Senior Scientist
Sunnybrook Research Institute
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Appointments
Senior Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, ON.
Professional Affiliations
At Diabetes Canada, I was a member of the National Research Council from 2011-2024 and served as co-chair from 2017-2024. Currently, I am Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors (2024-present). I am Chair of the Mentoring Committee for the CIHR MyROaD Health Research and Training Platform (HRTP) and served on the Leadership Committee and Strategic Planning Committees for the Canadian Islet Research and Training Network (CIRTN) as well as the Scientific Excellence Committee of the Banting and Best Diabetes Research Centre (BBDC) at the University of Toronto.
Research
We are leaders in the use of RNAi screening to identify novel gene targets that govern beta cell function, replication, and survival. My career h-index is 36 and my work has over 20,000 citations (Google Scholar). Our research uses functional genomics and animal modeling to identify new therapeutic strategies that improve mitochondrial function and stimulate beta cell regeneration for treatment of both T1D and T2D. Our Diabetes Canada funded mitochondrial research has found that ROMO1 is a critical age-dependent regulator of the metabolic health of cells and is essential for insulin secretion in mice. Our JDRF funded beta cell regeneration research has identified GPCRs that control human beta cell replication, work that we will be discussing at this meeting.
Knowledge Translation
We collaborate with patient partners at Diabetes Action Canada, a patient-oriented research organization funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), to bring graduate students, faculty mentors, and patient partners together to co-author an accessible review of the scientific literature in islet biology and diabetes. These projects have increased the visibility of biomedical research to people living with and/or affected by diabetes, and provided the first exposure students have to patient partnering.
Awards and Accolades
Mentor of the Year, McMaster University Co-op Program, 2024
CRC in Apoptotic Signaling, Tier 2, 2006-2015.
Young Scientist of the Year, Diabetes Canada and CIHR, 2014
Young Professor Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 2009
Ontario Early Researcher Award, 2006-2011
DC2415 - Advancing Diabetes Treatment: The Future of GPCR-Targeted Therapies
Friday, November 22, 2024
11:30 - 12:45 AT Time
Disclosure(s): I do not have a relationship with a for-profit and/or a not-for-profit organization to disclose