Program of Experimental Medicine - POEM
Department of Medicine

Program of Experimental Medicine
POEM


 Cardiology,  Cl Immunology and Allergy,  Clinical Pharmacology,  Critical Care Medicine, 
 Endocrinology and Metabolism, 
 Gastroenterology,  General Internal Medicine,  Geriatric Medicine, 
 Hematology, 
 Infectious Diseases, 
 Nephrology, 
 Respirology,  Rheumatology, 


Endocrinology and Metabolism
amanda.berberich@sjhc.london.on.ca
AMANDA BERBERICH, MD, FRCPC, Assistant Professor

Bio Sketch and keywords unavailable.

Keywords:
Genetics
Heritable Endocrine Disorders
Lipids
Monogenic Diabetes


Endocrinology and Metabolism
Kristin.Clemens@sjhc.london.on.ca
KRISTIN CLEMENS, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor

Dr. Kristin Clemens is a Clinician-Scientist, Senior Adjunct ICES Scientist and Site Director of ICES Western, and Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. She was recently appointed the Diabetes Canada Chair in Diabetes Management by the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr. Clemens' research focuses upon improving the health and healthcare of people with multimorbid endocrine disease and socioeconomic disparity (diabetes, kidney disease and osteoporosis). She has expertise in observational studies, patient engagement, and quality improvement, as well as in the developed of patient-centred, real-world interventions to improve patient care and outcomes. Current pragmatic RCTs include a fracture prevention pilot RCT in people with osteoporosis receiving hemodialysis, and the vanguard phase of a pragmatic weight loss intervention for people with high risk kidney disease who wish for kidney transplant. Dr. Clemens has received research awards for her accomplishments (Dean's Award of Excellence), and has been funded by organizations including CIHR, the ACT Consortium, Diabetes Canada, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Keywords:
Chronic kidney disease
Diabetes
Drug efficacy
Drug safety
Endocrinology
Health services research


Endocrinology and Metabolism
hegele@robarts.ca
ROBERT HEGELE, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FAHA, FCAHS, Distinguished University Professor

Rob Hegele is Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry, Western University, and Director of London Regional Genomics Centre at Robarts Research Institute. He holds the Wolfe Distinguished Medical Research Chair, the Edith Schulich Vinet Chair in Human Genetics and the Blackburn Chair in Cardiovascular Research.

He cares for >2500 patients in his lipid clinic at University Hospital. His laboratory discovered the genes that cause >25 human diseases. He was among the first in the world to use five medications that are now routinely prescribed to treat dyslipidemia or diabetes. He has published >925 papers that have been cited >80,000 times (Google Scholar; h-index 131), and is in the top 1% of highly cited scientists in the world. The website Expertscape.com in 2023 ranked him #1 globally in the area of “hypertriglyceridemia”, #2 for “disorders of lipid metabolism” and #3 for “hypercholesterolemia”. He received the 2019 American Heart Association Lyman Duff Award, the 2020 FH Foundation Pioneer Award, and the 2024 Virgil Brown Distinguished Achievement Award from the US National Lipid Association. He has co-authored many clinical practice guidelines for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. He has trained numerous physicians, medical students and graduate students.

Keywords:
Association/linkage analysis
Atherosclerosis
Bioinformatic analysis
Cloning
Coronary heart disease
DNA sequencing
Dyslipidemia
Genetics
Insulin resistance
Lipids/lipoproteins
Metabolic syndrome
Metabolism
MRI
Mutation identification
Next generation sequencing
Obesity
PCR
Type 2 diabetes
Whole exome sequencing
Whole genome sequencing


Endocrinology and Metabolism
david.hill@lawsonresearch.com
DAVID HILL, DPhil, FCAHS; Scientific Director Lawson Health Research Institute, Professor Departments of Medicine, Physiology & Pharmacology, and Paediatrics; Integrated Vice President, Research for London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care London

Dr. Hill's research centres on the mechanisms of physiological and pathological plasticity of new insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas as a strategy for the reversal of diabetes. He has a basic science laboratory using mouse models of beta cell plasticity such as pregnancy and induced diabetes. Projects include the mechanisms whereby low or high birth weight result in an increased risk of diabetes in later life, and the ways in which environmental factors, such as nutrition, might trigger or protect against diabetes. He is also a member of the DALI pan-European clinical trials network focused on the early identification and prevention of gestational diabetes. Dr Hill has published over 300 original papers and review articles and has an H-factor in the mid-60’s. He is also closely involved in advocacy for health research in Canada and is a Member of the Board of Directors of both Research Canada and Health Care Can, in addition to being co-Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association Research and Innovation Committee.

Keywords:
Clinical trials
Development of the pancreas
Developmental origins of adult disease
Diabetes
Gestational diabetes
Pancreatic Islets
Peptide growth factors
Pregnancy


Endocrinology and Metabolism
Irene.Hramiak@sjhc.london.on.ca
Dr. IRENE MARY HRAMIAK, MD, FRCP(C), MACP
Professor - Department of Medicine
Department of Medicine Site Chief, St. Joseph's Hospital

Irene M. Hramiak, MD, FRCP(C), MACP is a Professor of Medicine, Western University, London, ON. She is the current Department of Medicine Site Chief at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Dr. Hramiak practices Endocrinology at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario, with a strong clinical interest in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Dr. Hramiak has held peer reviewed funding from JDRF, CDA, and the NIH since 1983; she was a co-investigator in the DCCT (1983-2000), for which she was awarded the Charles H. Best Award for distinguished service by the American Diabetes Association in 1993. In 2016, she was awarded the Canadian Diabetes Association’s Gerald S Wong Service Award. She has been a Principle Investigator in many cardiovascular outcome trials in Type 2 diabetes mellitus, including: ACCORD, ORIGIN, TECOS, LEADER, SUSTAIN, REWIND, and DECLARE-TIMI 58. Dr. Hramiak was the Principle Investigator at Western University for the JDRF Ontario trial network. She has been a Principle Investigator for REMOVAL and other trials investigating benefits of new therapies in Type 1 Diabetes.

Dr. Hramiak has been recognized by ACP with a Mastership for Academic Excellence in 2020. Western University has awarded her the Alumni of Distinction Award in 2021.

Dr. Hramiak serves as an external advisor to many groups and pharmaceutical companies with regards to diabetes and obesity.

Keywords:
Diabetes
Obesity


Endocrinology and Metabolism
tjoy@uwo.ca
TISHA JOY, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor

Dr. Joy received her medical degree from the Western University, Canada in 2001. After completing residency training at Western University in 2006, she went on to be a research fellow specializing in HIV lipodystrophy at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) in Boston, MA. Upon completion of this in 2007, she pursued another research fellowship in genetic lipodystrophies and dyslipidemia at Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, until 2008. She is an Associate Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Western University and Associate Scientist in the Lawson Health Research Institute. Her research interests include type 2 diabetes, obesity, and lipid disorders, including statin-associated muscle symptoms and has published several articles in these areas. She has been invited as a guest speaker for the Meet the Professor/Meet the Expert sessions at the American Heart Association and Endocrine Society conferences. She also has collaborated on research initiatives related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. She has a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell in 2021, and is the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Lead for the Department of Medicine (2023 to present).

Keywords:
Body fat distribution
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Lipid disorders
Obesity
Statin myopathy
statin-associated muscle symptoms
Type 2 diabetes


Endocrinology and Metabolism
sliu@uwo.ca
SELINA LIU, MD, MSc, FRCPC Cert Endo, Associate Professor

Dr. Selina Liu is an Associate Professor in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. She is also cross-appointed to the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and is an Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute.

Dr. Liu obtained her medical degree at Queen’s University, Kingston (2006), completed her Internal Medicine residency (2010) and Endocrinology & Metabolism fellowship (2011) at Western University. She was the recipient of the 2011 Schulich Resident Research Career Development program award which supported her Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology (2014). She also had previously completed a Master’s degree in Pharmacology & Toxicology (2004) prior to her medical training. Dr. Liu joined the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine as a Clinician-Researcher in 2014.

She is the Medical Director of the St. Joseph’s Healthcare London Endocrine Pregnancy Clinic, which is the regional referral centre for endocrine problems in pregnancy. She has participated as Site Principal Investigator for both investigator-initiated and pharma-sponsored multi-centre clinical trials of new insulins and glucose monitoring systems for diabetes in pregnancy, and of new medications for type 2 diabetes. Other research interests include strategies to improve diabetic retinopathy screening and treatment.

Keywords:
Clinical trials
Diabetic retinopathy screening
Endocrine problems in pregnancy


Endocrinology and Metabolism
jl.mahon@lhsc.on.ca
JEFFREY MAHON, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FACP, Professor

Dr. Mahon graduated in medicine from the University of Alberta and trained in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Western University. He received his Masters in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Western and did a research fellowship in immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes at Western from 1988 - 1991. His research interests are in screening and preventing type 1 diabetes and N-of-1 trials.

Keywords:
N-of-1 trials
Screening and prevention
Type 1 diabetes


Endocrinology and Metabolism
ruth.mcmanus@sjhc.london.on.ca
RUTH MCMANUS, MD, FRCPC, Professor

Dr McManus graduated from UWO in Internal Medicine in 1985. She took additional training in Endocrinology at Dalhousie in Halifax and the University of Alberta in Edmonton, attaining certification in Endocrinology and Metabolism in 1992. Since 1992 she has been consultant in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at UWO, promoted to full professor in 2010. Her research interests are: insulin resistance states, Vitamin D effects in metabolic disease, gestational diabetes and primary prevention of diabetes.

Keywords:
Diabetes prevention
Gestational Diabetes (GMD)
Insulin resistance


Endocrinology and Metabolism
tspaic@uwo.ca
TAMARA SPAIC, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor

Dr. Tamara Spaic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Western Ontario (Western). She trained in internal medicine and endocrinology at Western University. She completed a two-year research fellowship at Western University where she also received her Master of Science degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. Dr Spaic has a clinical practice in adult endocrinology with a focus on type 1 diabetes. She is working with the National Diabetes Management Strategy Team on improving the quality of care for people with diabetes in Canada.

Dr Spaic’s research interest is in improving health outcomes of individuals with type 1 diabetes and closing the care gap between pediatric and adult care. She is a co-Principal Investigator of the Transition Trial assessing structured transition from pediatric to adult care in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. She also participates in various other multicenter trials involving type 1 diabetes patients. Further, her interest is in the use of electronic medical records and clinical databases in diabetes research.

Keywords:
Electronic medical records
Transition
Type 1 diabetes


Endocrinology and Metabolism
stan.vanuum@sjhc.london.on.ca
STANISLAUS VAN UUM, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Professor

Dr. Stan Van Uum is an Associate Professor in the divisions of Endocrinology & Metabolism and Clinical Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training in Internal Medicine in 1997, followed by a Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism (2001), all at the University of Nijmegen in The Netherlands. He then completed his PhD in Medicine on the role of cortisol metabolism in hypertension.

Dr. Van Uum is interested in the role of hormones, particularly steroid hormones, in health and disease. These studies include consequences of drug-induced hypogonadism, and the measurement of steroid hormones in hair. His research group now is a global leader in the measurement of steroid hormones in hair. Other studies focus on thyroid cancer and thyroid hormone treatment.

His clinical practice is focused on endocrinology, with a particular interest in pituitary, thyroid and adrenal diseases, and secondary hypertension. He is cofounder of the multidisciplinary pituitary team in London, Ontario. Stan Van Uum is actively involved in teaching in relation to these areas, and Program Director for Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Keywords:
Adrenal
Cortisol
Hair
Pituitary
Thyroid cancer