Announcing the Recipients of the 2017 UOHI Global Achievement Awards

The Global Achievement Awards recognize UOHI researchers who have made a global impact in their field of work in the past year.

This year, the Selection Committee received several high-calibre nominations. The winners were selected based on the specific accomplishments in the past year that further enhanced the UOHI reputation on the global stage.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Katey Rayner, Scientist, and Dr. Munir Boodhwani, Cardiac Surgeon and Clinician Investigator, are the recipients of this year’s awards.

Congratulations to Dr. Rayner and Dr. Boodhwani!

Dr. Katey Rayner is an outstanding early career investigator, and widely recognized for her leadership in the global research community. At the UOHI, she leads an excellent research program looking at the role of microRNAs in the development of atherosclerosis and how these molecules may be used as therapeutic targets to treat heart disease. On the international stage, Dr. Rayner holds leading roles in several initiatives. Dr. Rayner sits on the Leadership Committee of the American Heart Association (AHA)’s Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) and chairs the ATVB Communications & Membership Committee, and served as a member and Chair of the ATVB Early Career Committee from 2011-2017. She serves on the editorial boards of prominent journals including Circulation Research and ATVB. Dr. Rayner also serves on peer review committees for CIHR and Heart and Stroke Foundation as well as study section at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Rayner is a sought-after speaker at many international conferences including the Gordon Research Conferences; Keystone Conferences; and ATVB and AHA scientific meetings.

In recognition of her leadership, Dr. Rayner has previously been presented with the AHA Council on ATVB’s Irvine H. Page Young Investigator and Special Recognition Awards. She was recently featured as a Promising Young Investigator in Circulation Research.

Dr. Rayner is a CIHR Young Investigator and a Heart and Stroke Foundation McDonald Scholar (highest ranked in the HSF Young Investigator competition). She has held an Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science Early Researcher Award, and currently holds a CIHR Foundation Grant and co-leads a US National Institutes of Health Research Grant. Dr. Rayner has published over 60 peer reviewed papers and holds two patents in the area of microRNA therapeutics and imaging biomarkers.

Dr. Munir Boodhwani is recognized as one of the world’s leaders in aortic root and valve repair. He is widely known for both his technical and mechanistic work in aortic valve repair and aortic surgery. His translational research program looks at the mechanisms of thoracic aortic disease, pre-clinical models of aortic valve insufficiency and repair, and clinical trials in aortic surgery.

This year, Dr. Boodhwani co-chaired the Aortic Valve Repair Summit, the largest international meeting in aortic valve repair. Held for the first time outside of Europe, the Summit this year in June took place in Ottawa. Dr. Boodhwani was instrumental in bringing this major meeting to Ottawa and the UOHI. Dr. Boodhwani received the ORACLE Global Leadership Funds in support of this excellent work. This outstanding meeting featured state-of-the-art live broadcast cases, with a top-notch program delivered by world-renowned experts. The success of this important meeting is a testament to Dr. Boodhwani’s leadership in aortic valve repair, and further secures UOHI’s reputation on the world stage.

Dr. Boodhwani has published over 140 peer reviewed papers. He has co-authored the two recent Canadian guidelines on medical and surgical management of thoracic aortic disease.  He currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.