OUR TEAM

PhD

Dr. Golnaz Karoubi is Assistant Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and junior principal investigator in the Latner Thoracic Research Labs. She currently holds an Assistant Professor appointment in the department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and a cross-appointment in the department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. Dr. Karoubi received her PhD in Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Drs Duncan Stewart and David Courtman in 2006. Her doctoral research was focused on a novel approach for enhancing cell-based therapeutic delivery of mesenchymal stromal cells to the lung microvasculature using hydrogel-based single cell encapsulation. Upon completion of her doctoral studies, she joined the Lung Regenerative Medicine Program in the Department of Clinical Research in Berne University, Switzerland and stayed on as a Group Leader in 2008 to direct the basic and transitional science as related to Cancer Stem Cell and Lung Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Biomedical Research at the University of Berne until 2012. In early 2012, she moved back to Canada and joined the team of Dr. Tom Waddell at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute as a Senior Scientific Associate. She was appointed to Assistant Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (University Health Network) in November 2019 and to Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in July 2020. She is also cross appointed in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Her research focuses on the application of stem cells in tissue engineering approaches for lung and airway repair and regeneration. She has a strong interest in mentorship and education and has authored several peer-reviewed publications.

MD, MSc, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

Dr. Waddell is the Pearson-Ginsberg Chair, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Toronto and Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at University Health Network, including Toronto General Hospital. Dr. Waddell received his MD from the University of Ottawa in 1987, where he received the Gold Medal in Surgery. He completed surgical internship at St. Michael’s Hospital before joining the University of Toronto General Surgery Residency Program. He pursued basic laboratory training in the Surgical Scientist Program, completing his MSc with Alec Patterson in 1992 and his PhD with Greg Downey in 1995. He received numerous honors for his research work including the Governor General’s Gold Medal for best doctoral thesis in the sciences and the Royal College Prize for Resident Research. He completed general surgery training in 1997 and his thoracic surgery fellowship in 1998. Following completion of clinical training he undertook an additional year of lab training as a McLaughlin Fellow at Imperial College in London, England. He was appointed as Assistant Professor in 2000, promoted to Associate Professor in 2004, and was in 2010 promoted to Full Professor. He has earned numerous distinctions during his faculty tenure as well, including the Blalock Scholarship from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award, a Canadian Foundation for Innovation New Opportunities Fund Award, the George Armstrong Peters Prize and the Lister Prize in the Department of Surgery, a Wightman-Berris Individual Teaching Award in 2002 and the Ross Fleming Surgical Educator Award in 2012. He was recognized with the R. Fraser Elliott Chair in Transplantation Research in 2005, and the Thomson Family Chair in Translational Research in 2011.