Sent on behalf of Dr. Mohit Kapoor and Dr. Robert Inman,
Co-Directors of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, UHN
Special Feature
The special features included in each newsletter highlight some of the outstanding individuals who have contributed immensely towards the success of each division of the
Schroeder Arthritis Institute. Our July newsletter feature highlighted Anette Larsson and Maria Morales. If you have missed this feature, please
visit our archive.
In this edition, we are highlighting an exceptional individual who has made an outstanding impact towards the growth and success of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute.
Samra Mian-Valiante
Samra Mian-Valiante is the Director of Strategy and Transformation at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute at the University Health Network. Samra’s career started in Health Services research after completing her Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology and she subsequently went on to complete her Master’s in Business Administration at the Rotman School of Management. Before joining the institute, Samra had the opportunity to support the CEO’s office at University Health Network (UHN) in the
Health System Funding Reform portfolio. During this time, she worked with a diverse leadership team to develop business proposals to fund specialized programs at UHN and support capacity planning for Ophthalmology services across Ontario. She also helped develop the first Spine Quality Based Procedure (QBP) and Corneal Transplant QBP funding models aimed at improving access and quality of care across Ontario through standardized, evidence-based pathways. In 2019, she joined the Schroeder Arthritis Institute where she currently supports the integration of clinical care, research and education domains to drive novel models that connect care for patients across their journey through partnerships and supports that extend beyond our hospital walls. She also plays a key role in the implementation of a province-wide care model that allows her to converge her board skills of evidence-based research and business acumen to drive aspects of the program through fostering of strategic partnerships, alignment of resources to enable strategic growth, and optimization and achievement of operational efficiencies.
Samra’s biggest motivation is finding solutions to enhance patient care in spite of obstacles. In both her personal and work life, she sees herself as a fixer. Early on, she learned the importance of being dynamic, resilient and striving to be your best self through challenging times. She is passionate about working with a dynamic team, and driven by the challenges that healthcare faces but transcends to improve the lives of patients and their families.
When asked what her Mantra of Success is, Samra replied that she heard her colleague use the term “Art of Possible.” And this resonated with her. Her biggest grievance is being told that a vision cannot be achieved because of limited resources or a perceived obstacle. She enjoys looking at a situation from all perspectives and finding creative solutions. She feels that “Nothing is impossible,” rather it’s about developing insights and taking the first key steps to achieving a common goal, and that’s the art of possible.
Samra feels very fortunate to have worked with remarkable leaders who have shaped her thinking and taught her to see problems as a way to innovate and improve how we do things. She credits her past mentors, including Dr. Proton Rahman, Dr. Sherif El-Defrawy, Marnie Weber, Dr. Gillian Hawker, and Dr. Claire Bombardier. “Not all decisions are going to be perfect, but it's about how you make the best decision for whatever is in front of you.” Samra is not afraid to try new things and she says it’s important to understand how to “pivot” when necessary. Healthcare has always had her heart, from enabling new models of care, to bringing new funding to improve patient care, to the patients themselves. This passion has evolved into passion for her team. She is now focused on finding creative ways to support her team with the necessary resources they need to do their best work, whether its building their analytical capabilities, strategically thinking through problems, or engaging our patients in new ways.
A fun fact that Samra shared was her diverse upbringing, which she credits to who she is today. While she was born and raised in Zambia, she also spent much of her time in Pakistan due to her family’s Pakistani background. Her family subsequently moved to the East Coast of Canada, Newfoundland where she completed university, with her journey ultimately bringing her to Toronto, Ontario for work. Experiencing so many diverse cultures and environments allows her to connect easily with people and she feels lucky to have had these opportunities growing up.
On behalf of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, we are grateful for Samra’s exceptional contributions to the growth and success of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and all its initiatives.
New Appointments and Promotions
Nicki and Bryce Douglas Chair in Orthopedic Surgery - University Health Network
Dr. Christian Veillette, Head of the Division of Orthopedic Surgery and Clinical Investigator at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently appointed as the Nicki and Bryce Douglas Chair in Orthopedic Surgery at the University Health Network.
Don and Nita Reed Professorship in Hand Surgery
Dr. Heather Baltzer, Director of the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, and Head of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Sprott Department of Surgery, was recently appointed as the inaugural Don and Nita Reed Professorship in Hand Surgery.
President of the International Congress of Spondyloarthritis
Dr. Nigil Haroon, Head of the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Sinai Health System, has been named President of the International Congress of Spondyloarthritis, which is to be held in Ghent, Belgium.
New Fellow - Canadian Academy of Health Sciences CAHS-ACSS
Dr. Angela Cheung, Director of the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, has been elected as a new fellow with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS-ACSS).
Hand Surgeon - The Hand Program, Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Dr. Jemec Barbara, Consultant at the National Health Service in Denmark, United Kingdom, recently joined the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Toronto Western Hospital as a Hand Surgeon. She has a PhD in Dupuytren's disease and her interest in hand surgery lies in trauma reconstruction, small joint arthritis and Dupuytren's.
Digital Content & Communications Specialist - Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Lynn Saber has recently joined the Schroeder Arthritis Institute as a Digital Content and Communications Specialist. She has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master's in Professional Communications degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Some of Lynn's key responsibilities include internal and external communications for the Schroeder Arthritis Institute by creating digital content, websites, developing the quarterly Schroeder Arthritis Institute's newsletters, and leading the Social Media content for the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. Lynn has also been co-coordinating the virtual International Conference on Arthritis that will be taking place on October 13 and 14, 2022.
Awards, Grants and Recognitions
Co-Chair of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) MSC Committee
Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan, Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was nominated to be the Co-Chair of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) MSC Committee.
Learn more about the Committee
2021 Eaton Scholar Clinical Research Award of the Year
Dr. Angela Cheung, Director of the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, received the 2021 Eaton Scholar Clinical Research Award of the Year within the Chief Science Advisor Task Force.
Completion of Clinical Fellowship - University of Toronto
Dr. Khalid Saad D. Alshahrani, mentored by Dr. Jorge Sanchez-Guerrero, Dr. Nigil Haroon and Dr. Vinod Chandran, and sponsored by Ad Diriyah Hospital-Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, completed his Clinical Fellowship in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus at the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Operating Grant - World Community Grid
Dr. Igor Jurisica, Senior Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, received an Operating Grant from the World Community Grid.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Grant
Dr. Mohit Kapoor (Principal Investigator), Dr. Rajiv Gandhi (Co-Investigator), and Dr. Igor Jurisica (Co-Investigator) at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute were successful in obtaining the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Epigenetics/epigenomics in human health or disease Grant for their project titled
"Contribution of synovial cell subsets to the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis."
Student Awards
2022-2023 Ontario Graduate Scholarship - University of Toronto
Canadian Connective Tissue Society (CCTS) Summer Blitz - Trainee Awards
Lauren Banh, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan and Dr. Edmond Young, has received the 2022-2023 Ontario Graduate Scholarship from the University of Toronto.
Lauren's presentation titled
"Applying organ-on-a-chip technology to model the osteoarthritic knee joint" was voted as the top presentation for the fifth CCTS Summer Blitz webinar session.
2022-2023 Mount Sinai Hospital Award
Office of Research Trainees (ORT) Conference Participation Award
Oreoluwa Kolade, PhD student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan and Dr. Julie Audet, has received the 2022-2023 Mount Sinai Hospital Award for his project titled
"Development of Predictive Models to Optimize Critical Quality Attributes of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells by Manipulating Critical Process Parameters and Donor Heterogeneity."
Oreoluwa also received the Office of Research Trainees (ORT) Conference Participation Award.
Ontario Graduate Scholar Award
Wils Nielson, MSc Candidate, supervised by Dr. Zahi Touma at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholar Award for his project titled
"Update of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Core Domain Set in SLE."
Office of Research Trainees (ORT) Summer Student Research Day
Kevin Fan, Summer Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan and Dr. Christian Veillette, has won 1st place for the ORT Summer Student Research Day 3-minute presentations for his project titled
"Correlating Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Characteristics to Clinical Outcomes in Hand Osteoarthritis."
Griffin Copp, Summer Student and Master's Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan and Dr. Rajiv Gandhi, has won 2nd place for the ORT Summer Student Research Day 3-minute presentations for his project titled
"Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Challenges and Priming Strategies."
2022-2023 PhD Salary Awards - The Arthritis Society
Lauren Banh, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan and Dr. Edmond Young, has received the Arthritis Society's 2022-2023 PhD Salary Award for her project titled
"Novel osteoarthritic joint-on-a-chip (JOC) systems for modelling interactions between joint resident cells and infiltrating immune effectors."
Addison Pacheco, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Robert Inman, has received the Arthritis Society's 2022-2023 PhD Salary Award for his project titled
"Immune profiling regulatory T cells in spondyloarthritis: Suppressive or pathogenic?"
Archita Srinath, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Nigil Haroon, has received the Arthritis Society's 2022-2021 PhD Salary Award for their project titled
"The role of TRABID in inflammation and bone formation in ankylosing spondylitis."
Shaghayegh Foroozan Boroojeni, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Nigil Haroon, has received the Arthritis Society's 2022-2021 PhD Salary Award for her project titled
"Gut inflammation in spondyloarthritis: Which immune cells are driving the process?"
2022-2023 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Awards - The Arthritis Society
Dr. Navita Sharma, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Vinod Chandran, was awarded the Arthritis Society's Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award for her project titled
"TNF Receptor Associated Factor 1 (TRAF1) as a Novel Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis."
Dr. Michelle Barraclough, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Zahi Touma, was awarded the Arthritis Society's Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award for her project titled
"A pilot study examining the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and cognitive fatigue in SLE using structural and functional MRIs of the brain and focusing on the underlying mechanisms."
Dr. Fataneh Tavasolian, Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Robert Inman, was awarded the Arthritis Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award for her project titled
"The role of exosomes in ankylosing spondylitis pathogenesis."
Dr. James Young, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Anthony Perruccio and Dr. Michael Zywiel, was awarded the Arthritis Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award for his project titled
"Comparing treatment effects of education and exercise and surgery: A matched observational study of Canadians with knee or hip osteoarthritis."
Symposium
Symposium on Regenerative Medicine and Osteoarthritis: Challenges & Opportunities
The Division of Orthopedic's Osteoarthritis Research Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute hosted a Symposium on Regenerative Medicine and Osteoarthritis: Challenges & Opportunities, on August 24, 2022 at the BMO Conference Centre in Toronto, welcoming experts in the field of Regenerative Medicine.
Watch the Symposium
Retirement
Happy Retirement!
"We might pose a number of questions to clinical researchers in medicine on current best practices.
Should clinical databases be developed and maintained with same rigor as biological databases? Can detailed study of clinical disease over time be as informative as genetic and molecular studies of that disease? Should precision in clinical phenotyping be the basis of informative translational research into disease pathogenesis?
The anticipated response would be: of course! These are self-evident realities.
But when Dr. Murray Urowitz was embarking on his research career and initiating the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic, the answers to these questions were far from clear.
In the ensuring five decades of clinical research, the Lupus Clinic became the laboratory in which these fundamental questions were addressed. This approach has profoundly influenced not only current approach to research in Lupus, but also in all rheumatic diseases. The recognition that longitudinal observational studies are fundamental to clinical research is largely attributable to Dr. Urowitz's vision and his sustained commitment to excellence." - Dr. Robert Inman, Co-Director of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute
On behalf of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, we are grateful for Dr. Murray Urowtiz's outstanding contributions and we celebrate Dr. Murray Urowtiz's retirement with gratitude and admiration!
International Conference on Arthritis
Register for Free!
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute, in partnership with The Arthritis Society, CIHR-Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, and the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto, is pleased to invite you to the inaugural International Conference on Arthritis: Convergence of Care, Education and Research, a virtual event on October 13 and 14, 2022.
Through 4 keynote talks, 3 debates, 8 concurrent sessions and over 30 invited speakers, this conference will showcase cutting edge research and latest advancements in clinical care in arthritis.
Free registration is now open. For all updates, registrations and conference information, please visit
www.ica-sai.com
Upcoming Event
Scientific Symposium
The Schroeder Arthritis Institute is hosting a Scientific Symposium Celebrating 50 years of the Toronto Lupus Program as well as the contributions of Dr. Murray Urowitz, the Founder and Director of the Toronto Lupus Program from 1970-2022. This Symposium will take place on December 1, 2022, at the BMO Conference Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and will feature national and international experts in lupus.
The Scientific Symposium on December 1, 2022, will be followed by a Dinner Celebration at the Marriott Eaton Centre in Toronto, Ontario, to acknowledge the contributions of the Founder of the Toronto Lupus Program, Dr. Murray Urowtiz. This celebration supports the Murray Urowitz Lupus Professorship Fundraiser.
Registration website will be available in October 2022. For more information, please contact:
Lupus50@uhn.ca
Notable Publications
A Review of Lupus Nephritis
Alforaih N, Whittall-Garcia L, Touma Z. J Apple Lab Med. August 2022.
View the publication
Altered Balance of Pro-Inflammatory Immune Cells to T Regulatory Cells Differentiates Symptomatic From Asymptomatic Individuals with Anti-Nuclear Antibodies
Gupta R, Vanlieshout E, Manion K, Bonilla D, Kim M, Muñoz-Grajales C, Nassar C, Johnson SR, Hiraki LT, Ahmad Z, Touma Z, Bookman A, Wither JE. Front Immunol. June 2022.
View the publication
An International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Committee editorial on overcoming limitations in clinical trials of mesenchymal Stromal cell therapy for coronavirus disease-19: time for a global registry
Weiss DJ, Filiano A, Galipeau J, Khoury M, Krampera M, Lalu M, Le Blanc K, Nolta J, Phinney DG, Rocco PRM, Shi Y, Tarte K, Viswanathan S, Martin I. Cytotherapy. July 2022.
View the publication
Contribution of microRNA-27b-3p to synovial fibrotic responses in knee osteoarthritis
Tavallaee G, Lively S, Rockel JS, Ali SA, Im M, Sarda C, Mitchell GM, Rossomacha E, Nakamura S, Potla P, Gabrial S, Matelski J, Ratneswaran A, Perry K, Hinz B, Gandhi R, Jurisica I, Kapoor M. Arthritis Rheumatol. July 2022.
View the publication
Effect of bimekizumab on symptoms and impact of disease in patients with psoriatic arthritis over 3 years: results from BE ACTIVE
Mease PJ, Asahina A, Gladman DD, Tanaka Y, Tillett W, Ink B, Assudani D, de la Loge C, Coarse J, Eells J, Gossec L. Rheumatology (Oxford). July 2022.
View the publication
Efficacy and safety of guselkumab in biology-naïve patients with active axial psoriatic arthritis: study protocol for STAR, a phase 4, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
Gladman DD, Mease PJ, Bird P, Soriano ER, Chakravarty SD, Shawi M, Xu S, Quinn ST, Gong C, Leibowitz E, Poddubnyy D, Tam LS, Helliwell PS, Kavanaugh A, Deodhar A, Østergaard M, Baraliakos X. Trials. September 2022.
View the publication
Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib for active ankylosing spondylitis refractory to biological therapy: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial
van der Heijde D, Baraliakos X, Sieper J, Deodhar A, Inman RD, Kameda H, Zeng X, Sui Y, Bu X, Pangan AL, Wung P, Song IH. Ann Rheum Dis. July 2022.
View the publication
Generation of evidence supporting the content validity of SF-36, FACIT-F, and LupusQoL, and novel patient-reported symptom items for use in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE with lupus nephritis (LN)
Williams-Hall R, Berry P, Williamson N, Barclay M, Roberts A, Gater A, Tollet C, Bradley H, Ward A, Hsia E, Zuraw Q, DeLong P, Touma Z, Strand V. Lupus Sci Med. August 2022.
View the publication
Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA): updated treatment recommendations for psoriatic arthritis 2021
Coates LC, Soriano ER, Corp N, Bertheussen H, Callis Duffin K, Campanholo CB, Chau J, Eder L, Fernández-Ávila DG, FitzGerald O, Garg A, Gladman DD, Goel N, Helliwell PS, Husni ME, Jadon DR, Katz A, Laheru D, Latella J, Leung YY, Lindsay C, Lubrano E, Mazzuoccolo LD, Mease PJ, O'Sullivan D, Ogdie A, Olsder W, Palominos PE, Schick L, Steinkoenig I, de Wit M, van der Windt DA, Kavanaugh A; GRAPPA Treatment Recommendations domain subcommittees. Nat Rev Rheumatol. August 2022.
View the publication
Impact of clinical domains other than arthritis on composite outcomes in psoriatic arthritis: comparison of treatment effects in the SEAM-PsA trial
Helliwell PS, Mease PJ, Kavanaugh A, Coates LC, Ogdie A, Deodhar A, Strand V, Kricorian G, Liu LXH, Collier D, Gladman DD. RMD Open. July 2022.
View the publication
Individual participant data meta-analysis of metabolomics on sustained knee pain in primary osteoarthritis patients
Costello CA, Rockel JS, Liu M, Gandhi R, Perruccio AV, Rampersaud YR, Mahomed NN, Rahman P, Randell EW, Furey A, Kapoor M, Zhai G. Rheumatology (Oxford). September 2022.
View the publication
Investigation into the wait time for consultation in the psoriatic arthritis program
Park S, Silverberg OM, Moez E, Chandran V, Gladman DD. Clin Rheumatol. July 2022.
View the publication
Isolated axial disease in psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis with psoriasis
Kwok TSH, Sutton M, Pereira D, Cook RJ, Chandran V, Haroon N, Inman RD, Gladman DD. Ann Rheum Dis. August 2022.
View the publication
Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Passalent L, Inman RD, Haroon N. N Engl J Med. August 2022.
View the publication
Outcomes following antimalarial withdrawal in patients with quiescent systemic lupus erythematosus
Papachristos DA, Gladman DD, Su J, Urowitz MB. Semin Arthritis Rheum. August 2022.
View the publication
Pathway integration and annotation: building a puzzle with non-matching pieces and no picture
G. Agapito, Y. Niu, C. Pastrello, I. Jurisica. Briefings in Bioinformatics. September 2022.
View the publication
Remission and low disease activity (LDA) prevent damage accrual in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: results from the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) inception cohort
Ugarte-Gil MF, Hanly J, Urowitz M, Gordon C, Bae SC, Romero-Diaz J, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Bernatsky S, Clarke AE, Wallace DJ, Isenberg DA, Rahman A, Merrill JT, Fortin PR, Gladman DD, Bruce IN, Petri M, Ginzler EM, Dooley MA, Ramsey-Goldman R, Manzi S, Jönsen A, van Vollenhoven RF, Aranow C, Mackay M, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Lim S, Inanc M, Kalunian K, Jacobsen S, Peschken C, Kamen DL, Askanase A, Pons-Estel BA, Alarcón GS. Ann Rheum Dis. August 2022.
View the publication
The association of lupus nephritis with adverse pregnancy outcomes among women with lupus in North America
Lucas A, Eudy AM, Gladman D, Petri M, Urowitz M, Wyatt CM, Clowse ME. Lupus. August 2022.
View the publication
The Effect of Guselkumab on Work Productivity in Biologic-Naïve Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis Through Week 52 of the Phase 3, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled DISCOVER-2 Trial
Curtis JR, McInnes IB, Rahman P, Gladman DD, Peterson S, Agarwal P, Yang F, Kollmeier AP, Hsia EC, Shiff NJ, Zhou B, Han C, Shawi M, Tillett W, Mease PJ. Adv Thee. October 2022.
View the publication
The Role of LCN2 and LCN2-MMP9 in spondylitis radiographic development: Gender and HLA-B27 status differences
Tsui FWL, Lin A, Sari I, Zhang Z, Pritzker KPH, Tsui HW, Inman RD. Arth Res Ther. July 2022.
View the publication
Traumatic MicroRNAs: Deconvolving the Signal After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
Cente M, Matyasova K, Csicsatkova N, Tomikova A, Porubska S, Niu Y, Majdan M, Filipcik P, Jurisica I. Cell Mol Neurobiol. July 2022.
View the publication
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The Schroeder Arthritis Institute Newsletter
If you have any news, upcoming publications, awards and grants, promotions, or new appointments, please email them to
Lynn.Saber@uhnresearch.ca.
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