SPECIALTY AND TITLE

Cardiology, Director, Ted Rogers Program in Cardiotoxicity Prevention

HOSPITAL AFFILIATIONS

Peter Munk Cardiac Center, Toronto General Hospital

UNIVERSITY AFFILIATIONS

University of Toronto

AREA OF RESEARCH

My research is in the field of Cardio-Oncology. This is a field that focuses on the preventing the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with cancer. This can be common with some cancers and results in pre-mature interruption of cancer therapy and increased risk of death due to the development of cardiovascular disease. My work examines novel imaging methods, blood biomarkers, and prevention strategies to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This includes cardiac MRI and advanced echocardiography imaging, blood biomarkers such as measures of inflammation and endothelial function markers, and drugs such as statins to prevent heart damage.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE AND/OR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY

1. Established techniques incuding 3D echocardiography and myocardial strain as novel methods to identify early cardiac injury from cancer therapy.
2. Demonstrated the incidence of new cardiovascular disease in patients with cancer treated in Ontario
3. Co-developed a clinical risk model to identify patients at risk of cardiotoxicity
4. Completed an international randomized controlled trial to compare myocardial strain versus 3D echocardiography to prevent heart failure from cancer therapy
5. Demonstrated the potential value of statins to prevent heart failure in patients with cancer using population based data.