CHAL  |  Cardiovascular Health across the Lifespan Program

The Management Committee of the Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan Program (CHAL) is headed by the program leader, associate leader and manager. Membership also includes the Chief of Cardiology of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), three internal representatives from the Centre for Translational Biology (CTB) , the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM) and the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) , and one representative from another research program. The Management Committee seeks to expand the cardiovascular aspect of the CHAL program to include interdisciplinary experts performing cutting-edge translational biomedical research.

Members

Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou, Co-Program Leader

Mariane Bertagnolli, PhD, Co-Program Leader

Dr. Nadia Giannetti, Chief of Cardiology, MUHC

Dr. Louise Pilote, Population health representative (CORE)

Dr. Jacques Genest, Basic research representative (CTB)

Dr. Mathias Friedrich, Clinical research representative (CIM)

Keith Murai, PhD, External representative, Leader of the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program

Mohsen Damavandi, PhD, CHAL Program manager

Program leaders and manager

Stella Daskalopoulou, MD, M.Sc., PhD, is a Senior Scientist at the RI-MUHC, a clinician and a tenured professor at McGill University. As the founder and director of the Vascular Health Unit, she has built an internationally recognized and innovative translational research program that spans the continuum from arteriosclerosis and arterial stiffness to advanced atherosclerosis. Dr. Daskaloupoulou’s research program, which bridges fundamental, translational, and clinical research, focuses on identifying early markers of vascular impairment, pathophysiological mechanisms of vascular disease, and novel therapeutic targets to promote vascular health, with a focus on cardiometabolic diseases, sex differences in cardiovascular diseases, women's health across the lifespan, and vascular disease prevention. She has mentored over 200 research trainees, who have achieved recognition through significant publications in the field and numerous national and international awards. She has been the Co-Chair of Hypertension Canada Guidelines since 2015 and she is an active member of numerous international vascular working groups.

Mariane Bertagnolli, PhD is a Scientist in the CHAL Program at the RI-MUHC and Assistant Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University. Her research aims to understand the mechanisms that disrupt the formation of new blood vessels in the mother, placenta, and fetus during pregnancies severely affected by hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia. Her team investigates exercise rehabilitation to enhance small vessel and endothelial function in women, aiming to prevent cardiovascular disease after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Mohsen Damavandi, PhD, received his doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Montreal, and graduate diploma in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management and Innovation from Queen’s University. He has more than 15 years of research experience in the fields of musculoskeletal injuries and neuromuscular diseases in academia and healthcare industry. As a medical advisor fellow in inflammation and immunology at Pfizer Canada, he acquired experience in drug development and clinical trials monitoring. He has excellent communication, collaboration and scientific project management skills.