Sent on behalf of Dr. Mohit Kapoor and Dr. Robert Inman, Co-Directors of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, UHN
MESSAGE FROM THE CO-DIRECTORS
Schroeder Arthritis Institute Launch Anniversary
A first birthday is a celebratory occasion in all families. Although the birthday cake will have to wait due to pandemic restrictions, we have much to celebrate.
The development of a world-class program in Arthritis at UHN was years in the making, with a steady growth in the number of clinicians and researchers, educators and clinical and research staff dedicated to solving the challenge of Arthritis. But it was not until October 2020 that this dream became a reality, when the Schroeder Arthritis Institute was launched with a $25 million donation from philanthropists Maria and Walter Schroeder.
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute reflects an integrated vision, a carefully crafted strategic plan and sustainable business model. Combined with our exceptional multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, educators and clinical and research staff the Schroeder Arthritis Institute is now positioned to be a world-leading institute in Arthritis innovation, learning and clinical care.
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute is the largest multidisciplinary arthritis research hub in Canada, integrating medical, surgical and basic science aspects of Hand, Orthopaedics, Osteoporosis and Rheumatology, with a goal of making a global impact in discovery, learning and patient care.
At this Thanksgiving time of the year, we are immensely grateful for the dedication and commitment of each member of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. We are also grateful to each donor and supporter who have believed in our vision and mission to tackle arthritis.
Robert Inman & Mohit Kapoor
SPECIAL FEATURE
Schroeder Arthritis Institute Clinical Director, Silvi, a true trailblazer.
Each edition of our newsletter will now feature some of the exceptional members of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute ranging from clinical, research and education, highlighting their accomplishments, vision and mantra of success. The inaugural feature is on none other than our Schroeder Arthritis Institute Clinical Director, Silvi Groe, a true trailblazer.
Silvi is the clinical director at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. She is responsible for overseeing the comprehensive clinical operations of the inpatient acute care program and the largest outpatient program at UHN with over 80,000 visits annually. She is at the forefront of leading innovation across outpatient care, integrated, and connected care and is continuing to drive UHN's and the Schroeder Arthritis Institute's vision for patient-centered care. Silvi has been with the Institute for 4 years. In a recent interview, she commended the Institute for its innovation and for driving UHN's vision of A Healthier World as part of its strategic plan.
"People!" was her first answer when asked about her biggest motivation. She loves working with her teams and is always inspired by their tenacity, passion, and collaborative spirit. Throughout her leadership at UHN, she recognizes how crucial it is to align and support people's strengths and passions to enable them to do their best work.
Silvi's Mantra of Success is to Dream Big! People often view setbacks and failures as negative things, but to her, setbacks are learning opportunities and key stepping stones in someone's journey to reach their ultimate goal of success. She also stressed the need for empathy in the workplace. She describes herself and is described by her team to be an empathetic leader and shared that research shows that empathetic leaders drive innovation. "When people reported their leaders were empathetic, they were more likely to report they were able to be innovative - 61% of employees compared to only 13% of employees with less empathetic leaders.(Forbes)". She also describes herself as an authentic leader who values lifelong learning. She is engaging, as she believes that engagement of staff is critical and will result in amazing outcomes.
Another value that is highly important to Silvi is inclusivity. She believes it is crucial that everyone feels included and no one is ever left out. Everyone brings unique strengths to the table, and as a leader, it is imperative to recognize everyone's unique strengths and to integrate those different strengths to create a dynamic and effective team.
On a personal level, Silvi loves music, values art, and she has a great passion for poetry. In fact, she often integrates poetry during her team huddles to support team wellness and resilience, which she found was particularly needed during the pandemic. One of her favourite quotes from Canadian Indigenous writer Richard Wagamese, "teachings are hidden in every leaf and rock", is one she shares with her team.
She concluded by expressing her pride to be a part of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. She values the diversity across our researchers, clinicians and staff that brings so much uniqueness, richness, and strength to the Institute.
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute would like to thank and congratulate Silvi for her exceptional leadership to transform patient care.
INTEGRATED QUALITY FRAMEWORK
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute has launched its Integrated Quality Framework, which is grounded in innovative research, learning and patient care. The framework was co-designed with our patient partners, and Team UHN members to define structural, process, and outcome elements of quality that are Patient-centred; Equitable; Safe; Effective; Timely/Accessible; and Efficient. Click here to learn more.
IBM WORLD COMMUNITY GRID
Built by IBM in 2004, World Community Grid allows volunteers to offer their personal computing power for computationally intensive research, benefiting humanity. Over the years, the platform has allowed the public to participate in many health-related projects, including cancer and HIV/AIDS research and recently, the development of the SARS-CoV-2 treatments. Volunteers receive computer-simulated experiments on their workstations (computers or Android devices) through the BOINC app when they sign up to participate. This app downloads scientific computing jobs and runs them in the background; the user can choose what projects to run and when, or how much computing resources they wish to dedicate to these projects.
UHN's Krembil Research Institute has assumed managing control of the World Community Grid (WCG), a powerful computing platform that enables the public to support large-scale science. Dr. Igor Jurisica, a Senior Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute, is leading this initiative and will oversee the transfer and continue to support WCG initiatives. Click here to learn more.
NEW APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS
Associate Professor
Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan, scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute, has been promoted to Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and at the Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Clinical Associate
Dr. Samuel Larrivée, Orthopaedic Surgeon sub-specializing in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy was recently appointed
in the Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics as a Clinical Associate.
AWARDS, GRANTS AND RECOGNITIONS
Krembil Research Institute Collaborative Research Seed Fund (CRSF) 2021
Dr. Joan Wither and Dr. Igor Jurisica, senior scientists at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute, secured funding for their project titled "Towards a Personalized Approach to Treatment of Scleroderma" through the Krembil Research Institute Collaborative Research Seed Fund (CRSF) 2021
The Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT) Project Awards
Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan, scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute, along with Dr. Edmond Young from the University of Toronto, secured funding through the National Research Council Canada – CRAFT Project Awards for their project titled "Flow-JOC and Flex-JOC: Novel osteoarthritic joint-on-a-chip (JOC) systems for modelling interactions between joint resident cells and infiltrating immune effectors".
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Project Grant
Dr. Nigil Haroon, scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute, was awarded a 5-year CIHR project grant for his study titled "HIF1-alpha interacts with MIF to drive inflammation and new bone formation in spondyloarthritis".
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Project Grant, Krembil Research Institute Seed Grant & National Psoriasis Foundation Discovery Grant
Dr. Vinod Chandran, scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute, secured funding for his project titled "Identifying metabolomic markers of disease activity in psoriatic disease using Solid Phase Microextraction - Liquid Chromatography - High Resolution Mass Spectrometry" through The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Project Grant Competition.
Dr. Chandran secured funding for his project titled "Predicting psoriatic arthritis flares by integrating remote monitoring of symptoms, physical activity and biomarkers" through the Krembil Research Institute Seed Grant Competition.
Dr. Chandran was also awarded the National Psoriasis Foundation Discovery Grant for his project titled "Precision medicine for psoriatic arthritis by integrating remote monitoring of symptoms, physical activity and biomarkers".
The UHN/SHS Mimi & Charles Hollenberg Research Award 2021
Dr. Akihiro Nakamura, Spondylitis Fellow and PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Nigil Haroon, scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Krembil Research Institute received The UHN/SHS Mimi & Charles Hollenberg Research Award 2021 for his research titled "Macrophage migration inhibitory factor drives the immunopathology of type 3 immunity-mediated arthritis".
STUDENTSHIP AWARDS
Krembil Research Institute 2021 Spring Postdoctoral & Clinical Research Fellowship Award
Dr. Nupur Purohit, postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Heather Baltzer was awarded the Krembil Research Institute 2021 Spring Postdoctoral & Clinical Research Fellowship Award for her project titled "Identifying the molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis severity".
Krembil Research Institute 2021 Spring Postdoctoral & Clinical Research Fellowship Award
Dr. Fataneh Tavasolian, postdoctoral/clinical fellow supervised by Dr. Robert Inman was awarded the Krembil Research Institute 2021 Spring Postdoctoral & Clinical Research Fellowship Award for her project titled "Epigenetic modulation of plasticity and stability of T cell signatures in ankylosing spondylitis".
Canadian Connective Tissue Society Conference 2021 Summer Blitz Webinar Award
Brian Wu, PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Mohit Kapoor at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was selected as a of recipient the Trainee Award for the Canadian Connective Tissue Society Conference 2021 Summer Blitz Webinar.
The Arthritis Society PhD Salary Award
Kabriya Thavaratnam, PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Mohit Kapoor at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was awarded The Arthritis Society PhD Salary Award for her project titled "Utilizing single nuclei RNA sequencing to identify distinct cell subsets and mechanisms in the synovium of early and late stage radiographic knee osteoarthritis".
The Arthritis Society PhD Salary Award
Emily Ha, PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Andy Wong, assistant scientist in the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was awarded The Arthritis Society PhD Salary Award for her project titled "Understanding the mechanisms of how estrogen loss at menopause leads to knee pain: A population-based longitudinal study of postmenopausal women".
International Workshop on Osteoarthritis Imaging (IWOAI 2021) - Young Investigator Award for Top 3 Best Oral Abstract
Vahid Anwari, MSc candidate under the supervision of Dr. Andy Wong, assistant scientist in the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, received the Young Investigator Award for Top 3 Best Oral Abstract at the International Workshop on Osteoarthritis Imaging (IWOAI 2021) for his project titled "Knee pain is associated with perfusion kinetics at the infrapatellar fat pad among non-overweight postmenopausal women".
NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS
In-house abbreviated qualification of a real-time polymerase chain reaction method and strategies to amplify mycoplasma detection in human mesenchymal stromal cells
Mathews S, Rabani R, Rasti M, Viswanathan S. Cytotherapy. August 2021.
Click here for publication.
The non-coding RNA interactome in joint health and disease
Ali S.A., Peffers M.J., Ormseth M.J., Jurisica I, Kapoor M. Nature Reviews Rheumatology. September 2021.
Click here for publication.
Bridging the Gap between Symptom Onset and Diagnosis in Axial Spondyloarthritis
Passalent L., Sundararajan K., Perruccio A.V., Hawke C., Coyte P.C., Bombardier C., Bloom J.A., Haroon N., Inman R.D. and Rampersaud, Y.R. Arthritis Care & Research. July 2021.
Click here for publication.
A tool for evaluating novel osteoarthritis therapies using multivariate analyses of human cartilage-synovium explant co-culture
Chan MWY, Gomez-Aristizábal A, Mahomed N, Gandhi R, Viswanathan S. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. September 2021.
Click here for publication.
Understanding COVID-19 Risk in Patients with Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Population-based analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Testing
Eder L, Croxford R, Drucker AM, Mendel A, Kuriya B, Touma Z, Johnson SR, Cook R, Bernatsky S, Haroon N, Widdifield J. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). September 2021.
Click here for publication.
Barriers to medication adherence and degree of nonadherence in a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) outpatient population
Hardy C, Gladman DD, Su J, Rozenbojm N, Urowitz MB. Rheumatol Int. August 2021.
Click here for publication.
Oligoarticular vs Polyarticular Psoriatic Arthritis: A Longitudinal Study Showing Similar Characteristics
Gladman DD, Ye JY, Chandran V, Lee KA, Cook RJ. J Rheumatol. August 2021.
Click here for publication.
Gradual Glucocorticosteroid Withdrawal Is Safe in Clinically Quiescent Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Tselios K, Gladman DD, Su J, Urowitz MB. ACR Open Rheumatol. August 2021.
Click here for publication.
"Uninformed" Consent: Patient Recollection From Surgical Consent in Hand Surgery-A Quality Improvement Initiative
Yu M, von Schroeder HP. Hand. July 2021.
Click here for publication.
Gut microbiota–microRNA interactions in ankylosing spondylitis
Tavasolian F, Inman RD. Autoim Rev. April 2021.
Click here for publication.
Recent advances in spondyloarthritis: positive developments in the seronegative domain
Haroon N, Inman RD. Semin Immunopathol. April 2021
Click here for publication.
