MYCOVACC Steering Committee

Nathaniel Hawkins is a clinician-scientist cardiologist and Associate Professor at UBC with training in heart failure and electrophysiology. Based in Vancouver, his leadership roles include: Medical Lead for Quality and Research at Cardiac Services BC; Director of Research for the UBC Division of Cardiology; and Physician Lead for the Vancouver Coastal Health Regional Heart Failure Program Nat’s research group examines cardiovascular outcomes, health services, and comorbidities in patients with heart failure and arrhythmia. He has published in leading journals, including Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and European Heart Journal. In addition to leading MYCOVACC, Nat is Co-Principal Investigator for the MAPLE-CHF and international SYMPHONY heart failure screening trial, and a member of the CIHR Canadian Heart Function Alliance.

Frédéric Dallaire is a professor of pediatrics at the Université de
Sherbrooke and a pediatric cardiologist at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS. He holds a PhD in epidemiology and an MD from Laval University. He trained in pediatric cardiology at the CHUQ in Quebec City and at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Dallaire is an FRQ-S clinical research scholar with interest in the epidemiology of congenital heart diseases. He is the founder and scientific director of the Canadian Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology Research Network.

Justin Ezekowitz is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, Director of Cardiovascular Research, and Co-Director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre at the University of Alberta. He is a cardiologist at the University of Alberta Hospital and Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. His research/clinical focus is on heart failure. Dr. Ezekowitz is involved in numerous multicentre international clinical trials, as well as the design, leadership and implementation of investigator-initiated trials funded through governmental and non-governmental agencies. In his role as Director of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Alberta, he has been involved in inaugurating and establishing the CardioVascular Research Institute and holds the AHS Chair in Cardiac Sciences. Dr. Ezekowitz is President, Canadian Heart Failure Society.

Bryan Griffin is a Research Biologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada in the Vaccine Safety Surveillance Division of the Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs Branch. He completed his PhD in Infectious Diseases with a Virology specialization at the University of Guelph. He completed his postdoctoral research fellowship in the Special Pathogens Program at PHAC’s National Microbiology Laboratory and at Sunnybrook Research Institute, where he carried out research at the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium Toronto High Containment Facility. Dr. Griffin’s research has focused on the viral and immune-mediated mechanisms that drive the viral pathogenesis of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viral pathogens as well as the development and evaluation of novel vaccines and therapeutics against viral pathogens. 

Tahir Kafil completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Adult Cardiology Fellowship at Western University. He subsequently completed his Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Fellowship at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. During his time in Ottawa, he helped establish the Post-Vaccine Myopericarditis Clinic. He is a co-investigator in the CIHR-funded COVID-VIHPR study. For his research work, he was awarded the prestigious Myocarditis Foundation’s Fellowship Grant. He is presently pursuing further training in Echocardiography and Advanced Cardiac Imaging at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, USA.

Michael Khoury is a pediatric cardiologist and Assistant Professor at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Toronto and pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto and Alberta. He underwent subspecialty fellowships in Pediatric Preventive Cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation at CCHMC and University of Alberta. He is a co-lead of the Kawasaki Disease/MIS-C/mRNA vaccine-associated myocarditis clinic at the University of Alberta.

Peter Liu is the Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) as well as Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the Universities of Toronto and Ottawa. His laboratory investigates the causes and treatments of heart failure, role of inflammation and identification of novel biomarkers and targets for intervention in cardiovascular diseases. He has published over 450 peer reviewed articles in high impact journals, H-Index of 127, and has received numerous awards in recognition of his research and scientific accomplishments. Peter is also Principal Investigator of COVID-VIHPR, a CIHR-funded cross-Canada cohort study based at UOHI with a network of experts that aim to elucidate the natural history and potential underlying mechanisms of vaccine associated myocarditis. Under Peter’s leadership, MYCOVACC will partner with COVID-VIHPR to coordinate patient recruitment and follow up to maximize efficiency.

Michael McDonald is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and the inaugural Martha Rogers Chair in Heart Failure Training and Education. He is the Medical Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program at the University Health Network/Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, and past chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Heart Failure Guidelines Committee. Dr. McDonald obtained his MD from the University of Ottawa and completed Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at the University of Alberta, followed by subspecialty fellowship training in Advanced Heart Failure/Transplantation and Implantable Device Therapy at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto.

Monika Naus is the Medical Director of the Immunization Programs & Vaccine Preventable Diseases Service at BCCDC and Professor in the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health. Her public health career focus has been in communicable diseases, with a further focus in immunization and vaccine preventable diseases. She has served as member and as chair of the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Canadian Immunization Committee, and various other groups. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and of the American College of Preventive Medicine.

Carolyn Pullen, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian
Cardiovascular Society. She brings to her role a passion for advancing the health of Canadians through strong professional practice and healthy public policy. For more than 25 years, she has worked in the national, not-for-profit sector, including Heart and Stroke, CIHI, and the Canadian Nurses Association, in the fields of health policy, research, knowledge translation and education. Ms.
Pullen holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science from Queens University. Her doctorate is from the University of Ottawa where her research focused on mechanisms to mobilize health research evidence into practice.

Alexander Singer is an associate professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Manitoba where he serves as the director of research and quality improvement. As the network director of the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network, he leads and collaborates on several practice-based research studies. Dr. Singer is the measurement and evaluation lead for eConsult Manitoba and a family physician clinician-teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Karina Top is a clinician-scientist in vaccine research, and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, and pediatric infectious disease consultant at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Dr. Top is the Principal Investigator of the International Network of Special Immunization Services and co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network’s Special Immunization Clinic Network. Dr. Top’s research focuses on understanding causes and risk factors for rare adverse events following immunization, and improving vaccination practices for individuals who may be considered at higher risk of an adverse event, such as those with previous history of adverse events following immunization, immunocompromised patients, and people who are pregnant.

Sean Virani is Vice-President of Medical and Academic Affairs for the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC, Chief of Cardiology at Providence Health Care and Physician Program Director for the Provincial Heart Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital. He completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at UBC before embarking on a sub-specialization in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Stanford University. He also has a Masters degree in Public Health from Columbia University. Dr. Virani is Past-President of the Canadian Heart Failure Society and Co-Chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines Panel. He also serves as Medical Director for HeartLife Foundation, Canada’s first and only patient-led national heart failure organization.

James White is Professor of Medicine and Director of Precision Medicine at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He is an internationally recognized clinician scientist in cardiovascular imaging with a focus on cardiomyopathy diagnosis and risk prediction modelling.  Funded by CIHR, Alberta Innovates, and industry-partnered grants, he leads numerous national and international research projects. Dr. White is Director of the Libin Precision Medicine Initiative and Principal Investigator of the Cardiovascular Imaging Registry of Calgary. His team of clinician investigators, data scientists and biomechanical engineers is committed to finding data-driven solutions to healthcare challenges. Dr. White has received many awards for innovation and executed technology transfer activities to impact clinical practice on a global scale. 

Based in Ottawa, Meredith Wright leads MYCOVACC governance, operations, stakeholder relations, and reporting for the CCS. Meredith has held clinical, teaching, research, research ethics and leadership positions in hospital, university, and not-for-profit settings. Through her education and experience as an allied health leader, Meredith has a broad knowledge of issues related to professional practice and standards, professional development, research, regulatory requirements, and health policy.