Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta

Research within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta extends from basic biomedical and clinical research to health outcomes and care delivery research. Notable successes include:

• A global change in treatment of arrhythmia as a result of trials led by D. George Wyse.[2]
• APPROACH database and Heart Alert
• Innovative STEMI protocol resulting in mean time to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of a commendable 62 minutes[3]
• Stephenson Cardiovascular MR Centre, ranking first internationally among CMR centres as measured by research impact factor points, and ranking first in North America among CMR centres as measured by volume of patient studies - a recent publication documented for the first time, the imaging of salvaged heart muscle as a result of a post-MI Intervention.[4] To date, a White Paper on myocarditis with lead author Dr. Matthias Friedrich of the Stephenson CMR Centre, is the only White Paper ever published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.[5][6]
• Highest 30-day myocardial infarction survival rate in Canada[7] according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information

Programs under the jurisdiction of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta include Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, in addition to contributions to other medical programs as well as graduate studies in the sciences.

The LCIA also offers fellowships and/or advanced training in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, heart function and cardiac MRI.

The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta provides the following services:

• Nursing Units and Diagnostics - Cardiovascular patient services at Calgary area hospitals and private practices.
• Interventional Cardiology - Catheter based treatments of structural heart disease.
• The University of Calgary's Department of Cardiac Sciences - Research of the cardiovascular system.
• Stephenson Cardiovascular MR Centre - Diagnostic facility dedicated exclusively to Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR).

University of Calgary's HRIC building

The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta is a wide-ranging program of cardiovascular integration which houses a growing list of scientists, clinicians, and researchers from various sites working together to advance the cardiovascular health of Albertans.

• Health Research Innovation Centre (HRIC)[8] contains a new hub for the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta's basic scientists. The space, co-located on the same campus as the Foothills Medical Centre, opened in June 2009.[9] Elements of different University of Calgary Institutes occupy the various floors / areas in this building, as to encourage research integration.
• HRIC Teaching Research & Wellness Building (TRW), opened in Q3 of 2009, houses scientists focused on translational research. Directly connected to the primary area of HRIC, the spaces have been constructed to encourage interaction between basic and clinical researchers.
• South Health Campus, a $1.5B project completed in 2013, offers a full suite of services relating to cardiovascular health.
• Rockyview General Hospital
• Peter Lougheed Centre
• Alberta Children's Hospital

• Eldon Smith OC, MD, FRCPC - Officer of the Order of Canada,[10] penultimate Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Chair of the steering committee responsible for developing a new Heart Health Strategy to fight heart disease in Canada.[11][12]
• L. Brent Mitchell MD, FRCPC - founding Director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Professor, University of Calgary
• Jonathan Lytton PHD - Research Director, LCIA, Professor, University of Calgary
• David Lau MD, PHD - Professor, University of Calgary, President of Obesity Canada[13] and Chair of the Diabetes and Endocrine Research Group
• Norman Campbell MD, FRCPC - Professor, University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Hypertension Prevention and Control[14]
• Merril Knudtson MD, FRCPC - Professor, University of Calgary
• D. George Wyse MD, FRCPC, PHD - Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary
• William Ghali MD, MPH - Professor, University of Calgary, Canada Research Chair in Health Services Research, Buchanan Chair in General Internal Medicine, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Health Scholar, Research Director for APPROACH.
• Anne M. Gillis MD, FRCPC - Professor, University of Calgary, Director of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, Past President, Heart Rhythm Society (only the 2nd Canadian in the society's history to reach that level)
• Alvin Libin OC AOE LLD- Officer of the Order of Canada,[15] Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence,[16] Chair of the Libin Foundation
• Michael Walsh PHD - Professor, University of Calgary, Canada Research Chair in Vascular Smooth Muscle, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada[17]
• Derek V. Exner MD, MPH, FRCPC, FHRS - Professor, University of Calgary, Canada Tier I Research Chair in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials, Associate Dean of Clinical Trials
• Carlos A. Morillo, MD, - Section Chief Cardiology Alberta Health Services,[18] Professor, University of Calgary, named in the 10 most influential Hispanic-Canadians in 2010.[19]
• Todd J. Anderson, MD, Vice Dean of the Cumming School of Medicine (2019-), director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta (2009-2019; Professor of Medicine University of Calgary, and head of the Department of Cardiac Sciences, University of Calgary (2009-2019).[20]
• Hude Quan, PhD, Professor Department of Community Health Services at the University of Calgary; Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Classification, Terminology and Standards;[21] Lead for Alberta’s Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) SUPPORT Unit Methods Support & Development Platform;[22] and Astra-Zeneca and Chiu Family Chair in Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.[23] Named to the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers List (Formerly Thomson Reuters) in 2014, 2015, 2016.[24]
• S.R. Wayne Chen, PhD - Professor in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology at the University of Calgary; Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT & Nunavut Chair in Cardiovascular Research; "Structural basis for the gating mechanism of the type 2 ryanodine receptor RyR2" published in October 2016 edition of high-impact journal Science[25]
• Robert Sheldon, MD - Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary; task force chair and lead author of "The 2015 Heart Rhythm Society Expert Consensus Statement on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, Inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and Vasovagal Syncope" the first North American written syncope guidelines;[26] received the Canadian Cardiovascular Society's Annual Achievement Award in 2016[27]
• Satish Raj, MD - Professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary; Chair, Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Medical Director; lead author of the Canadian Cardiovascualr Society Position Statement on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Related Disorder of Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance.
• Sofia Ahmed, MD - Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary; Can-SOLVE CKD Network Sex and Gender lead; initiative lead for the Libin Cardiovascular Institute's Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative.
• Kara Nerenberg, MD - Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary; Heart and Stroke Mid-Career Women's Heart and Brain Health Chair.
• Paul Fedak, MD, PhD - Professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary; Director, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta; Academic Head, Department of Cardiac Sciences; Zone Clinical Department head, Cardiac Sciences.

• 2019 Dr. Robert Califf, PhD
• 2018 Dr. Christine Seidman
• 2016 Eric N. Olson
• 2012 Eric Topol
• 2010 A. John Camm
• 2008 Valentin Fuster[28]
• 2006 James T. Willerson[29]
• 2004 Eugene Braunwald

• Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta - official web-site
• Hearts, Minds & Vision: Roots of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta - official publication (2012 Kingsley Publishing)
• Libin Institute blog
• University of Calgary
• Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan
• Reach! - fund raising campaign of the Calgary Health Trust and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary