We couldn’t be more proud of departing PHRI Research Fellow Harry Klimis.
After 2 years with us, this summer he returns to his homeland, Australia – where he has just been named one of four recipients of the Cardiovascular Elite Postdoctoral Researcher Grants from the New South Wales government. Klimis receives almost $1 million Australian over three years in the merit-based competitive grants.
Harry Klimis with Clara Chow, 2022
He returns to work with his former mentor, Clara Chow (a PHRI Senior International Fellow) at the Westmead Applied Research Centre at the University of Sydney. Klimis will continue his work on the link between cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Klimis was mentored by PHRI Scientist Darryl Leong, lead of the cardio-oncology/cancer survivorship research program at PHRI, as well as by Salim Yusuf. Working with those two researchers, and others at PHRI, Klimis contributed to RADICAL PC-1, RADICAL PC-2, SCHOLAR-2, PURE, ATLAS S-ICD, and G-CHF.
Last year, Klimis won the Michael G. Degroote Fellowship Award in Clinical Research that provided him $40,000 Canadian over one year for his continuing work in cardiovascular research. Also in 2022, he was the lead early-career researcher within the ECR steering committee at PHRI.
Early this year, Klimis was awarded the Hamilton Health Sciences New Investigator Fund for the project, “plasma biomarkers to identify men with prostate cancer at high cardiovascular risk: a pilot study,” receiving $40,000.
The Fab Three (+1): Klimis, Cirne, Leong
Klimis says he’ll miss much about his years with us; “so many good memories despite coming in the thick of the pandemic.” He notes “I really valued the corridor chats at PHRI with staff, Sumathy Rangarajan, and other program management people.”
Highlights in 2022 included the PURE study global meeting in Istanbul, Turkiye, and the ESC Congress in Barcelona Spain where where he and PHRI colleagues hiked up the nearby Montserrat peak (and a fun photo shoot with cardio-oncology colleagues Leong and Filipe Cirne with PHRI’s communications specialist.)
Harry Klimis, right, with mentor Darryl Leong (standing) and fellow PHRI research fellow Filipe Cirne, in May 2022.
