Schroeder Arthritis Institute Newsletter December 2023

Luis Montoya is the Research Manager within the Division of Orthopedics at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. Originally from Colombia, Luis was a dentist back home. After arriving to Canada, he decided to take a new path within the healthcare field and completed a postgraduate program in clinical research. He joined the University Health Network (UHN) as a volunteer in 2012 with the Ophthalmology Department and joined the Division of Orthopedics in 2013 as a research assistant. In 2014, he was promoted to research coordinator, where he had the opportunity to lead the LEAP OA Study within the division. He later pursued a Project Management certificate at the University of Toronto and in 2018 came into his current position as research manager. Some of Luis's key responsibilities include overseeing the research activities in close collaboration with all the investigators and research staff, fostering collaborations between all the teams within the division and working on developing grants and research proposals. Luis also plays a key role in staff development and in ensuring all resources are in place to conduct project plans and achieve their desired outcomes. In addition, Luis works in conjunction with the principal investigators within the Division of Orthopedics to review and manage both short- and long-term plans that align with all four of our Institute's divisions and the University Health Network's goals and strategies. He also manages finances for the division, and interacts with stakeholders, external partners and the UHN internal legal departments.

A big change that Luis has been a part of is the integration of research and clinical work. He is working on Quality Improvement (QI) Projects and translating all of the information from research to be able to implement the information on the clinical side. One QI project he is now a part of is called Patient Experience, a survey-based approach that is used to better understand the patient's journey starting from the moment they have been referred to the clinic.

"My motivation is rooted in understanding that I play an integral role within our extraordinary and multidisciplinary team, that are collectively dedicated to advancing patient care, with the goal of making a positive transformation in patient care." When asked what his Mantra of Success is, Luis emphasized, "There are no stop signs on the road to success." He has an unwavering commitment to life-long learning and is always trying to learn new things. Since 2008, Luis has been doing systematic reviews on his free time. He started working with a team from McMaster University and got over 20 papers published in high impact journals. He enjoys learning new things and participating in systematic reviews on various topics is one way he learns more.

Luis is a very friendly individual. "I'm someone that says good morning to everyone and I try to teach this kindness to my kids." He's very caring in nature and this reflects in his position as a manager. He is very understanding and always wants to ensure that his team is doing well. Luis is also a very hard worker. He continues to learn each day and to give his best in everything that he does, whether in his professional position or at home with his family.

Growing up, Luis loved to play soccer everyday. His first-choice career during school was to become a professional soccer player and he even had the opportunity to join a professional team in Colombia, although he joined dentistry instead. To this day, Luis continues to play soccer and is the soccer coach for both of his young children in soccer leagues. He enjoys coaching them and spending this quality time together playing a sport they all love and teaching them his knowledge and skills.

Luis greatly expressed how blessed he feels to be a part of the team at Schroeder Arthritis Institute. "It's all about the vision that the Institute has, caring for patients, and trying to find a cure to improve healthcare worldwide. I feel lucky to be part of our astonishing team. This team is a family, and when you are in a family you care about each other and that's what we do."

On behalf of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, we are grateful for Luis's exceptional contributions to the growth and success of the Institute.

Nicole Villamonte is the Clinical Research Manager for the Lupus Program within the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. She is also responsible for managing the Rheumatology Clinical Trial Unit. Nicole joined the Lupus Program 13 years ago as a research associate and then moved into her current role in 2015. As a clinical research manager, she works closely with Dr. Zahi Touma, the Director of the Lupus Program, and she is responsible for overseeing multiple aspects of the program. Nicole plays a key role in securing grant funding for the team, administration of grant funds, and ensures that projects run effectively. She also seeks out collaborative opportunities for projects that can foster the Lupus Program at the Institute's national and international visibility. Nicole also manages the Lupus Program team, which involves assigning projects and tasks to team members as well as supporting the team with anything they may need. Within the Rheumatology Clinical Trial unit, she works closely with her team to ensure that the trials successfully recruit patients, provides financial management and helps manage trials from the start-up phase to the closeout phase, ensuring all is running smoothly.

Nicole's biggest motivation is knowing that she plays a key role in ensuring patients will receive the best care. "I am passionate about impacting our patient's well-being and their quality of life. I want to see all of those aspects for our patients and their families increase and really make a positive difference for them." When asked what her Mantra of Success is, Nicole said, "Empower, innovate and lead." Nicole positively takes on any changes that her team faces and tries to turn them into opportunities for growth. She hopes to inspire her team the same way her team inspires her.

Nicole is an optimistic person. She tries to always find the bright side of each situation whether in her work or in her personal life. She's been described as being diplomatic within her workplace setting as she always wants to ensure that there is clear communication between each team member. Nicole also finds herself to be very relatable to many people. "I think because I have such long-standing experience in research, from being an analyst, coordinator, and associate, to manager, I have different ways of understanding how each of those roles work. When someone comes to me with an issue, I have the understanding to help them."

A fun fact about Nicole is that she loves spending time with her little dog named Peanut. She is also a very creative person. In her free time, she enjoys painting and all things art. Nicole also has a passion for interior design and has a small interior design business as well, you can check it out on Instagram.

The Schroeder Arthritis Institute would like to thank Kim Perry, former Biobank Manager for the Division of Orthopedics' Schroeder Arthritis Institute Biobank, and Lab Manager for Dr. Mohit Kapoor's Lab, at the Institute, for all of her exceptional contributions to the success of the Institute for almost 10 years.

Kim began her career in 2014 for the Division of Orthopedic's Biobank where she had many responsibilities such as collecting, processing, data management as well as storage of high quality specimens for the Biobank. She worked very closely with the orthopedic research team and was in constant communication with the clinical teams to ensure that all tasks were being accomplished efficiently such as consenting patients for blood, tracking and maintaining surgical patients and communicating with end users to make sure they receive the samples they need. As Lab Manager, Kim maintained all equipment, ethical protocols and basic procurement such as ordering and finance. Kim also facilitated all ongoing projects in the lab. In addition, she was also the Co-Chair of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute Biobank Committee.

We would also like to congratulate Kim on her new role as Business Manager at the Krembil Research Institute and wish her all the success in her new role.

Dr. Jonathan Persitz recently joined the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute as a Staff Hand and Wrist Surgeon. Dr. Persitz is a Summa Cum Laude medical school graduate. He completed his Orthopedic Surgery residency in Israel, received additional hand surgery training in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and earned a national award for his outstanding performance in the Orthopedic Surgery Board Examination. He then pursued dual fellowships in hand and upper extremity surgery in Israel, and in hand and peripheral nerve surgery within the Hand Program at the Institute. Dr. Persitz is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree at the University of Toronto, focusing on enhancing the quality of care and functional outcomes in relation to distal radius fractures.

Stetson Ford was recently promoted to Administrative Coordinator for SAI Outpatients at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. Stetson joined the Orthopedic Inpatient Unit back in 2010 as a casual clerk and found different ways to incorporate patient care within his role. He later moved to an Administrative Assistant role in 2018 and has recently joined his new role as the administrative coordinator, where he continues to find the best ways to support the team and make a positive change for patient care.

Cherry Abugan recently joined the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute as a Medical Administrative Assistant to Dr. Kevin Zuo. Cherry is a former volunteer and intern at the Toronto General Hospital Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program. She graduated as a Medical Office Administrator at Media College of Healthcare in 2017. She previously worked as a Medical Office Assistant/Medical Secretary, in Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services, Clanton Park Family Medicine of North York Family Health Team, & Dr. Robert Barry Miller ENT/Otolaryngology Office.

Jhanna Bermudez recently joined the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute as a Medical Administrative Assistant to Dr. Ryan Paul. Jhanna initially joined the University Health Network in 2017 as a Full Time Medical Administrative Assistant in Neurosurgery and then transferred to the Hand Program in 2019, managing the office of Dr. Paul. She recently returned from Maternity leave. She holds a Bachelor of Science and has experience in management.

Dr. Priyanka Kugamoorthy recently joined the Division of Orthopedics at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute as a short-term Project Manager in Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan's lab. Her role will primarily involve working on a clinical trial application amendment to Health Canada as a part of the ABLE-OA study. Dr. Kugamoorthy holds a Doctor of Medicine, has undergone clinical training out of Chicago & Toronto, and has simultaneously contributed to the University Health Network's research facilities for over seven years.

Silvi Groe, Clinical Director at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently awarded the UHN Local Impact Award at the University Health Network Week of Gratitude, for her dedication to the arthritis team. She provides opportunities and experiences that help build a culture of joy and empower our team such as Joy in the Workplace.

Dr. Murray Urowtiz, former Director of the Lupus Program within the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently awarded the Global Impact Award at the University Health Network Week of Gratitude, for his many contributions to advancing medical care and discovery.

Dr. Jorge Sanchez-Guerrero, Clinician Investigator within the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently awarded the 2023 Master in Rheumatology Award by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) at the ACR Convergence Meeting that took place in November 2023.

Dr. Zahi Touma, Director of the Lupus Program within the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently appointed to the inaugural Dr. Murray B. Urowitz Chair in Lupus Research at the University Health Network. This will allow him to develop and lead innovative research that supports the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients with Lupus.

Dr. Angela Cheung, Director of the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently awarded Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Musculoskeletal and Postmenopausal Health. The Chair will support research to better understand musculoskeletal and postmenopausal health, with a focus on bone and muscle strength and function, in healthy aging, osteoporosis, atypical femur fractures, rare bone diseases and in common general medical conditions such as diabetes and post-COVID condition.

Dr. Dafna Gladman, Senior Scientist within the Division of Rheumatology at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently recognized in the Top 3 Best Female Scientists in Canada in 2023, and in the Top 100 worldwide. Learn more here.

Laura Passalent, Physiotherapist Practitioner and Clinician Investigator at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, was recently awarded the Best Clinical Research Presentation award at the National Institutes of Health Conference that took place on September 28 to September 29, 2023, in Washington, for her project titled "Design Thinking Applied to Unmet Needs in Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Novel Model of Care to Address Diagnostic Delay."

Dr. Igor Jurisica, Senior Scientist within the Division of Orthopedics at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, recently received a grant from ERA-NET Neuron for a project he is a co-principal investigator for titled Disease-predisposing or resilience-promoting? Decoding the systems biology and behavioural predictors and determinants of the tipping point of stress.

Dr. Jurisica also received a grant from the Ontario Research Fund for a project is he co-principal investigator for titled The Fibrosis Repair Team.

Dr. Mauro Maniglio is a Clinical Fellow within the Hand Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Heather Baltzer, Director of the Hand Program. Dr. Maniglio came from Switzerland about three months ago with the goal of learning new techniques from the outstanding surgeons within the Hand Program, to gain greater experience and to learn from theirs. He has a variety of roles within the clinic, from seeing patients, assisting surgeons in the operating room, to performing surgery alongside the team. He has had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Heather Baltzer and Dr. Andrea Chan in many different areas.

In addition to clinical work, Dr. Maniglio is doing research alongside Dr. Baltzer and Danny Antflek, the Clinical Research Coordinator for the Hand Program. This research started while Dr. Maniglio was still in Switzerland and continues to flourish as they now work side by side. The research is mainly surrounding basis of thumb osteoarthritis, searching for systemic biomarkers in the blood of the patients with the potential to foresee the clinical outcome of the affected patients after an adapted treatment.

Looking towards the future, Dr. Maniglio hopes to continue working in a large university hospital in Switzerland, in a leading position and in an academic field, doing clinical work in hand surgery as well as continuing to pursue research goals.

A fun fact about Dr. Maniglio is that he is a big adventurer. "After completing medical school, I cycled along the Mediterranean Sea with a bicycle in 15 months, visiting 21 countries in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkan." He also crossed the Atlantic Ocean with a sailing boat in three months. His latest adventure is coming to Toronto, Canada, and living abroad with his family, his wife and two young children, and not only advancing his experiences within his work but also exploring what Toronto has to offer. "A big part of experience is family. The adventure to be abroad and to be in a new environment is really amazing."

Dr. Maniglio is extremely thankful to have this opportunity with the Institute and to have the chance to collaborate and work closely with our inspiring team within the Hand Program and hopes to stay in close contact in the future.

You can connect with Dr. Maniglio and follow his research updates on LinkedIn and on Research Gate.

On behalf of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, we are grateful that Dr. Maniglio is part of our team and wish him all the success in his future.

Zack Willson is a third year Undergraduate Student supervised by Dr. Andy Wong within the Osteoporosis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. He is currently completing his third year in the Engineering Science program at the University of Toronto, majoring in math, and statistics and finance, while doing a minor in artificial intelligence engineering. He is also part of a team at the University of Toronto working on a project of building a satellite.

His research at the Institute within the Osteoporosis Program with Dr. Andy Wong started in May 2022. The research surrounds analyzing bone metabolism in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis and/or osteoarthritis. They are analyzing their standard uptake values to determine any correlation between bone metabolism and osteoporosis and/or osteoarthritis. In addition to this research, he had the opportunity to branch out and work on other projects within the team. He gained machine learning experience by working on 2D-3D convolutional neural networks with other team members.

Looking towards the future, Zack hopes to work in a field that primarily involves math and coding, similar to the work that he has been doing in his research with Dr. Wong at the Institute.

A fun fact about Zack is that he is the Co-Captain of the tennis team at the University of Toronto, and they have recently won gold for Ontario just a month ago. He has been playing tennis all of his life in different leagues and it is truly something he loves. "It is definitely neat to now work on osteoarthritis projects given that this can affect many players in tennis."

Zack is very thankful to have the opportunity to do research with the Osteoporosis Program and be part of the exceptional team at the Institute. This research project is something he really enjoys and plans on continuing to pursue.

You can connect with Zack and follow his research updates on LinkedIn.

On behalf of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, we are grateful that Zack is part of our team and wish him all the success in his future.

Addison Pacheco, Graduate Student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, supervised by Dr. Robert Inman, was recently awarded the Best Basic Science Presentation Award at the National Institutes of Health Conference which took place on September 28 to September 29, 2023, in Washington, for his project titled "Reduced Frequency of RORγt+ Regulatory T Cells is Associated with Secukinumab Response in Axial Spondyloarthritis."

The Arthritis Community Research and Epidemiology Unit (ACREU) group at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, co-directed by Dr. Anthony Perruccio and Dr. Elizabeth Badley, made a significant contribution to the first ever "The State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card", released by the Arthritis Society Canada.

Dr. Anthony Perruccio, Senior Scientist, Dr. Elizabeth Badley, Senior Emeritus, and Jessica Wilfong, Research Associate, at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, made significant contributions to the Report Card.

Learn more here.

Read the document here.

Dr. James Young, Postdoctoral Researcher in Integrated Arthritis Care, supervised by Dr. Michael Zywiel and Dr. Anthony Perruccio, at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, and Dr. Michael Zywiel, Clinician Investigator within the Division of Orthopedics at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, are advancing osteoarthritis research through detailed analysis of patient data. They are characterizing participants in a program that is aimed at providing guidance for non-surgical Osteoarthritis care - GLA:D® Canada.

Read the article here.

Read the publication here.

Inspiration, dedication and discovery. Read the Krembil Research Institute's 2023 Annual Report #BreakthroughsForTomorrow, showcasing the incredible research being done at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, the multidisciplinary teams that make it possible, and the science and innovation that is paving the way for a healthier future.

Explore our Institute's latest research achievements that are shaping the landscape of science and medicine: Read the Annual Report Here.

The Schroeder Arthritis Institute, in partnership with the Collaborative Specialization in Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Toronto, hosted the 59th Arthritis Web Seminar Series Lecture on October 10, 2023. Our guest speaker, Dr. Cristina Ruiz-Romero, Academic Researcher at Galician Health Service in Coruña University in Spain, gave a seminar on "Emerging proteomic and metabolomic biomarkers in rheumatic diseases."

Click here to watch the recorded seminar.

The Schroeder Arthritis Institute, in partnership with the Collaborative Specialization in Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Toronto, hosted the 60th Arthritis Web Seminar Series Lecture on November 28, 2023. Our guest speaker, Dr. Cornelia Weyand, Professor of Medicine and Research Chair of the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at Stanford University, gave a seminar on "Large Vessel Vasculitis - A Disease of Lost Inhibition."

Click here to watch the recorded seminar.

The Schroeder Arthritis Institute will be hosting the 61st Arthritis Web Seminar Series Lecture on January 23, 2024. Our guest speaker, Dr. James Chang, Chair of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Johnson & Johnson Distinguished Professor at Stanford University, will give a seminar on "Update on Hand Surgery for System Sclerosis."