PHRI is excited to announce the winners of its 2023 internal grant competition, celebrating ten early career researchers who have secured full funding for their proposed research.
From a pool of 16 competitive proposals, 32 external reviewers carefully assessed the submissions, resulting in the selection of ten projects for funding after a thorough review process.
Congratulations to the winners:
- Emilie Belley-Cote, PHRI Investigator, to test whether postoperative drainage of the pericardial cavity through left posterior pericardiotomy reduces the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. (PRINCE)
- William McIntyre, PHRI Scientist, to investigate whether prophylactic left atrial ablation will reduce the incidence of AF detected beyond 30 days post-operatively in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. (ALPACa-LTFU)
- Jeremy Petch, PHRI Associate Investigator, to investigate whether an AI-enabled care pathway AI-enabled care pathway will reduce the rate of normal/non-obstructive CAD diagnosed through ICA, in stable elective outpatients referred for cardiac investigation. (CarDIA-AI)
- Pavel Roshanov, PHRI Investigator, to look at patients with advanced CKD who do not yet require dialysis and, separately, among patients who require chronic maintenance dialysis, what proportion permanently discontinue colchicine administered at 0.25 mg daily within 8 weeks of starting treatment with colchicine 0.5 mg daily. (REPAIR)
- Michael Chong, PHRI Investigator, to identify common genetic variants associated with delirium events in the general population, discover novel circulating protein drug candidates for delirium, and assess transferability of identified genetic risk factors and proteins from the general population to the post-operative cardiac setting.
- Raed Joundi, PHRI Investigator, to identify key determinants of post-stroke cognitive and functional impairment in an international cohort of people with stroke to better understand the pathways towards preventing or delaying cognitive impairment, functional loss, and dementia. (PROSPECT)
- Emma van Reekum, PHRI Investigator, to test the effect of bariatric surgery on depression and cognition in patients with severe obesity and high-risk cardiovascular disease. (BRAVE-MIND which is a sub-study of the ongoing BRAVE trial)
- Thomas Scheier, PHRI Investigator, to contribute knowledge around burden of antimicrobial resistance among people with AHD, as well as the effect of azithromycin exposure on resistance acquisition in this population.
- Shun-Fu Lee, Senior Principal Biostatistician, to develop methods for randomized trials – specifically adaptive design features, which allows for prospectively planned modifications to one or more aspects based on accumulating data.
- Rachel Eikelboom, PHRI Investigator, to assess the effect of direct oral anticoagulation versus vitamin K antagonist on the incidence of subclinical valve thrombosis in patients with a new bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement. (SUNDANCE substudy of the DANCE trial)
“At PHRI, we’re truly proud of our early career researchers and their incredible dedication and contributions. We are committed to encouraging, supporting, and empowering them as they continue to shape the future of healthcare in Canada and beyond,” says Hertzel Gerstein, PHRI Senior Scientist and Deputy Director.
Congrats once again to the winners! PHRI is looking forward to witnessing the positive impact of our early career researchers’ work (meet PHRI’s Research Fellows and Investigators).
L to R from top: Emilie Belley-Cote, William McIntyre, Jeremy Petch, Pavel Roshanov, Michael Chong, Raed Joundi, Emma van Reekum, Thomas Scheier, Shun-Fu Lee, Rachel Eikelboom
