Today, Dr. Tammy Clifford, Acting President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, announced that Dr. Ariane Marelli has been appointed the next Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health for a term of four years, effective April 1, 2024.
Dr. Marelli is one of Canada's leading cardiovascular scientists and is known internationally for her work in congenital heart disease. She is a Professor of Medicine at McGill University, Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and a Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).
Dr. Marelli is also Founding Director of the McGill Adult Unit for Congenital Heart Disease Excellence, which provides care to thousands of cardiac patients every year. She led the development of the Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan Program at RI-MUHC, a program that brings together scientists working on basic, clinical and health outcomes research to advance knowledge and develop new therapies for cardiac and cardiovascular diseases in children and adults. She is a Clinical Research Scholar of the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQ-S). She is the immediate past-President of the Canadian Adult Congenital Heart Network of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Her background in cardiology and public health has enabled Dr. Marelli to do groundbreaking work to understand the health needs of patients with congenital heart disease from birth to old age. In partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the American College of Cardiology and people with lived experience, her research has influenced policy and led to new models of delivering health services for patients with lifelong heart conditions. She has an extensive funding history at CIHR and publications that include a book on congenital heart disease that is sold internationally.
The Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health is one of CIHR's thirteen Institutes. As Scientific Director, Dr. Marelli will develop and advance research and training initiatives that address circulatory and respiratory research priorities in Canada while supporting the implementation of CIHR's Strategic Plan. During Dr. Marelli's term, the Institute will be based at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
