Libin Cardiovascular Institute Trainee Organization (LCITO)
The LCITO exists to bring together trainees within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute
Get involved with the LCITO and stay up to date on events, resources and opportunities for trainees within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.
This student-led group organizes journal clubs, the Libin Institute's Research Update Seminar Series, mock defense seminars and social events. Get involved with this organization by reaching out to LCITO President Carmina Albertine Isidoro.
LCITO Contacts
- Carmina Albertine Isidoro, President - carminaalbertine.isi@ucalgary.ca
- Rashmin Hira, Education Lead - rashmin.hira@ucalgary.ca
- Sherry Brudnyi, Social and Communications Lead - sharon.brudnyi@ucalgary.ca
- Kavithra Karalasingham, Community Outreach Lead and Women’s Lead- kavithra.karalasingh@ucalgary.ca
- Jenny Zhang, Postdoctoral Representative - mu.zhang@ucalgary.ca
- Megan Meechem, Journal Club Lead - megan.meechem@ucalgary.ca
- Heshini Dalpathadu, RUSS Lead - heshini.dalpathadu@ucalgary.ca
For more information about trainee opportunities within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, contact Libin Education Operations Coordinator, Alina Kotylova at alina.kotylova@ucalgary.ca or Education Director Dr. Satish Raj at satish.raj@ucalgary.ca
Members of the 2023-2024 LCITO Executive Team
Dawn Smith
Scholarships
The Institute offers numerous scholarships for all levels of trainees. Please visit this page for the details and application forms.
* Please note completion of the CIHR's Online Training Modules: Integrating Sex & Gender in Health Research is a requirement for Libin Institute funding and scholarships.
Awards
- The Libin Trainee Excellence in Research Award recognized trainees's publication success. If you are a first author for a peer-reviewed publication, you are eligible. Learn more here.
- The Libin Cardiovascular Institute (LCI) Travel Award is intended to help offset costs for LCI trainees travelling to national and international conferences. Learn more here.
Tine Haworth Research Day
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute's annual Tine Haworth Cardiovascular Research Day highlights cardiovascular research being undertaken by trainees. It features a poster competition and scientific talks, as well as the E.R. Smith Lecture. Learn more here.
Learning Opportunities
There are numerous learning opportunities for trainees within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. For more details, visit this page.
Journal Club Resources
Meet the LCITO Leadership Team
Carmina Albertine Isidoro
Carmina Albertine Isidoro is a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Justin Deniset. Her research explores the role of pericardial macrophages in mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition - a process believed to be implicated in excessive scar formation after a heart attack. She is the president of the LCITO.
Contact: carminaalbertine.isi@ucalgary.ca
Sherry Brudnyi
Sherry Brudnyi is a Leaders of Medicine student working on her master’s under the supervision of Dr. Doreen Rabi and Dr. Jamie Benham. Sherry’s research focuses on the experiences of patients with gestational diabetes. Her work examines patient perspectives and aims to inform care for gestational diabetes management. She is the LCITO social and communications lead.
Contact: sharon.brudnyi@ucalgary.ca
Rashmin Hira
Rashmin Hira is a third-year PhD candidate in the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences program. As part of the lab of Dr. Satish Raj, Rashmin studies Long-COVID and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Rashmin serves as the LCITO's Education Lead.
Contact: rashmin.hira@ucalgary.ca
Kavithra Karalasingham
Kavithra Karalasingham is a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Satish Raj. Her research interest is in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Kavithra’s work aims to identify the cause of chest pain in POTS using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Kavithra is the LCITO Community Outreach and Women’s Health Lead.
Contact: kavithra.karalasingh@ucalgary.ca
Megan Meechem
Megan Meechem is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Vaibhav Patel and Dr. Paul Fedak. Her research focuses on the metabolic basis of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching in atherosclerosis. She is the graduate student journal club lead.
Contact: megan.meechem@ucalgary.ca
Heshini Dalpathadu
Heshini Dalpathadu is a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Steven Greenway. She uses a novel in vitro model of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to investigate the role and the mechanism of uremic toxins in the pathophysiology of pediatric cardiorenal syndrome. She is the Research Update Seminar Series (RUSS) lead of LCITO.
Contact: heshini.dalpathadu@ucalgary.ca
Jenny Zhang
Jenny Zhang is a postdoctoral trainee in the lab of Dr. Aaron Phillips whose interest lies in researching integrative human physiology. Her doctoral research focuses on developing novel therapies to treat autonomic dysfunction and to preserve cardiovascular health in individuals with spinal cord injuries for the long term. She is the LCITO postdoctoral rep.
Contact: mu.zhang@ucalgary.ca