Biomedical researcher takes on new role, one with big impact across North America
A University of Manitoba and St. Boniface Hospital Research scientist is set to begin an appointment that will have him contributing to biomedical research efforts in North America in an even greater way.
Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum
Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, an internationally-recognized expert in cardiac disease, has been chosen as chairperson of the Myocardial Ischemia and Metabolism Study Section at the Center for Scientific Review, which is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) based in Bethesda, Maryland. Candidates are selected based on their competence and achievement in their scientific disciplines.
Kirshenbaum, who is a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology in the Faculty of Medicine, is developing ways to manipulate cell growth at the genetic level, which will impact the way we fight heart disease and cancer. His research explores signal mechanisms that regulate this cell growth – and death – with the aim of developing new treatment interventions. The death of heart cells results in heart failure; Kirshenbaum is studying ways to manipulate this activity at a genetic level.
This latest appointment follows a long list of accolades for the professor of physiology, and pharmacology and therapeutics.
“This is certainly a note-worthy accomplishment and a wonderful opportunity for Dr. Kirshenbaum,” says Dr. Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research) at the University of Manitoba. “We are proud to have such a strong researcher and a strong voice in the field of biomedical research as part of our team.”
“It is yet another indication of the great research that is carried on at St. Boniface Hospital and a special affirmation of Dr. Kirshenbaum as an internationally recognized leader in the field of heart research,” says Dr. Grant Pierce, executive director of research at St. Boniface Hospital. “We are proud of his accomplishments!”
The NIH, which is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency, and the largest source of funding for medical research in the world. It funds thousands of scientists at universities and research institutions in every state across America and around the globe. NIH is made up of 27 institutes and centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. The NIH’s Center for Scientific Review is the portal for NIH grant applications and their review for scientific merit.
For more information please contact Janine Harasymchuk, research communications and marketing manager, University of Manitoba, 204-474-7300 or 799-4802 ([email protected]),
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Bill Peters, manager, communications and media services, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, 204-258-1325 ([email protected]).
