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 lead Jessica Wager at jessica.wager@ucalgary.ca.
For more information about trainee opportunities within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, contact Libin Operations Coordinator - Education Alina Kotylova at alina.kotylova@ucalgary.ca or Education Director Dr. Satish Raj at satish.raj@ucalgary.ca
We are so pleased to welcome the new LCITO executive team (left to right): Elise Rougier, social/communications lead, Rashmin Hira, education lead, Carmina Albertine Isidoro, vice president, Jessica Wager, president, Brandon Pattar, community outreach lead, and Chantal Rytz, past president.
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
Jessica Wager
Jessica Wager is a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Thompson. She studies the physiological mechanisms that underlie mesenchymal stem cell recruitment in adipose tissue and the molecular pathway that mediates crosstalk between adipocytes and adipocyte progenitors. She is the president of LCITO.
Contact: jessica.wager@ucalgary.ca
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 vice-president of the LCITO.
Contact: carminaalbertine.isi@ucalgary.ca
Elise Rougier
Elise Rougier is a masters student in Dr. Robert Rose’s lab. Her research studies atrial fibrillation in hypertensive heart disease and is currently investigating whether C-type natriuretic peptide protects against this pathology. She is the social and communications lead of LCITO.
Contact: elise.rougier@ucalgary.ca
Rashmin Hira
Rashmin Hira is a master's student in the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences program. She works under the supervision of Dr. Satish Raj where she researches Long-Covid and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Rashmin is the education lead for LCITO.
Taylor Scheidl
Taylor is a fourth-year PhD student in Dr. Jennifer Thompson’s lab whose research focuses on stem cells in the fat tissue, and understanding how their behavior differs in metabolic disease states. Taylor encourages relationship and conversation between researchers in the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the public through outreach and education events as the LCITO's community outreach lead.
Contact: taylor.scheidl@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