Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

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Stroke

The Ottawa Hospital has one of the strongest stroke research programs in the country, thanks to outstanding basic and clinical scientists, and its close relationships with the University of Ottawa and other associated organizations working to improve our treatment of stroke, such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery.

The Ottawa Stroke Program at The Ottawa Hospital is bolstered by collaborative working relationships among more than 100 researchers associated with the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute. Stroke research at The Ottawa Hospital spans the full spectrum from basic science to clinical research to knowledge translation.

Research News

	ELEVATE seed grants to help researchers at The Ottawa Hospital develop better treatments and improve patient care February 1, 2023 - The Ottawa Hospital’s Research Institute is awarding five ELEVATE seed grants to early-career researchers to spur the development of innovative treatments and better patient care.
	Life-altering stroke treatment and care from a “gym rat” January 26, 2023 - Meet Dr. Robert Fahed, one of only four interventional neurologists in Canada
	Neurologist blazes new trails in stroke research November 2, 2022 - For a neurology resident who spent the last five years sleeping in hospitals and saving lives, Dr. Ronda Lun’s research accomplishments are nothing short of incredible.
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	Breakthrough could revolutionize stroke treatment June 29, 2022 - In the largest stroke clinical trial ever run in Canada, researchers have shown Tenecteplase (TNK), a safe, well tolerated drug, commonly used as a clot buster for heart attacks, is an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke, a stroke caused by
	Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded five grants for high risk, high reward and interdisciplinary research April 4, 2022 - The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2021 Exploration competition has awarded $25 million to support 102 research teams across Canada that bring diverse disciplines together in pursuit of breakthrough ideas and high-reward outcomes.
	Study reinforces new treatment option for stroke prevention February 17, 2022 - A network meta-analysis led by Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi and neurology resident Dr. Ronda Lun found that ticagrelor is just as good as clopidogrel when combined with aspirin as a dual antiplatelet therapy.
	Getting the clot out on first try improves outcomes for basilar artery stroke patients January 21, 2022 - Pulling a clot out of the brain on the first try significantly improves outcomes for patients with basilar artery stroke, according to a study published in Stroke led by Dr. Robert Fahed. This rare kind stroke can cause death or severe disability by
	Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded three grants for high risk, high reward and interdisciplinary research May 31, 2021 - The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2020 Exploration competition brings diverse disciplines together in pursuit of breakthrough ideas and high-reward outcomes.
	Tool predicts which mini-strokes could lead to major strokes February 3, 2021 - A made-in-Ottawa tool can help emergency physicians predict which patients with mini-strokes are at greatest risk of having a major stroke within the week, according to a study published in The BMJ.
	Can a diabetes drug help repair damaged nerve insulation? Mouse study shows it might. January 27, 2021 - A study in mice led by Dr. Jing Wang suggests that the diabetes drug metformin may be able to repair damage to nerve insulation caused by diseases like MS and stroke.
	New scientist profile: Dr. Robert Fahed wants more people to benefit from life-saving stroke therapy May 27, 2020 - Dr. Robert Fahed saves lives by pulling blood clots out of the brains of stroke patients. This minimally invasive procedure called thrombectomy has revolutionized stroke care, and Dr. Fahed wants as many patients as possible to benefit. However, he’s
	Updated Ottawa Rules app could help doctors predict strokes, catch deadly brain bleeds May 14, 2020 - A free app for emergency department physicians based on Ottawa’s world-renowned clinical decision rules has added more rules to its roster.
	Researchers awarded $1.6M to improve care for cardiovascular disease November 13, 2019 - The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada has awarded $1.6M to researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
	How a lucky accident helped spark a new era of depression research October 21, 2019 - It all started with one lucky accident. In the late 1980’s, Dr. Paul Albert was trying to isolate a gene that controls metabolism. Instead, he pulled out a gene that controls motivation and another that controls mood. These two genes became the subje
	Feature grant: Researchers investigate how cholesterol regulates inflammation in white blood cells August 7, 2019 - Drs. Xiaohui Zha and Alexander Sorisky were awarded $48,000 to test whether cholesterol regulates inflammation in human white blood cells by altering gene expression.
	The Ottawa Hospital awarded 13 grants worth $11.2 million from Canadian Institutes of Health Research July 26, 2019 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital have been awarded 13 grants worth a total of $11.2 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The new projects focus on areas such as cancer immunotherapy, hepatitis C infection, blood clots, ar
	Provincial innovation award for a computer tablet that could help stroke patients recover January 9, 2019 - Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi has been honored with the 2018 e-Health, Technology, and Monitoring Excellence Award by the Innovation Fund Provincial Oversight Committee. His team’s project “Recover Now: Mobile Tablet-based Stroke Rehabilitation in the Acute Ca
	Study shows which stroke patients benefit most from clot-busting drug October 25, 2018 - Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi co-authored an international study that could help predict which ischemic stroke patients would benefit the most from a clot-busting drug. This kind of stroke can be treated with the drug alteplase or by running a long thin tube t
	Research project aims to get stroke survivors moving October 24, 2018 - Exercise has been proven to enhance brain repair, decrease depression, maintain cognitive function and reduce frailty in stroke survivors. However, stroke survivors don’t always have access to evidence-based exercise programs in the community. A new
	Researchers awarded $1.7 M to tackle stroke and heart attack from multiple angles October 2, 2018 - Five groups from The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, were successful in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's recent grant competition. Drs. Dar Dowlatshahi, Tim Ramsay and Elizabeth Rochon were awarded $290,000* to test whethe
	Could leaky blood vessels be a target for treating migraines? Study opens up promising new area of research August 30, 2018 - Migraine headaches are often accompanied by electrical waves that slowly move across the brain, causing flashes of light and other visual disturbances. Referred to as “migraine aura”, this phenomenon also affects the brain’s blood vessels, allowing
	Diabetes drug could enhance stem cell treatment for stroke August 8, 2018 - Imagine removing blood or skin cells from a patient after a stroke, turning them into powerful stem cells in the lab, and then transplanting them back into the same patient's brain so they can give rise to new neurons to repair the damage. This is th
	Can a calculator predict your risk of heart attack and stroke? July 23, 2018 - Canadian researchers have built and validated an online calculator that empowers individuals to predict their risk of cardiovascular disease. Their process was published today in the journal CMAJ, and the calculator is available at projectbiglife.com
	Researchers and support staff recognized at The Ottawa Hospital’s Excellence Awards ceremony May 25, 2018 - Several inspiring research staff were honoured at The Ottawa Hospital’s Excellence Awards ceremony on May 22. The Ottawa Stroke Program received the Research Excellence Team Award and Amy Geertsma received the Inspire Award for Outstanding Clinical R
	Could a skin cancer drug help treat stroke? April 18, 2018 - Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen and her team discovered that a drug used to treat skin cancer reduced brain damage after stroke in animal models. While a lack of blood flow that supplies oxygen and nutrients is the first thing to kill brain cells after a strok
	Could stem cells repair the heart, fight infections, mend premature lungs, and heal the brain after stroke? April 11, 2018 - Ottawa researchers closer to finding out, thanks to $999,900 from the Stem Cell Network Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks
	Antidepressants and exercise in stroke recovery: surprising results from new mouse study March 2, 2018 - Exercise and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective in treating certain kinds of depression, but little research has tested them together in post-stroke depression, which affects 20 to 80 percent of stroke survivors. Drs. Pau
	The Ottawa Hospital awarded $12.7M for research, double the national CIHR success rate January 30, 2018 - Sixteen research groups at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded $12.7 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This represents a success r
	Pre-treated cells boost blood vessel repair November 29, 2017 - Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are stem-like cells found in umbilical cord blood that help repair damaged blood vessels. They may hold promise for the treatment of stroke, heart attack and blocked leg arteries. However, their rate of bloo
	Researchers get $558K boost from Heart and Stroke Foundation June 15, 2017 - Two scientists from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa were successful in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s recent grant-in-aid grant competition. Dr. Baptiste Lacoste was awarded $259,000* to test whether drugs that are already used
	New model may lead to better treatments for depression after stroke September 14, 2016 - Dr. Paul Albert and his team have developed a new animal model to help test treatments for depression after stroke. Between 20 to 80 percent of stroke patients will be diagnosed with depression, which greatly impacts both their quality of life an
	Could an algorithm help treat bleeding strokes? March 2, 2016 - Intracerebral hemorrhages, or bleeding strokes, kill approximately 500 people in Ontario each year. One in three victims are still bleeding when they arrive at the hospital and could potentially be helped by experimental drugs that promote blood
	Silent strokes more common than thought; and a major cause of dementia July 9, 2014 - Dr. Antoine Hakim has published a perspective piece in the prestigious journal Nature concerning “covert” or “silent” strokes that occur in people without producing the usual signs and symptoms of an overt stroke. As part of a special edition of Natu

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Albert, Paul PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Mental health, Vascular cognitive impairment, Anxiety, Depression, Intellectual disabilities, Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, Stroke, Suicide	Basic research, Epigenetics, Exercise, Gene expression, Translational research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Optogenetics, Transgenic/knockout models
Austin, Michael MD, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (Clinical Epidemiology)	Asthma, Cardiac arrest, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Diabetes, Pain, Population health, Stroke	Clinical decision rules, Clinical trials, Cluster randomized trials, Cohort studies, Critical care, Emergency medicine, Palliative care, Risk assessment
Aviv, Richard MBChB, FRCR (UK), FRCPC, dABR	Clinician Investigator (Neuroscience)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Brain cancer, Head and neck cancer, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Traumatic brain injury, Vascular cognitive impairment, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	3D printing, Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Clinical research, Cluster randomized trials, Disease models, Health economics, Health technology, Imaging, Patient safety, Quality Improvement, Translational research
Campbell, Mark MD, MSc	Clinician Investigator (Regenerative Medicine)	Bone and joint degeneration, Musculoskeletal conditions, Stroke	Basic research, Regenerative medicine, Rehabilitation, Translational research
Chakraborty, Santanu MBBS, MRCP, DMRD, FRCR, FRCP(C)	Senior Clinician Investigator (Neuroscience)	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Brain cancer, Concussion, Dementia, Head and neck cancer, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Spinal cord injury, Stroke, Traumatic brain injury	Bioinformatics, Clinical research, Health economics, Health professional behaviour change, Imaging, Immunization, Patient safety, Quality Improvement, Risk assessment
Chen, Hsiao-Huei PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Aging, Autism, Dementia, Depression, Heart disease, Maternal and fetal health, Mental health, Tourette's, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's, Anxiety, Diabetes, Obesity, Schizophrenia, Stroke, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Disease models, Drug development, Gene expression, Neuro-stimulation, Optogenetics, Transgenic/knockout models, Basic research, Molecular and cellular biology, Translational research
Dowlatshahi, Dariush MD PhD FRCP(C)	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Stroke	Clinical trials, Digital and mobile health, Rehabilitation, Epidemiology
Fahed, Robert MD MSc	Associate Scientist (Neuroscience)	Stroke, Subarachnoid hemorrhage	Biostatistics, Clinical decision rules, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Imaging, Pragmatic trials, Quality Improvement, Shared decision making, Systematic reviews
Finestone, Hillel MD, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (Clinical Epidemiology)	Chronic pain, Musculoskeletal conditions, Pain, Stroke	Rehabilitation
Hakim, Antoine O.C., MD, PhD, FRCPC	Senior Scientist Emeritus (Neuroscience)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Dementia, Stroke, Vascular cognitive impairment
Lacoste, Baptiste PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Stroke, Vascular cognitive impairment, Autism	Basic research, Disease models, Gene expression, Genomics, Stem cells, Genetics, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Lalu, Manoj MD, PhD, FRCPC	Scientist (Clinical Epidemiology)	Blood cancer, COVID-19, Heart disease, Stroke, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Anesthesiology, Basic research, Cell therapy, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Disease models, Health research methods, Model organisms, Patient engagement, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research
Manuel, Douglas MD, MSc, FRCPC	Senior Scientist (Clinical Epidemiology)	Aging, Alzheimer's, Cancer, COVID-19, Dementia, Diabetes, Frailty, Global health, Health equity, Health in disadvantaged peoples, Health in older peoples, Immigrant and refugee health, Infectious disease, Obesity, Parkinson's, Population health, Stroke, Vascular cognitive impairment, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Digital and mobile health, Epidemiology, Health research methods, Health services research, Prevention, Public health
Perry, Jeffrey MD, MSc, CCFP-EM	Senior Scientist (Clinical Epidemiology)	Stroke, Subarachnoid hemorrhage	Clinical decision rules, Emergency medicine
Picketts, David Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Autism, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Intellectual disabilities, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke, Vision	Basic research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Santos, Marlise MD (FRCPC), MSc, MPH	Clinician Investigator (Clinical Epidemiology)	Alzheimer's, Anxiety, Ataxia, Autoimmune disease, Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, Blood cancer, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Brain cancer, Cancer, Chronic disease, Concussion, Dementia, Depression, Global health, Head and neck cancer, Health equity, Health in disadvantaged peoples, Infectious disease, Intellectual disabilities, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Population health, Sickle cell anemia, Spinal cord injury, Stroke, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Thrombosis / thromboembolism, Traumatic brain injury, Traumatic injuries, Vascular cognitive impairment, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Behaviour, Biostatistics, Cancer biotherapeutics, Clinical decision rules, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Critical care, Epidemiology, Health economics, Health research methods, Health services research, Health technology, Imaging, Patient safety, Pragmatic trials, Prevention, Public health, Qualitative methods, Quality Improvement, Shared decision making, Surgery, Surveys, Systematic reviews
Shamy, Michel MD MA FRCPC	Scientist (Neuroscience)	Stroke	Clinical trials, Imaging
Thavorn, Kednapa BPharm, MPharm, PhD	Senior Scientist (Clinical Epidemiology)	Cancer, COVID-19, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disease, Glaucoma, Global health, Health in disadvantaged peoples, Health in older peoples, HIV, Immigrant and refugee health, Population health, Septic shock, Stroke, Thrombosis / thromboembolism, Vision	Clinical research, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Health economics, Health research methods, Health services research, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Patient engagement, Pharmacy, Public health, Quality Improvement, Systematic reviews
Thornhill, Rebecca PhD	Clinician Investigator (Clinical Epidemiology)	Cancer, Heart disease, Stroke, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Biomarkers, Biostatistics, Imaging, Patient safety
Tiberi, Mario PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, Stroke	Basic research, Drug development, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Translational research
Wang, Jing Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Alzheimer's, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke	Cell therapy, Disease models, Epigenetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Wang, Xiang Pharm.D, MSc, ACPR	Clinician Investigator (Clinical Epidemiology)	Cancer, Heart disease, Population health, Stroke, Thrombosis / thromboembolism	Health services research

Related Resources

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Neuroscience Program
Champlain Regional Stroke Network
The Ottawa Hospital Stroke Prevention Clinic
Ottawa Department of Medicine Division of Neurology
Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery