 – 14:10 – Beginner

14:20 – 15:20 – Advanced

Dr. Philip Podrid, received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. He complete a

medical internship and residency at NYU-Bellevue Hospital Medical Center. His received his cardiology training at

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now known as Brigham and Women’s Hospital). After being an attending in cardiology

at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for 11 years he moved to Boston Medical Center where he established the

electrophysiology laboratory and training program. In 1996 he became the cardiology editor for UpToDate and spent

6 years developing the cardiology section of this program. In 2003 he returned to academic medicine at the West

Roxbury VA hospital which is affiliated with both Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School.

He is currently a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Boston

University School of Medicine and a Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has recently authored a

series of 6 ECG workbooks and a website (Podrid’s Real World ECGs). He was recently appointed as the section

editor for the ECG challenge, a new section published each week in Circulation.

Cardiac Cath

Kevin Bainey and Brian Potter

Malaspina Room

9:10 – 11:20

Dr. Kevin Bainey is currently an Assistant Professor and Academic Interventional Cardiologist at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart

Institute, University of Alberta. He maintains an Associate Faculty position at the Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta. He is

also the Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta.

Past education includes an undergraduate degree in Microbiology at the University of Alberta in 1998, Doctor of Medicine from

University of Alberta in 2002, Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at the University of Alberta and Fellowship of the Royal College

of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2006 (Internal Medicine) and 2008 (Cardiology). He also completed an Interventional

Cardiology Fellowship at Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2009. He was a Clinical Scholar in Interventional

Cardiology at McMaster University from 2009-2011. He completed his Master of Science in Health Research Methodology from

McMaster University in 2013.

He is the recipient of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation Resident Research Award (Alberta) and was a Clinical Research

Student Presentation Award Nominee for the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. He has received the University Of Alberta Department Of Medicine Research

Award on numerous occasions throughout his training at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Bainey’s research efforts are widely published amongst academic and peer-evaluated journals. Currently, his research interests include reperfusion in STEMI.

His work on spontaneous reperfusion has lead to a definitive understanding of enhanced clinical outcomes seen in these patients. Additionally, Dr. Bainey has a

special interest in ethnic-based clinical research focusing primarily on South Asians with established coronary artery disease.

Dr. Brian J. Potter is an interventional cardiologist and clinical researcher at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM)

and the out-going Chair of the CCS Trainee Committee.

Brian received his MDCM from McGill University in 2004 and his Masters in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in

2013. He has recently completed a second interventional cardiology fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, as well

as a research fellowship at the Center for Health Decision Science of the Harvard School of Public Health.

His research interests include the cost-effectiveness evaluation and health services research, including the optimal regionalization of acute

cardiac care resources.

Echo: Drop-in Jasmine Grewal and Miriam Shanks

Mackenzie II Room 9:10 – 10:10

10:20 – 11:20 13:10 – 14:10 14:20 – 15:20

Dr. Jasmine Grewal is a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and a member of the Divisions of

Cardiology at St Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. With fellowship training in Adult Congenital Heart

Disease/Pregnancy and Heart Disease (Toronto General Hospital) and Echocardiography (Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN), Dr.

Grewal is actively involved in clinical and research activities in these fields. Dr Grewal focuses her clinical time in the Pacific Adult

Congenital Heart Disease and is the Director of the Cardiac Obstetrics Program at St.Paul’s Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Grewal is an

Echocardiographer and also works in the cardiac intensive care unit at St Paul’s Hospital. She is actively engaged in clinical

research, and is currently involved as a primary and co-investigator in numerous single centre and multi-centre research studies in

the areas of congenital heart disease and pregnancy and heart disease.

Dr. Miriam Shanks is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta. She is a staff cardiologist and Director of the

Cardiology Wards at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (MAHI). Her main clinical interests include echocardiography, heart

failure management and aortic valve disease. She has been a team member and the lead consulting echocardiographer for the

MAHI Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Program since it’s been established in 2010. She served as Director of

Echocardiography Fellowship Program at the University of Alberta between 2010 and 2012. Her research has been focusing on the

use of the novel echocardiographic techniques in the assessment of myocardial deformation by strain imaging, electromechanical

properties of the heart by tissue Doppler imaging, and cardiac anatomy and valvular function by 3-dimensional echocardiography.

She was a co-author of the 2013 Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines on the Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy:

Implementation.

Dr. Brian Sonnenberg is an echocardiographer [general, stress, TEE], working at the University of Alberta Hospital Edmonton General cardiologist at University of Alberta Hospital involved in teaching from Undergraduate medical school cardiology block, through to sub-specialty echo fellow training.

Cardiac Cath Akshay Bagai and Neil P. Fam

Malaspina Room 13:10 – 15:20

Dr. Akshay Bagai is an interventional cardiologist at St. Michael's Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at

the University of Toronto. He trained in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Toronto, Interventional

Cardiology at St. Michael’s Hospital, and graduated from the Clinical Research Training Program obtaining a Masters

degree in Health Sciences from Duke University. His clinical and research interests are closely aligned and include

systems of care for acute coronary syndrome and out-of hospital cardiac arrest, adjunctive therapy in coronary

syndromes and percutaneous coronary intervention, and revascularization strategies in acute and stable coronary

disease.

Dr. Neil P. Fam is an Interventional Cardiologist and the Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at St. Michael's

Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Fam obtained

his medical degree and Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at the University of Toronto. He subsequently

completed a clinical fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at St. Michael's Hospital. His clinical interests include

Primary PCI for STEMI, Structural Heart Intervention and Medical Simulation. Dr. Fam has received several

teaching awards at the undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Toronto.

Surgical Skills: Beginner and Advanced Peter Skarsgard

Cheakamus Room 9:10 – 11:20 – Beginner

13:10 – 15:20 – Advanced

Dr. Peter Skarsgard is currently the Head of Cardiovascular Surgery at Vancouver General Hospital. He trained in General

Surgery at the University of British Columbia, followed by Cardiothoracic Surgery at Harvard University and the Beth Israel

Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His clinical interests are in cardiac valve reconstruction, aortic surgery, and surgical

education. His belief is that technical Cardiac Surgery is simply the repeated placement of the perfect stitch. Family, music, wine,

and travel are his interests outside of the operating room.

The Nuts & Bolts of Starting up your Practice Jean-Bernard Masson

Waterfront Ballroom A 10:20 – 11:20

Dr. Jean-Bernard Masson received his cardiology training in Sherbrooke before completing a three year fellowship in

interventional cardiology : a first year at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), then two years (2007-09)

at St-Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver where he trained in structural interventions and participated in the development of what

was to become the next big thing in interventional cardiology – transcatheter aortic valve implantation. He started his practice

back at the CHUM in 2009 where he initiated the structural intervention program. Joined by a second interventionalist trained

in such procedures, the CHUM structural program has become the fastest growing structural heart intervention program in

Canada; it offers a wide range of interventions, proctoring of cardiologists new to TAVI, defect closure, LAA occlusion or ICE

guidance and training of interventional fellows.

Find a new Niche: New Subspecialties in CV Medicine and Research Donald Palisaitis and Duncan Stewart

Waterfront Ballroom B 10:20 – 11:20

Dr. Donald Palisaitis Degrees, certificates and diplomas: Université de Sherbrooke, MD, 1982; RCPSC Certification and Fellowship, Internal

Medicine at McGill University, 1986, Cardiology at the University of Toronto, 1985-1987; Diplomat of the American Board

of Internal Medicine,1986; Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology, Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal 1987-

1988.

Appointments: Associate Professor of Medicine. Cardiologist at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal since 1988.

Member of the Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal since 1988; Director of the Coronary Care Unit 1994-1996; Chief of Cardiology

Division at Hôpital Sacré-Coeur de Mtl 2000-2006; Director of the Adult Cardiology Training Program, Université de Montréal (2006–present);

Member of the Specialty Committee in Cardiology at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada 2006-present; Member of the

Nucleus Committee of the Specialty Committee in Cardiology 2009-2012; Member of the Council of the RCPSC (2010-present); National Chair of

the Interventional Cardiology Diploma (AFC) Committee.

Honours, grants, and awards : Prix d’excellence en enseignement (best professor) at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal in 1994; Prix

d’excellence en enseignement (best professor) for the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal in 1999; Distinguished Professor

Award, Canadian Cardiovascular Society, 2012

Scientific activities : He is an experienced clinician and interventional cardiologist. His expertise is the management of acute coronary syndromes

and myocardial infarction, along with assessment of coronary physiology and adjunctive techniques in interventional cardiology.

Dr. Palisaitis’ CV lists 24 peer reviewed articles and 18 abstracts. His main scientific interests include teaching at all levels (medical students,

residents, peers).

- On a national level, he is a co-director of the following national symposia:

- Montreal Live Interventional Cardiology (2003-present),

- Canadian Coronary physiology and IVUS Workshop (2000-present),

- the annual Medtronic CCS Interventional Cardiology Symposium (2005-present).

- He is a trained university surveyor for the RCPSC since 2011.

Dr. Duncan Stewart is a pioneering Canadian cardiovascular researcher who is recognized for his many important

discoveries in blood vessel biology, as well as his dedication to translating these discoveries into benefits for patients and

society. After beginning his career in academic cardiology at McGill University in Montreal, he moved to Toronto as Head of

Cardiology at St. Michael’s Hospital and later became Director of the Division of Cardiology, and Executive Director of the

McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine at the University of Toronto. He was recruited to lead the Ottawa Hospital

Research Institute (OHRI) in 2007.

Dr. Stewart has made a number of seminal discoveries elucidating the importance of endothelialfactors in health and

disease, notably the role of the nitric oxide systemin angiogenesis and of endothelin-1in pulmonary hypertension. He is a

leader in developing cell and gene based therapies for cardiovascular disease. He led the first Canadian clinical trial to test

an angiogenic gene therapy – using VEGF to try to stimulate heart repair in people who had suffered heart attacks.

Dr. Stewart is spearheading the world’s first clinical trial of a gene-enhanced cell therapy for pulmonary hypertension, using endothelial progenitor

cells engineered to over-express the endothelial nitric oxide synthase. He has also launched the first enhanced progenitor cell therapy trial for post

heart attack repair, and is leading a Canadian effort to initiate the world’s first trial of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of acute lung injury

and acute respiratory distress syndrome. He is also involved in a clinical trial that will assess whether mesenchymal stromal stem cells can improve

outcomes for patients with septic shock.

Dr. Stewart has published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has received a number of distinctions and prizes, including the Dexter

Man Chair of Cardiology and Research Achievement Award of the University of Toronto, and the Research Achievement Award of the Canadian

Cardiovascular Society. Throughout his career, Dr. Stewart has demonstrated leadership in bringing diverse groups of clinicians and scientists

together to put Canadaon the world stage for translational cardiovascular and regenerative medicine research.

As well as serving as CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Stewart is a senior scientist in OHRI's Regenerative

Medicine Program and holds the Evelyne and Rowell Laishley Chair. He is Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and a Professor in

the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Finding an International Clinical/Research Fellowship Jayan Nagendran

Waterfront Ballroom A 13:10 – 14:10

Dr. Jayan Nagendran Dr. Nagendran was born and raised in Edmonton. He attended undergraduate and medical school at the University of

Alberta. He joined the residency program in Cardiac Surgery at the U of A in 2001, during residency he completed a PhD in

Experimental Medicine and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in 2009. He has been at Stanford

University from July 2009 till March 2011 doing further specialization in cardiothoracic transplantation and heart failure

surgery.

Dr. Nagendran has returned to the U of A as a surgeon in the Division of Cardiac Surgery in March 2011. He is the new

Director of Research for the division. His academic background during his PhD examined the transcriptional and metabolic

shifts that occur during right ventricular hypertrophy, with the potential of ventricular-specific therapeutic targeting of the

hypertrophied right ventricle in disease.

As a newly appointed independent investigator as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, he has shifted his focus to the metabolic

shifts in transplantation. Specifically, examining the rates of glycolysis, glucose oxidation, and fatty acid oxidation in lymphocytes and

cardiomyocytes in human and animals undergoing cardiac transplantation. The greatest translational research focus is on ex-vivo thoracic

transplantation.

Academic vs. Community Practice: Which one is Right for You?

Charles Lefkowitz

Waterfront Ballroom B

13:10 – 14:10

Dr. Charles Lefkowitz graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1979, completed training in

Internal Medicine (1984) and Cardiology (1985) with 2 additional years of Cardiology Fellowship training at the

University of Toronto and University of Michigan. Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and a practicing

cardiologist since 1987.

Staff cardiologist and Head of the Coronary Care Unit at Toronto General Hospital from 1987 - 1990, Head of the

Division of Cardiology at Toronto East General Hospital from 1999 to 2014.

Practice - General cardiology with a particular interest in coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation. Expertise in

invasive and non-invasive cardiology as well as device implantation.. Invited speaker at CME events on a diverse range of subjects within the field

of cardiology over the past 10 years.

Avid cyclist, hiker, explorer, guitar player.

Take a Different Road: Non-Traditional Career Paths

Simon Pimstone and Michael McLaughlin

Waterfront Ballroom A

14:20 – 13:20

Dr. Simon Pimstone is a founder, Director, and President and Chief Executive Officer at Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.,

one of Canada’s leading biotechnology companies. Xenon is engaged in discovering and developing novel

pharmaceuticals using its unique Extreme genetics platform for target discovery.

He received his MD from the University of Cape Town. He is an internal medicine specialist with an interest in

cardiovascular disease. Prior to his specialization, he trained as a clinical research fellow with the Department of

Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia and obtained his PhD through the University of Amsterdam in

molecular mechanisms of lipid and lipoprotein disorders. He works part-time as a consultant physician at UBC Hospital.

Simon is a director and the past Chair of LifeSciences British Columbia, and he is a past director of Providence Health

Care. He is a member of the Translation Advisory Committee of the PROOF (Prevention of Organ Failure) Centre, a

member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) and a member of the BC

Health Research Strategy Advisory Board for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He is also a past Member of the Science,

Technology and Innovation Council, which reports to the Federal Ministry of Industry, and was co-chair of the 2013 State of the Nation Report on

Canada’s science and technology landscape.

Simon serves as Director of the biotechnology companies Enject, Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals and Cyon Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Michael J. McLaughlin is co-founder of MedAscent Communications Group and its subsidiary companies, Peloton

Advantage and Echelon Brand Communications. He received degrees from Harvard College and Columbia University.

After four years as a plastic surgeon and hand specialist, he networked through a career change into medical

communications. He founded Physician Renaissance Network (PRNresource.com), a free resource for doctors with non-

clinical careers and interests, and wrote the career change guidebook Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training?

He wrote the medical thriller, Extinction, and collaborated with Dr. N. Michael Caputo on his innovative and controversial

story, The Satin Strangler Blogs (TheSatinStranglerBlogs.blogspot.com).

Don’t Survive, Thrive! Skills for Early Career Success

Ed O’Brien

Waterfront Ballroom B

14:20 – 13:20

Dr. Ed O’Brien is a Professor and Research Chair in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary and

Section Head of Cardiology for Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone. As well, he is the Director of Research for the Libin

Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and the Principal Investigator of the Vascular Biology Laboratory at the University of

Calgary.

Dr. O’Brien graduated from the University of Ottawa Medical School and completed medical training in Alberta and British

Columbia. After finishing cardiology training at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute he embarked on a three year

Medical Research Council of Canada Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. He then returned to the

Ottawa Heart Institute where he worked for 17 years as a Clinician Scientist combining a busy academic interventional

cardiology practice with the directorship of a productive translational research laboratory focusing on Vascular Biology. In

2011 he relocated to his current position in Calgary where he supervises a rapidly growing division of more than 60 cardiologists working at four city

hospitals. In this leadership role Dr. O’Brien is committed to ensuring excellent cardiovascular care for all Calgarians.

The O’Brien research laboratory has received greater than $8M of continuous peer-review research grants and salary awards, supervised more

than 30 trainees, published 100 peer-review manuscripts and presents research findings at several international congresses. Understanding the

cellular mechanisms that lead to “hardening of the arteries” (or atherosclerosis) is the primary focus of this laboratory. Indeed, the O’Brien laboratory

discovered an estrogen responsive protein, Heat Shock Protein 27, as a biomarker for cardiovascular events that also provides novel anti-

inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties important for protecting against the development of atherosclerosis.