Dr. Ori Rotstein speaks to room full of researchers and students at 2015 Keenan Research Summer Student Poster competition.
Dr. Ori Rotstein was named the inaugural Keenan Chair in Research Leadership at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto. The five-year chair, which began January 2017, was developed to support a world-class scientist who also serves as the director of the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science at St. Michael’s.
“I’m working to understand, at a cellular level, how the immune response changes after traumatic injury,” said Dr. Rotstein, who is also surgeon-in-chief for St. Michael’s. “As we gain better understanding of these processes, our lab conceptualizes and develops new potential treatments and evaluates whether they reduce risk of organ injury or death after trauma.”
As the surgeon-in-chief and director of the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, Dr. Rotstein is uniquely positioned to apply his health-care and research knowledge to advance scientific discoveries from bench to bedside.
Under Dr. Rotstein’s leadership, the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science has developed a mentoring program to recruit, retain and develop its faculty; attracted high-calibre students; expanded its scope of translational research; and increased collaboration among its members and among other organizations.
“Dr. Rotstein was instrumental in developing partnerships with Ryerson University that created the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) and the Biomedical Zone; both are examples of his collaborative approach to improving patient health,” said Dr. Arthur Slutsky, vice-president of Research for St. Michael’s. “Ori brings considerable experience and demonstrated leadership to this chair.”
The Keenan Chair in Research Leadership is funded through the generosity of the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation through the St. Michael’s Foundation. This is the fourth research chair at St. Michael’s and U of T supported by the Keenan family. The Keenans have donated more than $30 million to the hospital–a significant portion of which has gone to advancing health research.
Dr. Rotstein is an internationally recognized surgeon scientist and a professor and associate chair of Surgery at the University of Toronto.
About St. Michael’s Hospital
St. Michael’s Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the hospital’s recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael’s Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.