LMP
INVESTIGATING
DISEASE.
IMPACTING
HEALTH.
LMP Annual Banquet
2014
An Evening of Entertainment
and Celebration
www.lmp.utoronto.ca
W
elcome to a very special evening of entertainment
and celebration, a highly anticipated event
that provides the opportunity to reflect on our
Department’s remarkable achievements over the 2013–2014
academic year.
This year has been marked by spectacular success in all areas
of education, research and service.
In education, our residents and fellows, students and
faculty have had an amazing year in winning highly competitive external
awards. Our postgraduates were recipients of major awards from prestigious
international organizations including the United States and Canadian
Academy of Pathology and the American Society of Hematology / European
Hematology Association. In addition, our graduate students have deservedly
earned many awards such as the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and
Trillium Awards, and our faculty have received numerous awards for innovative
initiatives, course content and exceptional mentoring.
Our impact in research at U of T, in Canada and around the world is
evidenced by our impressive publications in top-ranking journals. From
groundbreaking discoveries in cancer stem cell research to characterization of
lymphatics of the eye, our researchers consistently deliver at the highest levels
of impact.
Beyond these achievements, we have developed a highly supportive
community. For example, our undergraduate student union has hosted
many outstanding events this year, including the Conference on the Aging
Population. In addition, our graduate student union coordinated the Graduate
Research Conference featuring keynote speaker Dr. Tak Mak. This July, we
also look forward to welcoming our new residents and trainees at our annual
Postgraduate Welcome.
In September 2013, LMP underwent an external review in which our
departmental performance was measured against our strategic goals. I am
pleased to say that we have achieved many of our objectives, but there is still
much work to do — we must relentlessly strive for excellence and continuous
improvement. As a result, we can continue to foster a culture of innovation to
impact the future of health.
It is in this collective spirit of dedicated faculty, students and staff that we
celebrate our accomplishments from the past year. We can take tremendous
pride in our performance and can look forward to achieving even greater
heights in the future.
With best wishes for a memorable evening.
Richard G. Hegele, MD, FRCPC, PhD
Professor and Chair
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Doubletree by Hilton
108 Chestnut Street
DANNY GHAZARIAN RESIDENT TEACHING AWARD
Jason Karamchandani
STANLEY RAPHAEL AWARD FOR PROFESSIONALISM
Joerg Schwock
5:30pm – Reception, Mezzanine Cafe
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Khosrow Adeli
6:30pm – Awards Presentation, Toronto Ballroom
Stuart Alan Hoffman memorial Prize
Stephen Mack
WOLFGANG VOGEL MEMORIAL AWARD
John Ussher
LINDA AND AVRUM GOTLIEB AWARD
Nancy Liu
ARTS & SCIENCE AWARDS
Allan Gornall Testimonial Prize
Roland Shuzhengrong Xu and David Kleinmann
Third-Year Specialist Pathobiology Award
Claudia Dziegielewski
7:00pm – Salad & Main Course
SENIOR ACADEMIC PROMOTIONS
Professor Michael Pollanen
RETIREMENTS
Juan Bilbao, Miles Johnston, Pang Shek and Ingrid Zbieranowski
FACULTY TEACHING AWARDS
LMP Undergraduate Teaching Award
Paul Yip
LMP Graduate Teaching Award
Catherine Streutker
John B. Walter Prize
Shabin Nanji
ALAN POLLARD POSTDOCTORAL CLINICAL CHEMISTRY
TRAVEL AWARD
Josh Raizman
NORMAN BETHUNE AWARD
Danielle Brabant-Kirwan
Associate Professor
Oyedele Adeyi
Elena Kolomietz
Aaron Pollett
Awards
1
Stuart Alan Hoffman
Memorial Prize
T
he Stuart Alan Hoffman Memorial Prize is awarded annually to
the top LMP MSc or PhD graduate who has demonstrated excellence
in research, evidenced by the accepted thesis, published or in-press
papers and contributions to the research field. Consideration is also given to
academic merit, and the character of the student.
This award was first established in 1959 by the Hoffman family after their
son, Stuart, became a patient at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and
was treated by clinical chemists. The Hoffman family generously donated funds
for an endowment, which is now used to award the annual recipient with an
engraved silver plate and a cash prize. After its creation from the merger of
departments, LMP is honoured to carry on this tradition. We are grateful to the
Hoffman family for this endowment, and are pleased to have hosted them at
past award ceremonies during the annual LMP banquet. Over the years, many
outstanding students have been recipients of the prize, and have continued on
to very successful careers. This year is no exception.
2
Recipient: Dr. Stephen Mack
I
t is an absolute pleasure to award the Hoffman Prize this
year to Dr. Stephen Mack. Stephen’s PhD research
and dissertation, supervised by Professor Michael Taylor,
was remarkable for its quality and impact, especially in
translational medicine where his findings in the field of
pediatric brain cancer have already been integrated into
North American and European clinical trials. Stephen
published his thesis research in two major first author papers
in top-tier journals Cancer Cell (2011) and Nature (2014). He wrote two
comprehensive reviews, and co-authored 16 other papers during his graduate
studies — many in excellent journals.
In his doctoral thesis, “The Genetic and Epigenetic Basis of Posterior
Fossa Ependymoma,” Stephen describes the discovery of two distinct types
of childhood ependymoma: one, a brain tumour with a very good prognosis;
the other an aggressive cancer with a dismal clinical outcome. Dr. Mack
identified tumour-specific biomarkers to distinguish between these two forms
of ependymoma, revealing promising strategies for drug therapy. Indeed, Dr.
Mack’s work in the laboratory was rapidly translated into treatment of an
ependymoma patient at SickKids — an unprecedented “bench-to-bedside”
turnaround time for doctoral cancer biology research.
Dr. Mack’s research achievements, combined with a stellar academic
record and leadership role in university and community activities, led to his
receiving the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CIHR) in
2010. He went on to receive the 2011 CIHR/Institute of Cancer Research
Publication Award, and won the Gold Prize at the CIHR-sponsored
Canadian Student Health Research Forum — an annual poster competition
that hosts more than 200 of the highest ranked PhD students nationwide.
Most recently, upon completion of his degree in spring 2014, Dr. Mack was
selected by U of T to receive the Governor General’s Gold Medal, which
honours academic excellence at the graduate level.
Dr. Mack’s career goals are to complete postdoctoral training in neurooncology and then establish a successful independent research program in
an academic setting. Given his leadership and research ability, his potential
as a future scientist, principal investigator and teacher is enormous. We are
extremely proud to have had Dr. Mack in our Graduate Program, and wish
him the very best for a bright and prolific future.
3
Wolfgang Vogel Memorial Award
P
rofessor Wolfgang Vogel (1965–2007), a Tier II
Canada Research Chair, was an innovative scientist
who carried out pioneering work on cell-matrix
interactions. He was an excellent teacher and mentor for the
many trainees he came in contact with.
Wolfgang was appointed to LMP as an Assistant
Professor in 2001 and was awarded tenure effective July
1, 2007 with promotion to Associate Professor. Glowing
letters of enthusiastic support were received from external reviewers who
were leaders in his field. They all described a creative scientist who carried
out transforming work in a complex biologic field, that of cell signaling,
cell-matrix interactions and more recently breast cancer pathobiology
and pulmonary pathobiology. Student letters were also glowing conveying
Wolfgang’s commitment to teaching and to instilling the love of science and
the need to approach science in a careful and critical manner. Wolfgang was
awarded a Premier’s Research Excellence Award (PREA), given to gifted
researchers early in their careers to attract talented trainees. Wolfgang was an
excellent mentor to these promising trainees, who will continue on equipped
with these important attributes they learned from him at the bench and in
the classroom.
The Wolfgang Vogel Memorial Award assists with covering travel costs of
postdoctoral fellows who are presenting their work at national or international
scientific meetings. It is open to postdoctoral fellows who are or were engaged
in training supervised by a faculty member from LMP at the time of travel.
4
Recipient: Dr. John Ussher
D
r. John Ussher obtained his PhD in the
Department of Pharmacology at the University
of Alberta, training under Dr. Gary Lopaschuk,
where he obtained expertise in understanding cardiac energy
metabolism and how optimizing energetics can improve
heart function in the setting of coronary artery disease. He
is now training as a fellow under the mentorship of Dr.
Daniel Drucker at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research
Institute, investigating how incretin hormones influence heart function in
type 2 diabetes. He is also exploring novel approaches to improve heart
function in patients with type 2 diabetes. His recent work with Dr. Drucker
has demonstrated that liraglutide, an incretin-based drug for the treatment
of type 2 diabetes, improves survival after a heart attack in mice. Intriguingly,
they observed that the protective effects of liraglutide on survival after a heart
attack do not involve the drug acting directly on the heart, but through indirect
actions on other organs.
5
Linda and Avrum Gotlieb Award
D
Gotlieb is the founding
Chair of Laboratory Medicine
and Pathobiology, and served as
such from 1997 to 2008. He and Linda
endowed this award to support, through
a stipend, summer research by a highly
qualified and motivated student in the
Arts and Science Pathobiology Specialist
Program. Remembering their excitement about participating in science as
undergraduates at McGill University — Linda in medical genetics and Avrum
in physiology and psychology — they encourage students to engage fully in
the research experience during their undergraduate studies.
Linda and Avrum created this award because they recognized that summer
research was an invaluable experience to help students focus on an area of
research and to pursue life sciences graduate programs. This twelve-week
program provides exposure to proper laboratory practice, research presentations
and departmental seminars, and helps students develop collaboration, communication and networking expertise along with experimental and critical
evaluation skills. Ultimately, this award supports early career development of
exceptionally talented individuals.
r. Avrum
6
Recipient: Nancy Liu
N
Liu is currently one of the top students
completing her third year of the Pathobiology
Specialist Program. Nancy is undertaking her
research in the lab of Professor Karim Mekhail, is interested
in medicine and is also committed to basic research. This
is evidenced by her previous experiences at the Institute
of Optical Sciences, Department of Physics, U of T,
and a summer technical position in the Departments of
Biochemistry and Animal Husbandry at the Charles River Laboratories in
Wilmington, Massachusetts. Nancy is an active participant in undergraduate
student life and avidly pursues her interests in music.
ancy
7
Arts & Science Awards:
Allan Gornall Testimonial Prize
D
r. Allan Gornall (1914–2006) arrived in
Toronto from Nova Scotia in 1936 to pursue his
PhD under Andrew Hunter in the department
then known as Pathological Chemistry. After a stint in
the Royal Canadian Naval Hospital in Halifax during the
Second World War, he returned to the Department in 1946,
and spent his career there, acting as Chair from 1966 to
1976. The period of his Chairmanship saw the renaming of
the Department as Clinical Biochemistry, one of the founding Departments of
LMP in 1998.
His PhD studies made a key contribution to elucidation of the urea cycle,
and his 1946 paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on the use of the biuret
reaction to measure serum proteins was the ninth most highly cited scientific
publication over the next 30 years.
He is regarded as the founder of clinical chemistry in Canada, having
initiated the certification program and personally trained a majority of its
graduates throughout its early years. His textbook Applied Biochemistry of
Clinical Disorders (affectionately known as ABCD) was a staple for many
years. At the time of his retirement in 1980, the Department of Clinical
Biochemistry taught a single course to science students at the third-year
level, and Dr. Gornall established an endowment fund to honour the
student with the top mark in this course. With the creation of LMP, and the
establishment of a Specialist in Pathobiology, Dr. Gornall generously agreed
in 2003 to change the terms of the endowment to award the Gornall Prize
to the student graduating from the program at the top of the class based on
the four-year aggregate GPA.
Recipients: Roland Shuzhengrong
Xu and David Kleinmann
O
nly once in the twelve-year history of the Gornall Prize has a student
completed the Bachelor’s Degree (Hons., Specialist in Pathobiology)
with a perfect GPA of 4.0. This year, two have achieved this goal. To
understand the magnitude of this achievement, consider that in taking more
than 30 courses across multiple departments at U of T, the student has never
scored below 85%.
Roland Shuzhengrong Xu graduates with a major in
neuroscience in addition to his Pathobiology Specialist.
Recently, he won the U of T Alumni Association Scholar’s
Award. He is a senior peer mentor at Victoria College and,
through his involvement in the Neuroscience Association for
Undergraduate Students, has helped organize a mentorship
program that pairs junior students with a fourth-year
mentor. Roland also leads an active extracurricular life in
sports (intramural basketball) and music; he plays violin as a member of the
Hart House Chamber Strings and in the Mount Sinai Minstrels for in-patients
and volunteer appreciation.
David Kleinmann combines a major in human biology
with his Specialist degree. He has taken advantage of
undergraduate research opportunities in our Department
as well as at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and
Biomolecular Research, the Institute for Biomaterials,
York University and Cold Spring Harbor. Among
numerous extracurricular activities, he has served on
the academic board and the editorial board of the
Journal of Undergraduate Life Sciences, and participated in the Hart
House Debating Club.
Roland and David share this year’s Gornall Prize.
8
9
Third-Year Specialist
Pathobiology Award
T
his cash award is given each year to the student in the Pathobiology
Specialist Program who completes the required third-year courses —
LMP300Y (Introduction to Pathobiology) and LMP365H (Neoplasia)
— with the highest combined, weighted score. No calculation was necessary
this year — Claudia Dziegielewski scored highest in both courses.
Recipient: Claudia Dziegielewski
Claudia is studying in the Pathobiology Specialist
Program with a major in neuroscience and has a third-year
GPA of 3.99. She came to U of T from the International
Baccalaureate at Toronto’s Michael Power School, and has
taken advantage of opportunities for both undergraduate
research and volunteer work in the clinic. Extracurricular
activities include dance, teaching science to children, and
welcoming new students to U of T as an Orientation Week
Leader. The pressure is now on to graduate next year with the Gornall Prize,
against some very stiff competition!
Undergraduate Conference on the Aging Population
Undergraduate Conference on the Aging Population – Panel Discussion
10
11
Undergraduate Conference on the Aging Population – LMPSU Organizers
LMP Summer Student Poster Day
LMPSU Dodgeball Charity Tournament
LMP Summer Student Poster Day
LMPSU and members of the University of Toronto Emergency Responders
LMPSU Roundtable on International Volunteering – Panel Discussion
12
LMPSU BBQ
13
Faculty Teaching Awards
T
hese awards are given for sustained excellence in teaching at the
undergraduate or graduate levels. The adjudicating committee takes
into account the strength of nomination letters, student evaluations,
opinions of colleagues and the overall contribution to the Department’s
teaching mission — and interprets “sustained” to mean of at least three to five
years duration.
Eligible teaching activities at the undergraduate level include those in the
MD and Specialist BSc programs, as well as teaching in our cognate health
sciences professional programs. Recent winners of this award reflect a balanced
distribution amongst these different educational pursuits, without the need for
the committee to have considered equity; gratifyingly, we have excellent and
deserving teachers in all our undergraduate pursuits.
14
LMP Undergraduate Teaching
Award
Recipient: Dr. Paul Yip
D
Paul Yip has undertaken, together with previous
winner Dr. Lei Fu, the coordination and revitalization of our third-year course, Introduction to the
Biochemistry of Human Disease. Dr.Yip presents a large
portion of the lectures for which he provides original notes
of textbook quality. A required course for students in the
Pharmacology and Toxicology programs, it is also taken for
interest by a broad range of undergraduates and is our largest
undergraduate course with annual enrollments of about 200 students. Dr.Yip’s
nominations came from colleagues and former students; one of whom said he
had, “highly exceeded all my expectations for an undergraduate professor.”
Graduate teaching activities include resident training, graduate degree
supervision, continuing medical education and any postgraduate-level mentoring.
r.
15
LMP Graduate Teaching Award
John B. Walter Prize
Recipient: Dr. Catherine Streutker
he John B. Walter Prize for course design,
development or coordination was introduced in the
former Department of Pathology when Dr. Malcolm
Silver was Chair. It was designed to recognize innovation in
curriculum development with an endowment in the name of
John Brian Walter (1924–2000). Dr. Walter came to Toronto
in 1965 from England after qualifying at the Middlesex
Hospital in 1946, studying dermatology, and spending
military service as a pathologist in Malaya. Initially an Assistant Professor at the
Banting Institute, he also held positions as a staff pathologist at Toronto General
Hospital and at the Hospital for Sick Children. His textbook General Pathology
(J. B. Walter and M. Israel, 1963) had gone through seven editions by 1996. He
also wrote texts on pathology and principles of disease for dental students and
nurses.
D
Catherine Streutker is a Pathologist and
Clinician-Teacher at St. Michael’s Hospital. Since
2001, she has seen a growing number of residents
come through the program, and has mentored them in her
particular area of expertise of gastrointestinal pathology. Her
pre-medical research background, and her ongoing research
interests, have allowed her to engage fellows and residents
in research projects they can present at national and international conferences. Dr. Streutker has contributed to the development of a
fellowship program in gastrointestinal pathology, and her teaching effectiveness
scores, given by those passing through the program, weighed significantly
in her being given this award. A nominator described Dr. Streutker as “a
role model for the residents and fellows of the Laboratory Medicine and
Pathobiology program of the University of Toronto.”
r.
T
Recipient: Dr. Shabin Nanji
The John B. Walter Prize for 2014 is awarded to Dr. Shabin Nanji for her
work on an online course in pathology for the Physician Assistant program
(BScPA). As course director of the pathology component of this program, Dr.
Nanji has developed an online distance program that begins with a tour of
the anatomic and clinical pathology laboratories. After this tour, the students
listen to 65 pre-recorded pathology lectures. The students correspond with the
teaching assistant and course director via an online discussion board, Skype
and online office hours. The course, while breaking grounds in pedagogic
methods, establishes pathobiology as a key player in a relatively new program
in the health sciences. One of Dr. Nanji’s nominators noted she is “the first
person in LMP to create this type of [online] course and is an example of a
clinician-teacher committed to developing new methods of learning. … While
maintaining her clinical work … she is committed to teaching and engaging
students in new ways.”
16
17
2014 USCAP Annual Meeting
2014 USCAP Annual Meeting
LMP Postgraduate
Research Day
LMP Postgraduate Research Day – Organizing Committee
18
LMP Postgraduate
Research Day
LMP Postgraduate Research Day
19
Alan Pollard Postdoctoral
Clinical Chemistry Travel Award
T
he Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mount
Sinai Hospital sponsors the Alan Pollard Award. This award recognizes
excellence in performance by a Postdoctoral Diploma candidate in
Clinical Biochemistry within U of T’s Division of Clinical Biochemistry,
Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology. The award was established 10 years
ago to recognize the sustained contribution over 28 years of Dr. Alan Pollard
to Clinical Biochemistry at Mount Sinai Hospital and U of T.
Dr. Alan Pollard studied medicine at Cambridge
University and at Middlesex Hospital London, graduating in
1954. After two years of internship in medicine, surgery and
clinical pathology he entered a two-year rotating residency
in Clinical Pathology followed by two years of Chemical
Pathology in Sheffield.
In 1964, Dr. Pollard was appointed senior lecturer in
Chemical Pathology at St. Thomas’s Hospital Medical School
in London. In 1967, Mount Sinai Hospital recruited him to direct their newly
built laboratory and he also joined the U of T staff. Over the next few years
he helped develop the In-Common Laboratory and designed the new lab at
Mount Sinai Hospital and the teaching program at U of T. With Irv Bromberg,
Michael Rosenberg and summer students from U of T, a pioneering online
computer system was developed and installed at Mount Sinai.
Before retiring in 1994, Dr. Pollard served as acting Chairman of LMP
for two six-month periods. Since retiring from full-time work he has pursued
different aspects of clinical medicine including acne treatment, sleep medicine
and hepatology. Currently, at the age of 84, as well as playing the viola in
chamber ensembles and orchestras, he still sees patients in the liver clinic at
Mount Sinai and is starting a new career in phototherapy treatments for a
variety of clinical conditions (www.bioflexlaser.com).
Dr. Alan Pollard and Dr. Ken Pritzker helped established the Alan Pollard
Award more than ten years ago to recognize outstanding performance in the
Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Chemistry. It has helped sponsor
several graduates to present their clinical laboratory research work at the
annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)
and other international meetings.
20
Recipient: Dr. Josh Raizman
D
r. Josh
Raizman is originally from Winnipeg,
Manitoba, where he completed his MSc in
physiology at the Institute of Cardiovascular
Science at the University of Manitoba. His interest in
cardiac research and biomarkers of disease led him to
the Ottawa Heart Institute, where he was funded by
the CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada
Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award to pursue his PhD in
biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. After completing his PhD in 2012,
he enrolled in the Clinical Chemistry postdoctoral training program at U of T.
Dr. Raizman is honoured to be the recipient of this year’s Allan Pollard Award.
He is excited to present his recent work on point-of-care glucose testing in
acute care and pediatric reference intervals at the upcoming AACC conference
in Chicago this July. Thanks, in part, to the dedicated and supportive mentors
in the Toronto program, Dr. Raizman is looking forward to beginning a
successful career as a clinical chemist.
21
Norman Bethune Award
N
orman Bethune graduated from U of T’s Faculty of Medicine in
1916. Dr. Bethune travelled to China in 1938 where he spent the
better part of two years operating on war casualties and training
Chinese doctors and paramedics. He subsequently became a well-known
symbol of U of T’s longstanding relationship with China. In 1939, Bethune,
after cutting his finger while operating on a soldier in China, contracted blood
poisoning and eventually died as a result of the infection. Following his death,
Chairman Mao Zedong wrote “In Memory of Norman Bethune,” in which
he praised the doctor for his dedication to the Chinese people.
In 1998, Dr. Bethune was recognized by the Canadian Medical Hall of
Fame as a laureate in the category of education. He wrote extensively on the
development of new surgical instruments, helping to establish an essential
reference for surgeons of his time. He is most remembered as being the first
to introduce a mobile blood bank to the battlefield. Using this technique, he
performed countless blood transfusions in the midst of heavy fighting while
he served the Chinese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He has
since become an example of selfless commitment to the advancement of
humanitarian causes.
In 1987, Frederick H. Kahan, a graduate of U of T and subsequent
Senior Scientist in Exploratory Biological Research at Merck Sharp &
Dohme, was awarded the Merck Sharp & Dohme Directors’ Scientific Award
for his contribution to the development of the antibiotic ‘Primaxim’. With
the award came an honorarium to be contributed to the college or university
of his choice. Mr. Kahan asked that it be given to his alma mater, U of T, to
endow a prize in the Faculty of Medicine in the field of infectious diseases,
including bacterial, viral fungal and protozoal infections. It was his wish that
the prize be named in honour of Dr. Norman Bethune. The aim of the award
is to recognize and encourage young, talented researchers on the threshold of
their careers.
22
Recipient:
Dr. Danielle Brabant-Kirwan
D
Danielle Brabant-Kirwan, from Sudbury,
Ontario, received her BSc and PhD from
Laurentian University. Her doctorate is in
Biomolecular Sciences where she identified and characterized molecular signalling pathways that mediate sepsis.
During this time, Dr. Brabant-Kirwan was the recipient
of several prestigious awards including the Governor
General’s Gold Medal and the NSERC Canadian Graduate
Scholarship Doctoral Award. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral
fellowship in the Cell Biology program at the Hospital for Sick Children,
where she studied the invasion mechanisms of host cells by Salmonella
typhimurium. To date, she has authored and co-authored 12 manuscripts and
18 abstracts. Dr. Brabant-Kirwan is currently in her second year of the Clinical
Microbiology Postdoctoral Diploma Program, where she is building on her
previous research successes by expanding her field of study to include clinical
applications that impact patient care.
r.
23
Danny Ghazarian Resident
Teaching Award
I
n 1996, Dr. Danny Ghazarian was a trainee in
U of T’s Anatomical Pathology Training Program
and was the representative on the residents training
committee. Struck by the dedicated, enthusiastic teaching
delivered by the staff, and wanting to acknowledge this in
a formal manner, he decided to honour the best teachers
every year with a teaching award. The first recipient of this
award was Dr. Dean Chamberlain. The award persisted as
the “Best Teacher” award until 2004, and thereafter was entitled the Danny
Ghazarian Resident Teaching Award.
Recipient: Dr. Jason Karamchandani
Dr. Karamchandani obtained his MD at Stanford
University School of Medicine following undergraduate
studies in biochemistry at Harvard College. He remained at
Stanford for his residency training in anatomic pathology,
and for fellowship training in surgical pathology and neuropathology. He has practiced anatomic and neuropathology at
St. Michael’s Hospital for the past three years, where he also
served as the director of the immunopathology laboratory.
Stanley Raphael Award
for Professionalism
T
he Stanley Raphael Award was inaugurated in the 2012–2013
academic year to honour a senior resident whose performance
most embodies the ideals of the Professional as defined by the
CanMEDs roles.
It is named after Dr. Stanley Raphael who practiced pathology in Canada
for 40 years. Dr. Raphael passionately believed and fought for the principle
that lab physicians work for the patient and their allegiance was properly to
the patient alone. His life was defined by professional occupations and duties. His practice was very diverse and included the full range of anatomical,
general and forensic pathology. His son, Dr. Simon Raphael, fondly noted,
“Our family grew up in a way participating in his career, whether it was a trip
to Manitoulin Island to testify in a coroner’s inquest or going in to the hospital
in the early morning to manually change solutions on the tissue processors.
Consultation specimens sometimes resided on the living room mantelpiece en
route to experts in the United Kingdom or the United States, and were part
of the expected decor of our home.”
Dr. Stanley Raphael would be so proud to have this award named for him
and also very proud of the generation of young physicians who receive it.
Recipient: Dr. Joerg Schwock
Dr. Joerg Schwock graduated from the Faculty of
Medicine, University of Leipzig, Germany, in 2001. He
received his Dr. med. degree in 2002 with a thesis completed
at the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, under
Dr. Gerhard Kopperschläger. From 2002 to 2003, he was a
junior resident at the Institute of Pathology, University of
Leipzig, under the supervision of Dr. Christian Wittekind.
In November 2003, Dr. Schwock was accepted into the
CIHR-funded Fellowship for Molecular Pathology of Cancer and subsequently
became a PhD student with LMP. He completed his degree under the tutelage
of Dr. David Hedley with whom he worked at the Ontario Cancer Institute
at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. In 2009, Dr. Schwock continued his
training in Anatomical Pathology at U of T. He is author or co-author of 20
peer-reviewed journal articles and father to two curious pre-schoolers.
24
25
CLAMPS Summer Island BBQ
CLAMPS volunteer
with Out of the Cold
Graduate Research Conference Keynote Speaker Dr. Tak Mak
Graduate Research Conference – winners
Graduate Research Conference – Conference hosts with Dr. Tak Mak
26
Graduate Alumni Networking Event
27
Distinguished Service Award
T
he Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology established
an annual Distinguished Service Award in 1987 to honour faculty
and/or administrative staff who have demonstrated the highest level of
sustained service to the Department in research, teaching, creative professional
activity and/or administrative service. The recipient is expected to demonstrate
innovation and excellence in scholarship and administration, and provide
outstanding leadership in advancing the vision and mission of the Department
locally and, as appropriate, nationally and internationally. Over the years,
recipients have been recognized for their service to LMP in their capacity as
campus-based university leaders and/or hospital or research institute-based
leaders. As one reviews the list of winners, it is understandable to see how
the success of LMP is due to the hard work and dedication of outstanding
individuals. Those individuals value the contribution of LMP to advancing
clinical care through research and teaching, and the creation of strong
administrative platforms on campus and in our hospital departments.
Recipient: Dr. Khosrow Adeli
Dr. Adeli is currently a Senior Associate Scientist in the
Program in Molecular Structure and Function, Research
Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children. He is the head
and full professor of Clinical Biochemistry at the Hospital
for Sick Children and the Departments of LMP and
Biochemistry at U of T. He is also the Director of Point of
Care Testing program at SickKids.
Dr. Adeli is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of
Clinical Biochemistry and a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical
Biochemistry. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in
Clinical Laboratory Sciences. Dr. Adeli served as the Editor-in-Chief of the
Clinical Biochemistry journal for seven years (1999–2006). He is an editorial
board member of The Clinical Biochemist Reviews. From 2006 to 2010, Dr.
Adeli served as the President of The Commission on Accreditation in Clinical
Chemistry (COMACC), a North American organization responsible for
accreditation of clinical chemistry training programs in the United States
and Canada. He currently serves as the Chair of the Communications and
28
Publications Division of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry
(IFCC), as well as the Public Relations Coordinator for the IFCC organization.
He is also currently a member of the Council of Scientific Advisors (CSA)
to the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
(ICGEB), serving on the CSA since 2009.
Dr. Adeli is active in clinical chemistry research and has been involved
in a number of projects on diagnostic test development. He is the principal
investigator of the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference
Interval Database (CALIPER) project aimed at the establishment of a
laboratory reference interval database for biomarkers of pediatric disease.
This is a national initiative involving a network of several clinical laboratory
investigators from pediatric health care centres across Canada. Standardized ageand gender-specific reference intervals are being established involving pediatric
health care centres nationwide. This valuable database will also be useful to
pediatric healthcare centres worldwide as significant gaps exist in the available
database in both developed and developing countries.
Dr. Adeli has been actively involved in both basic and clinical laboratory
research since 1988 and has published more than 250 articles and abstracts to
date. He has received several national and international awards for research
excellence including the Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and
Vascular Biology (CSATVB) Scientific Excellence Award (2011), the Merck
Senior Investigator Award of the Canadian Lipoprotein Conference (2008),
the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemistry National Award for outstanding
contributions to clinical chemistry (2006), Canadian Academy of Clinical
Biochemistry National Award (2004), the Canadian Society of Clinical
Chemistry Research Excellence Award (1999), Bristol-Myers Squibb Young
Investigator (1995), the Merck Senior Investigator Award (1997), and the
Simon-Pierre Noël Award (2001) from the Canadian Lipoprotein Conference.
29
Senior
Academic
Promotions
31
SENIOR ACADEMIC PROMOTIONS
F
our faculty members in LMP have received approval from the Provost
for promotion effective July 1, 2014. These highly respected individuals
are being recognized for their accomplishments in scholarship,
teaching and service. All have excelled in creative professional activity
relevant to our discipline.
The LMP Promotions Committee, chaired by Ingrid Zbieranowski and
Patricia Cayetano, LMP Human Resources Coordinator, provide support and
valuable guidance to faculty. Members of the committee include: Harry Elsholtz,
Frances Jamieson, Sarah Keating, Anna Marie Mulligan, Michael Pollanen,
Alexander Romaschin, Catherine Streutker, Herman Yeger and Li Zhang.
Special thanks are due to Dr. Zbieranowski for her dedication in
mentoring countless faculty since her appointment in 2011. Upon Dr.
Zbieranowski’s retirement, Dr. Catherine Streutker will be the new Chair of
the committee, effective July 1, 2014.
Congratulations to the following LMP faculty members on their
promotions:
Faculty
promoted to the rank of
Professor
Michael Pollanen, Ontario Forensic Pathology Service
Professor Pollanen is internationally renowned for promoting
excellence in forensic pathology as a profession, public service
and academic discipline. His contributions are wide-ranging and
have had monumental impact in the local, national and international arenas. These accomplishments include reform of public
service and policy, advancement of education and training in
forensic pathology, and international capacity building.
32
Faculty
promoted to the rank of
Associate Professor
Oyedele Adeyi, University Health Network
Professor Adeyi is recognized as a national and emerging
international expert in liver and transplantation pathology.
His creative professional activities in this area have led to key
appointments on several think-tank organizations which have
changed standards of practice through the development of
guidelines and standardized (synoptic) pathology reports.
Elena Kolomietz, Mount Sinai Hospital
Professor Kolomietz has made important advances in
reproductive medicine through the development of innovative
leading-edge algorithms, tests and programs for the diagnosis
of infertility and reproductive failure. These programs have
significantly improved reproductive health in Canada.
Aaron Pollett, Mount Sinai Hospital
Professor Pollett has made significant contributions to the field
of gastrointestinal pathology. His creative professional activities
include the development and application of molecular
diagnostics, including application of biomarkers, to gastrointestinal cancers. He has also developed and enhanced cancer
registries which have led to advances in clinical practice.
33
Retirements
35
RETIREMENTS
Juan Bilbao (MD, FRCPC), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Retirement: December 31, 2012
Involved in clinical service, education and research, Professor
Bilbao joined LMP in 1972 as part of the Department of
Pathology. He began his 40 years of dedicated service as a neuropathologist at St. Michael’s Hospital, and in 2000 he moved to Sunnybrook
Health Sciences Centre.
Prof. Bilbao was the Director of LMP’s Neuropathology Program from
1990 to 1993; from 1985 to 1990 he was the Coordinator of Postgraduate
Pathology Seminars. His clinical research focused on the diseases affecting
the muscles and the peripheral nerves. He also researched neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. “I enjoyed
diagnosing neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, and I also enjoyed
the new challenges and methodologies that have come from immunohistochemistry,” Prof. Bilbao said.
During retirement, Prof. Bilbao continues to support the importance of
neuropathology and is currently writing the second edition of his book Biopsy
Diagnosis of Peripheral Neuropathy. First published in 1995, the next edition
is expected to be published this year. In addition, he is enjoying local and
international opera performances and playing golf.
36
Miles Johnston (PhD), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Retirement: December 31, 2013
Professor Johnston earned his MSc and PhD from LMP
(formerly the Department of Pathology) and worked with
Professor Henry Movat and Professor Jack Hay. From 1979
to 1981, he pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the Agricultural Research
Council, Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, U.K. In 1981 Prof.
Johnston began his career at the Medical Sciences Building and in 1990 he
moved to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Prof. Johnston investigated the biomechanical properties of lymphatic
vessels and how they pump lymph through the body. He conducted
experiments that quantified lymphatic drainage in sheep. He also studied postsurgical lymphedema—a common condition that occurs after breast cancer
patients have their lymph nodes removed. Not only an influential researcher, Prof. Johnston has also been
highly successful at teaching undergraduate and graduate students. At the
undergraduate level he taught a unique course called Pathobiology of the
Lymphatic Circulation. Prof. Johnston’s passion for teaching was clear. “I like
teaching at the undergraduate level because you’re catching students at the
beginning and enticing them to enter research. I think teaching at this level
is the most important.”
Prof. Johnston was also involved in graduate research. One of his recent
PhD graduates, Amy Baker, said, “Dr. Johnston represents an invaluable
contributor to the field of lymphatic biology and is a shining example of how
to succeed in research. He was an ideal mentor, approaching each day with
unfailing optimism, sharing his experience, advice and support, and ensuring
the success of each individual member of his lab.” She added, “I want to say
thank you to him on behalf of all his past students and technicians.You will be
sorely missed. Enjoy your retirement; you have earned it!”
When asked about his experience at LMP, Prof. Johnston said, “Over
the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege to work under five Chairmen
including Alex Ritchie (as a graduate student), Emmanuel Farber, Malcolm
Silver, Avrum Gotlieb and Richard Hegele. They’ve all been very supportive
and it’s been terrific. It’s been like a second home for me.”
As of December 2013, Prof. Johnston has retired to a country home.
37
Pang Shek (MSc, PhD), Defence Research and Development Canada
Retirement: June 30, 2014
Over his 42 years with LMP, Professor Pang Shek’s (MSc, PhD)
passion for research and teaching has remained strong. Prof. Shek
joined LMP (previously the Department of Clinical Biochemistry)
in 1972 as a graduate student. After attending Harvard Medical School for a
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Prof. Shek returned to LMP as a Professor in 1982.
His impact in the classroom was immediately apparent. “When Clinical
Biochemistry introduced a ‘modern’ core graduate course in 1990, Pang was
enlisted to provide some lectures on immunology, and consistently ranked at
the top in student evaluations,” said Professor Douglas Templeton (PhD, MD).
With the formation of LMP, and the introduction of an Arts and Science
Pathobiology Specialist Program, Prof. Shek began teaching Immunopathology
to fourth-year students.
He remains highly dedicated to education and plans to continue to teach.
“Approaching retirement, Pang has expressed an interest in continuing to teach
in the course, where his lecturing skills and commitment to providing a good
student experience will no doubt be valued for many years to come,” said Prof.
Templeton. In recognition of his impressive contributions to teaching, Prof. Shek
was awarded the LMP Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2010.
As senior scientist and section head at Defence Research and Development
Canada (DRDC), Prof. Shek contributed to military medicine research for
more than three decades. His research addressed severe hemorrhage associated
with coagulopathy and abnormal immunoinflammatory response that required
immediate blood loss control and fluid resuscitation. He also explored the
objective diagnosis and assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
and mild traumatic brain injury, where no structural damage to the brain was
detectable in each case by conventional neuroimaging technology.
As a result of his outstanding research with DRDC, in 2012 Prof. Shek
received the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in Military
Medicine Research.
When asked about his experience at LMP, Prof. Shek said, “After forty-two
years, I have a tremendous emotional attachment to LMP. It’s really nice to see
how the Department continues to train and prepare students to become wellestablished scientists.”
While he will be retiring in July 2014, he plans to remain active.
38
Ingrid Zbieranowski (MD, MEd, FRCPC), Sunnybrook
Health Sciences Centre
Retirement: December 31, 2013
Involved in clinical service, education and research, Professor
Ingrid Zbieranowski joined LMP in 1989 as part of the
Department of Pathology. From 1989 to 1993, she worked as a surgical
pathologist at St. Michael’s Hospital. In 1993, she moved to Women’s
College Hospital, and then with the hospital mergers, to Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre.
With a keen interest in new perspectives in pedagogy, in 1999 she
earned her Master of Education degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies
in Education at U of T. As an accomplished teacher, she has won numerous
awards for course development and teaching and mentoring undergraduate
and postgraduate students. In 2009, she was awarded the prestigious Charles
Mickle Fellowship Award from U of T in recognition of her impressive
contributions to postgraduate medical education, including her role as Chair of
the Postgraduate Medicine Examination Board. Prof. Zbieranowski was also a
member and then Chair of the Examination Board in Anatomic Pathology for
the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Prof. Zbieranowski is currently the Chair of LMP’s Promotions and
Appointments Committee and has mentored countless faculty. “I have really
enjoyed working with and mentoring other faculty and helping them to
advance their careers. It’s very important.” Asked about her retirement plans, Prof. Zbieranowski said, “After thirty
years devoted to pathology, I’m ready to pursue other interests. My husband
is also retiring and we’ll enjoy activities at our year-round cottage in Douro,
outside of Peterborough. We’re also looking forward to many hobbies, more
time with family and travel. ”
39
In Memoriam
41
IN MEMORIAM
LMP Professor Donald Low (MD, FRCPC), a legend
in Canadian microbiology practice and a globally recognized
researcher and mentor, passed away on Wednesday, September
18, 2013.
Known to the public as the voice of Toronto’s 2003 SARS
crisis, he played a vital role in the management of that outbreak
and in the provision of accurate information to the media. In the response
to that crisis, he played a key role in the revitalization of the Ontario Public
Health Laboratory.
Prof. Low’s training began at the University of Manitoba and continued
in the United States. He returned to Winnipeg in 1982 to serve as Microbiologist-in-Chief at St. Boniface Hospital. In 1985 he was recruited to run the
microbiology department at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, and in 1998 he
became Head of the Division of Microbiology for LMP.
Prof. Low’s primary research interests were in the study of antimicrobial
resistance and the host response in overwhelming Gram-positive infections.
Over the course of his career, Prof. Low co-authored nearly 400 peer-reviewed
articles for scientific journals, 41 book chapters and almost 100 invited articles.
A brilliant educator, Prof. Low helped to create a large network of
infectious disease specialists He was an outstanding mentor to countless
individuals who have since gone on to become leaders in microbiology.
A recipient of many awards, Prof. Low received the 2001 BD Award
for Research in Clinical Microbiology from the American Academy of
Microbiology. In 2003, he received the Award of Leadership in Health Care
presented by the Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology. Prof.
Low was also the recipient of the 2012 Council Award from The College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and the 2013 John G. FitzGerald
– Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
(CACMID) Outstanding Microbiologist Award. At a departmental level, Prof.
Low won the LMP Teaching Award in 1991 and 1994 and the Distinguished
Service Award in 2004.
42
Professor Emeritus Mario Moscarello (MD, PhD),
Senior Scientist at SickKids Research Institute, passed away on
August 8, 2013.
Born in Timmins, Ontario, Prof. Moscarello completed his
undergraduate degree in physiology and biochemistry from U of
T and graduated from medical school in 1955. He then entered
graduate school and obtained a PhD in biochemistry. He joined LMP in 1982
and was also a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at U of T.
Professor Moscarello was one of the true innovators in the study of
demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). He investigated small
molecule inhibitors of peptidylarginine deiminase which could potentially
control and even cure MS.
Prof. Moscarello will be remembered for his dedication and his research
in finding treatments for various human diseases and for his devoted
supervision of countless graduate students over his distinguished career. His
research work will continue through ongoing programs.
43
Professor Hilmi Özçelik (PhD) passed away on Thursday,
May 2, 2013.
Prof. Özçelik obtained his PhD from Boğaziçi University
in Istanbul, Turkey, working on the human genetics of
thalassemia. He conducted postdoctoral research in the
laboratory of LMP Professor Irene Andrulis at Mount Sinai
Hospital’s (MSH) Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute in the area of cancer
genetics. Prof. Özçelik was very productive during his postdoctoral program
and became involved in the efforts at MSH to translate molecular genetics
into molecular pathology. He joined LMP in 2000 and in 2002 he became
an independent investigator at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory
Medicine at MSH.
As laboratory director for molecular diagnostics for breast cancer genetic
susceptibility, he played a major role in the establishment and expansion of the
laboratory activities of the Ontario Cancer Genetics Network at MSH.
Prof. Özçelik established an independent research program developing
his individual interests while maintaining his multi-disciplinary collaborations. In addition to his strong research abilities, he was also an excellent
teacher and supervisor.
Prof. Özçelik had a passion for science and a desire for high-quality work
that was felt by those who worked with him.
44
Professor Emerita Meredith M. Silver, MBBS (Adelaide),
MSc (McGill), FRCPC, FRCPA, Pathologist at the Hospital
for Sick Children, passed away on April 25, 2014.
Professor Silver had broad interests in pediatric and
placental pathology, having made innumerable contributions
in descriptions of new clinico-pathological entities and in
championing innovation and adoption of new technologies. She also pursued
many eclectic interests outside of medicine and was a role model for working
hard and enjoying life to the fullest.
In memory of Dr. Meredith Silver, please consider making a donation
to the: Meredith & Malcolm Silver Scholarship in Cardiovascular Studies
— awarded to a graduate student who has maintained or achieved honour
standing during his or her residency with LMP and with a demonstrated
interest in cardiovascular research.
Make a donation online at donate.utoronto.ca
Cheques may be mailed to:
Donations Management, 21 King’s College Circle , Toronto, ON M5S 3J3
Payable to: U of T, Faculty of Medicine
In memory of: Prof. Meredith M. Silver for the Meredith & Malcolm Silver
Scholarship in Cardiovascular Studies
45
LMP Graduates
47
Grace Choong (Prof. Doug Templeton), Effects of Cadmium on Actin
Glutathionylation and Focal Adhesions.
PATHOBIOLOGY SPECIALIST PROGRAM
GRADUATING CLASS OF 2014
Naushin Ali
Anastasia Bosc
Jian Qiao Cheng
Wei Hao Dai
Benedict Darren
Bingyu Hou
Qingda Hu
Shivani Nainesh Kamdar
Zubeir Khan
David Ryan Kleinman
Tam Thanh Le
Su Yeon Lee
He Qun Li
Stanley Xiangyu Li
Yi Si Liu
Thomas Lu
Maurice Mark Pasternak
Gelareh Sharbatdar Alaei
Bo Xi Jasmine Song
Ki Hyuk Song
Tasha Isninta Stoltz
Mirkamal Abliz Tolend
Ali Vedadi
Marina Wang
Shuzhengrong Xu
MSc AND PhD GRADUATE STUDENTS
WHO COMPLETED THEIR DEGREES IN
THE LAST YEAR
MSc
Mena Abdel-Nour (Prof. Cyril Guyard), The Role of the Legionella
Collagen-Like Protein in Legionella Pneumophila Biofilm Formation,
Environmental Dissemination and Pathogenicity.
Mark Barszczyk (Prof. Cynthia Hawkins), Telomerase as a Prognostic Marker
and Therapeutic Target in Paediatric Ependymoma.
Alison Chan (Profs. Ivan Blasutig & Eleftherios Diamandis),Validation of
Candidate Biomarkers for the Development of a Multi-parametric Panel for
Early Detection of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcionoma (PDAC).
Olivia Cheng (Prof. Nades Palaniyar), Spontaneous DNA Extracellular Trap
Formation in Th2-Biased Mouse Airways with Cystic Fibrosis-Like Lung
Disease.
48
Carlyn Figueiredo (Prof. Donald Branch), Interleukin-11 is a Key Mediator
of IVIg Therapy in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.
Malcolm Harvey (Prof. Paul Hamel), The Role of Patched-1 Intracellular
Domains in Canonical and Non-canonical Hedgehog Signalling Events.
Khrystyna Levytska (Prof. John Kingdom), The Role of PPAR-γ in
Trophoblast Layer Dynamics Based on a Cell Model of Trophoblast
Differentiation.
June Li (Prof. Heyu Ni), Anti-GPIbα Mediated Platelet Activation and
Desialylation: a Novel Fc-independent Platelet Clearance Mechanism and
Potential Therapeutic and Diagnostic Target in ITP.
Olga Luft (Prof. Gary Levy), Targeted Deletion of Fgl2 Enhances Anti-Viral
T cell Responses and Mediates Viral Clearance in a Murine Model of Chronic
Viral Infection.
Mozhgan Moslemi-Naeini (Prof. Philip Marsden), RNA Interference
Pathways in Shiga Toxin-treated Human Endothelial Cells.
Nadia Okolowsky (Prof. Paul Hamel), Oestrogen Receptor-alpha Regulates
Non-Canonical Hedgehog-Signalling in the Mammary Gland.
Daniel Picard (Prof. Annie Huang), Integrated Genomic Analyses of
Childhood CNS-PNETS.
Tiffany Scarcelli (Profs. Isabelle Aubert & Kullervo Hynynen), Effects
of Transcranial Focused Ultrasound on Hippocampal Neurogenesis and
Astrogenesis.
Allan Siu (Profs. Myron Cybulsky & Jenny Jongstra-Bilen), Lipid
Accumulation in CD11c-Expressing Intimal Myeloid Cells Induce Chemokine
Production Required for Leukocyte Recruitment to Early Atherosclerotic
Lesions.
Alex Tam (Prof.Yeni Yucel), Lymphatic Drainage from the Mouse Eye and the
Effect of Latanoprost.
49
MSc
cont’d
Reuben Thomas (Prof. Bradley Strauss), Impact of Distal Coronary
Embolization in Acute Myocardial Infarction in a Porcine Model.
Lynsie Thomason (Prof. Joanne McLaurin), The Effect of Scyllo-Inositol on
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in the TgCRND8 Model of Alzheimer’s
Disease.
Rashmi Goswami (Prof. Suzanne Kamel-Reid), MicroRNAs as Biomarkers
in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
Jessica Jordao (Profs. Isabelle Aubert & Kullervo Hynynen), Applications of
Focused Ultrasound for Reducing Amyloid-β Pathology in a Mouse Model of
Alzheimer’s Disease.
Julie Metcalf (Prof. Michael Ohh), Role of VHL in DNA Double-Strand
Break Repair and Genomic Instability in Renal Cell Carcinoma.
Ilona Tkachyova (Prof. Don Mahuran), Developing a Potential Substrate
Reduction Therapy for Six Mucopolysaccharidoses by Decreasing NDST1
Activity.
Stephen C. Mack (Prof. Michael Taylor), The Genetic and Epigenetic Basis of
Posterior Fossa Ependymoma.
Christopher Yildiz (Profs. Nades Palaniyar & Brian Kavanagh), The Effects of
Mechanical Ventilation on Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation.
Shawna Organ (Prof. Ming-Sound Tsao), c-MET and KRAS: Signaling and
Clinical Implications in Colorectal Cancer.
Lily Yip (Prof. Nades Palaniyar), Airway Nucleases and Surfactant Protein D
Promote Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Clearance.
Maria Pavlou (Prof. Eleftherios Diamandis), Developing a proteomic
prognostic signature for breast cancer patients.
Yanhong Yu (Prof. Michal Opas), Osteogenic Differentiation from Mouse
Embryonic Stem Cells and the Role of Calreticulin.
Mina Rafiei (Prof. Rod Bremner), CHAF1A Regulates PRC2-mediated
Epigenetic Memory.
Joshua Yuen (Profs. Nades Palaniyar & Christoph Licht), Properdin Binds
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Activates Complement Alternative Pathway on
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.
Nikolina Radulovich (Prof. Ming-Sound Tsao), Identification and Validation
of Novel Oncogenes and Tumour Suppressor Genes in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
PhD
Stephen Rubino (Prof. Stephen Girardin), New Insights into the Regulation
of Intestinal Immunity by Nod1 and Nod2.
Amy Baker (Prof. Miles Johnston), Disruption of Lymphatic Function
Following Lymph Node Excision and Irradiation: Integrating Natural
Compensatory Responses with Potential Therapeutic Approaches to Facilitate
Lymph Flow Restoration.
Roberto Diaz (Prof. James Rutka), Molecular and Biophysical Targeting of
Malignant Brain Tumours.
Joanna Smeeton (Prof. Norm Rosenblum), Defining the Role of IntegrinLinked Kinase in Ureteric Bud Growth and Branching During Murine Kidney
Development.
Jenny Jing Wang (Prof. Phil Marsden), Discovery of a VEGF-A Responsive
lincRNA in Human Endothelial Cells with Disease Relevance and Antiangiogenic Therapeutic Potential in Glioblastoma Multiforme.
David Douda (Prof. Nades Palaniyar), Traps-Mediated Innate Immunity.
Adrian Dubuc (Prof. Michael Taylor), Mining the Medulloblastoma Genome
and Transcriptome.
Adrienne Weeks (Prof. James Rutka), The Role of ECT2 in the Pathogenesis
of Astrocytoma.
Azza Eissa (Prof. Eleftherios Diamandis), Characterization of KallikreinRelated Peptidase-8 in Normal Human Epidermis and Psoriatic Disease.
50
51
GRADUATING RESIDENTS, FELLOWS AND
TRAINEES WHO COMPLETED THEIR
PROGRAMS IN THE LAST YEAR
Residents
Anatomical Pathology: Ghassan Allo, Gangyong Li, Eric Morgen, Houman
Nafisi, Reza Pour Farzi, Zaid Saeed Kamil, Joerg Schwock, Tarren Vyas, Shawn
Winer and Hannah Wu.
General Pathology: Ronald Francis
Neuropathology: Alaa Alkhotani
Forensic Pathology: Magdaleni Bellis and Adriana Krizova.
Area of Focused Competency, Transfusion Medicine: Asim Alam
Clinical Fellows
Anatomical Pathology: Rana Al-Abdulghani, Ameen Al-Adhadh, Nayda
Al-Faraidy, Sana Alsolami, Shirin Karimi, Seema Kudsia, Belinda Lategan,
Karen Naert, Farshid Siadat, Iram Siddiqui and Raheela Siddiqui.
Special Thanks
Administrative Staff
Katie Babcock, Patricia Cayetano, Joanne D’Angelo, Louella D’Cunha, Ferzeen
Sammy, Ravinder Dhillon, Allan McConkey, Paula Nixon, Rama Ponda, Sue
Sarju Balaga, Teresa Trimboli and Robin Wilcoxen.
LMPSU Executive Council 2013-2014
Co-Presidents: Darren Benedict and Anastasia Bosc
Vice President of Financial Affairs: Alena Zelinka
Vice President of Academic Affairs: Ariel Gershon
Vice President of Social Affairs: Robert Jie Guo
Events Committee Member: Qingda Hu
External Communications Director: Maya Deeb
Internal Communications Director: Thomas Lu
Forensic Pathology: Welhana Rajapaksha
Hematopathology: Muna Kassim and Meagan Kennedy.
Research Fellows
Anatomical Pathology: Carolina Lopez-Uran, Pooja Singhal, Adewunmi
Adeoye, and Lucia Kim.
Postdoctoral Trainees
Clinical Chemistry: Joshua Raizman and Tracy Teodoro.
CLAMPS Executive Council 2013-2014
President: Meghan Feeney
Vice President Academic: Marsel Lino
Vice President Social: Shaan Gupta
Treasurer: Pedram Akbari
Interdepartmental Representative: Joshua Lopes
Graduate Student Union Representative: Mena Abdel-Nour
Secretary: Laura MacNair
Chief Residents
Anatomical Pathology: Ghassan Allo
Hematopathology: Hubert Tsui
Medical Microbiology: Yan Chen
Neuropathology: Alaa Al-Khotani
Photographs courtesy of Meghan Feeney, Ariel Gershon, Paul Hamel, Carlo Hojilla, Qingda Hu,
Danila Leontyev,Thomas Lu, Jayesh Salvi,Yuan Yao Thompson and Miao Xu.
52
53
Faculty team members
LMP Faculty vs. Students Volleyball Game
LMP Lab Games
Faculty and student teams
LMP Lab Games – winners
54
55
www.lmp.utoronto.ca