Emilie Belley-Côté
Investigator
Emilie Belley-Côté
Investigator
Emilie Belley-Côté is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University; she practices critical care cardiology in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and coronary care unit at the Hamilton General Hospital. Her research interests include perioperative cardiac surgery care, knowledge synthesis and guideline development. At this stage in her career, she has more than 120 publications, including articles in NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, as well as first-tier critical care journals.
She obtained her MD from Université de Sherbrooke in 2006. After internal medicine and cardiology training, as well as an MSc in Clinical Sciences, she completed a critical care fellowship at McMaster. In 2019, she completed a PhD in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University.
Vinai Bhagarith
Investigator
Vinai Bhagarith
Investigator
Vinai Bhagirath is a hematologist working clinically in benign hematology and thrombosis at the Hamilton General Hospital. He holds a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences, for which he studied molecular mediators of inflammation in sepsis, after which he trained as a clinical research fellow under the mentorship of John Eikelboom, a Senior Scientist at PHRI.
His current research interests include optimal measurement and dosing of direct oral anticoagulants, innovative digital platforms to improve trial efficiency, and predictors of bleeding.
Michael Chong
Investigator; Asst Director CRLB-GMEL
Michael Chong
Investigator; Asst Director CRLB-GMEL
Michael Chong is a PHRI Investigator and the Assistant Director of the Clinical Research Laboratory and Biobank (CRLB) – Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory (GMEL). He is also a Research Associate at McMaster University in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. To date, he has published approximately 40 articles related to stroke and cardiovascular disease genetics, mitochondrial genomics, biomarkers, and bioinformatics.
He completed his MSc in Medical Sciences at McMaster University (2012-2014) under the supervision of Guillaume Paré, where he studied the role of rare genetic variants as risk factors for early-onset stroke. From 2015-2017, he worked as a bioinformatician at GMEL and played key roles in the genetic analyses of several PHRI studies including INTERSTROKE and ORIGIN. From 2018-2021, he completed his PhD in Biochemistry at McMaster university, where he integrated genetics and biomarker data to uncover novel drug targets for stroke.
Mahshid Dehghan
Investigator
Mahshid Dehghan
Investigator
Mahshid Dehghan is an Investigator for the Nutrition Epidemiology program at PHRI, and the nutrition lead of the Population Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study and the INTERSTROKE study. Her main interests are the development of methods to measure dietary intake of individuals around the world, and understanding the impact of dietary factors in the cause and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. She has published 39 papers and 2 book chapters.
She holds two Masters of Clinical Nutrition and Health Research Methodology, received her doctoral degree in Clinical Nutrition from Newcastle University, England, and completed post-doctoral training in Nutrition Epidemiology at McMaster University.
Rachel Eikelboom
Investigator
Rachel Eikelboom
Investigator
Rachel Eikelboom is a cardiac surgery resident and PhD candidate in the Health Research Methodology program under the supervision of PHRI Scientist Richard Whitlock and PHRI Investigator Emilie Belley-Cote.
Her research interests are in antithrombotic therapy after bioprosthetic valve replacement. Rachel is a co-investigator of the SUNDANCE trial, a sub-study of the DANCE trial, which focuses on subclinical valve thrombosis in patients with bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement.
Raed Joundi is a stroke neurologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology) at McMaster University, and Investigator in the Brain Health research program at PHRI. His main academic interest is in evaluating and finding novel strategies to improve functional outcomes, quality of life, and cognition in people with cerebrovascular disease.
He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba, MD from Queen’s University, DPhil from Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and neurology residency training at the University of Toronto. He then completed a stroke fellowship and MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Calgary supported by a CIHR Fellowship Grant.
Aristeidis Katsanos
Investigator
Aristeidis Katsanos
Investigator
Aristeidis Katsanos is a neurologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, and a stroke/vascular neurology fellow at McMaster University/HHS. His academic focus is on the evidence-based evaluation of novel therapeutic approaches on acute stroke treatment and secondary stroke prevention. His research study on optimal blood pressure management after endovascular stroke treatment (DETECT) is supported by the New Investigator Fund from HHS.
He obtained his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Ioannina in Greece. After finishing his training in neurology, he completed a research fellowship at the Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany granted by the European Academy of Neurology. Aristeidis has actively participated in numerous research projects and international collaborations and serves in the editorial board of several academic medical journals, including Stroke.
Matthew Lanktree
Investigator
Matthew Lanktree
Investigator
Matthew Lanktree is a clinical scientist in adult nephrology genetics who cares for patients with chronic and end-stage kidney disease at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences. He is an Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (division of nephrology) and Department of Health Research, Methods, Evidence and Impact, at McMaster University. His research areas of interest are: nephrology genetics; cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease; dialysis; and polycystic kidney disease.
He obtained a combined MD and PhD at Western University with research in human genetics before residency in internal medicine and nephrology at McMaster University. He then completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in heritable kidney disease at the University of Toronto before returning to McMaster as faculty in 2019. He has published more than 60 articles in high-impact journals in genetics and medicine, and has set his goal to translate genetic studies into improved care of patients with kidney disease.
Natalia McInnes
Investigator
Natalia McInnes
Investigator
Natalia McInnes is the Joint Principal Investigator for the Diabetes Remission program at PHRI, and Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, McMaster University. She has received peer-reviewed research funding from CIHR and Canadian Diabetes Association and is supported by the Medicine Internal Career Award from McMaster University. Her research interests include remission of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, and the relationship between dysglycemia and ectopic fat deposition.
She received her medical degree from the University of British Columbia. After completing her Internal Medicine and Endocrinology training, she pursued MSc in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University.
William McIntyre
Investigator
William McIntyre
Investigator
William McIntyre is an Assistant Professor (cardiology), Department of Medicine, McMaster University, a cardiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, and an Investigator in the Arrhythmia and Heart Failure research program at PHRI. His research interests include atrial fibrillation – including screening, detection and cardioversion, cardiac devices and methods in randomized clinical trials.
He holds fellowship awards from CIHR and the Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network (C-SPIN). He holds research grants from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Atrial Fibrillation Awards Program and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. William has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, and was the 2018 Recipient of the CCS Trainee Excellence in Education Award. He completed Medical School and Internal Medicine Residency at Queen’s University, and his adult cardiology residency at the University of Manitoba.
Madhu Natarajan
Investigator
Madhu Natarajan
Investigator
Madhu Natarajan is an interventional cardiologist and Principal Investigator for the Coronary Interventional Health Delivery and Knowledge Translational and Implementation programs at PHRI. He is a Professor at McMaster University, Director of Catheterization Laboratories at Hamilton Health Sciences, and Site Director for Cardiology at Hamilton General Hospital.
He has published more than 85 articles, is Chair of the STEMI-EMS Committee, Cardiac Care Network of Ontario, member of the Royal College Cardiology National Examination Board, and program lead for Regional STEMI network in LHIN-4 Ontario.
Sandra Ofori
Investigator
Sandra Ofori
Investigator
Sandra Ofori is an Investigator in the Perioperative and Surgery research group at PHRI, an Assistant Professor in McMaster University’s Department of Medicine (cardiology), and a PhD candidate in the Health Research Methodology program under the supervision of PJ Devereaux. Her research interests are in the areas of perioperative care and cardiovascular disease prevention.
Her current research program is focused on perioperative smoking cessation and strategies to improve long-term health in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Ofori is actively involved in the conduct of large international perioperative clinical trials coordinated from PHRI and was the project officer of the Post Discharge after Surgery Virtual Care with Remote Automated Monitoring Technology (PVC-RAM) Trial.
Ofori completed her residency training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where she was an Assistant Professor and Consultant Cardiologist in the College of Health Sciences and its affiliated teaching hospital. She also has a Master’s degree in Preventive Cardiology from the Imperial College, London UK, and was in the third cohort of the World Heart Federation Salim Yusuf Emerging Leaders Program that was focused on the reduction of the global burden of hypertension.
Lily Park is a general surgery resident and MSc candidate in the clinician-investigator program under the supervision of PJ Devereaux. Her research interests are in the areas of knowledge translation and perioperative care, specifically in reducing perioperative bleeding and transfusion rates.
She is investigating innovative methods to facilitate the uptake of perioperative care evidence in clinical practice. She is also leading the general surgery sub-studies for the POISE-3 trial and VISION mortality study.
Pavel Roshanov
Investigator
Pavel Roshanov
Investigator
Pavel Roshanov, an internal medicine physician and nephrologist, is completing a fellowship in kidney transplantation at McMaster University. He has published more than 50 papers in the areas of perioperative care and medical informatics.
Thomas Scheier
Investigator
Thomas Scheier
Investigator
Thomas Scheier, an infectious diseases physician, is a MSc student in the Health Research Methodology Program at McMaster University (supervised by Associate PHRI Scientist Dominik Mertz).
His research interests include antimicrobial resistance, infection control, and hospital epidemiology. Supervised by PHRI Senior Scientist John Eikelboom, he is project officer of the REVIVE trial.
Jessica Spence
Investigator
Jessica Spence
Investigator
Jessica Spence is a cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist who completed a research fellowship at PHRI and a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology under the supervision of PJ Devereaux.
She is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University and the Principal Investigator of the B-Free Cluster Crossover Trial. Her research program focuses on the perioperative outcomes of cardiac surgery.
Emma van Reekum
Investigator
Emma van Reekum
Investigator
Emma van Reekum is a psychiatry resident doctor in the clinician investigator program at McMaster University. She is undertaking a graduate degree in clinical epidemiology under the supervision of Salim Yusuf. Her graduate work primarily focuses on the BRAVE-Mind trial sub-study.
Her academic interests are in the bidirectional relationship between cardiometabolic health and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Michael Wang
Investigator
Michael Wang
Investigator
Michael Ke Wang is an Investigator at PHRI and an MSc student in the Health Research Methodology Program at McMaster University, supervised by Dr. David Conen. His main interests are in perioperative medicine and perioperative atrial fibrillation. Michael is actively involved in the conduct of large international perioperative clinical trials coordinated from PHRI; he is the project officer of the COP-AF and ASPIRE-AF trials.
Michael is a Clinical Scholar in the Division of General Internal Medicine at McMaster University. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Ottawa and completed his internal medicine residency, general internal medicine fellowship, and perioperative vascular training at McMaster University.
