Dr. Stephane Bourque
The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine is pleased to announce Dr. Stephane Bourque has been awarded the title of Canada Research Chair in Developmental and Integrative Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
Dr Bourque's research focuses on understanding how pregnancy complications, such as iron deficiency, affect fetal growth and development, while also seeking to understand how these complications make offspring more prone to heart disease in later life. His team has identified basic mechanisms by which iron deficiency affects fetal development and increases offspring susceptibility to cardiovascular disease in later life and will begin testing novel intervention strategies on the basis of these studies. These basic mechanistic studies will be complemented by clinical and epidemiological studies addressing this highly prevalent global health issue by aiming to improve birth outcomes and long-term health of offspring.
A valuable member and Assistant Professor within the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Dr. Bourque provides clinician scientists with tools to investigate research questions related to their clinical practice. Since 2014, he has supervised four resident research projects within the department, all of which have won awards at local or national meetings. Dr. Bourque has himself, received numerous awards and his work has been continuously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). These successes were highlighted by a prestigious CIHR New Investigator Salary Award in 2017.
Dr. Bourque also has adjunct appointments in the Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics and is a member of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute and the Cardiovascular Research Centre. His association with multiple research groups, and clinical and basic science collaborators at the University of Alberta underscores the multidisciplinary nature of his research program. Researchers like Dr. Bourque are bridging the gap between basic and clinical sciences and providing opportunities for translational research ("bench to bedside"). Importantly, the expansion of his work to the clinical realm will almost certainly allow for technology transfer opportunities, thereby linking research activity to improved human health.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Stephane Bourque on his excellent research and great achievement.
Please view the original announcement prepared on behalf of Dr. Andrew Shaw (Department Chair), and Dr. Bradley Kerr (Associate Chair, Research)