The Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research is thrilled to welcome Dr. Cedric Manlhiot as the inaugural Rogers Innovator of Cardiovascular Precision Medicine at SickKids. In addition to his role at TRCHR, Dr. Manlhiot will be a Scientist in the Translational Medicine Program at the SickKids Research Institute and the Dr. William G. Williams Research Director in Cardiac Data Analytics for the Labatt Family Heart Centre. We recently spoke with Cedric to learn about his excitement for his new role, his history with the TRCHR, and what he hopes to accomplish at SickKids.

A Toronto Homecoming

Cedric brings with him extensive experience from all three TRCHR partners, something which will help him to seamlessly reintegrate into the Toronto cardiovascular research community. He earned his Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Toronto, focusing on factors related to thrombosis in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Starting in 2004 he held various roles at SickKids, from undergraduate research student to Associate Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences, making his latest position all the more exciting.

In addition to his work at SickKids, Cedric also held a joint appointment at UHN and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He co-founded the Cardiovascular Data Management Centre at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in 2012 alongside the University of Toronto, which became a part of TRCHR shortly after the Centre’s inception. This initiative led to significant advancements in digital health innovations and data-driven research for heart failure patients, which continue to be impactful today.

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Bridging Research with Implementation

Reflecting on his return to SickKids and TRCHR after leading the Cardiovascular Data Intelligence Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, Cedric expressed his enthusiasm for the ongoing research in Toronto. “I’ve missed the breadth of innovation and research happening at SickKids. It’s world-class, and I’m excited to be back contributing to the mission of better understanding and treating heart failure in children.”

In his new role, Cedric will explore how prediction models and data analytics can be used to transform treatment plans for children with heart failure, addressing a major challenge for many researchers.

“We’re in the middle of an implementation crisis. There are lots of incredible data products and algorithms being created here in Canada and globally, but the translation rate where they impact patients is less than 3%,” says Cedric. Improving implementation processes will be a key focus of his new position. “I want my lab to help generate and deliver insights that otherwise wouldn’t happen. These data-driven insights provide additional information that can help physicians take the right course of action and get ahead of potential negative outcomes.”

Dr. Seema Mital, TRCHR Co-Scientific Lead at SickKids and head of the Cardiac Precision Medicine Program where Cedric’s lab will be embedded, highlighted her excitement at having Cedric join the team. “Dr. Manlhiot brings a wealth of experience that will allow us to forge new advances in precision medicine for children with heart failure. We’re very lucky to have him returning to lead the application of big data and AI to Cardiac Precision Medicine at SickKids and across the Centre.”

Dr. Raymond Kim, TRCHR Co-Scientific Lead at SickKids and head of the Cardiac Genome Clinic, echoed this sentiment. “To have someone with such a depth of knowledge in both pediatric cardiovascular conditions and data precision models will be invaluable to the care and research being done here at SickKids.”

Bringing Collaboration to the Forefront

When asked about what he’s most looking forward to, Cedric highlighted the collaborative environment at the Centre. “Attacking a problem with a singular depth of focus from such a wide variety of expertise—including that of engineers, cardiologists, and data scientists—provides unique perspectives that you just don’t get everywhere else.” He hopes to leverage his own expertise in data and precision medicine to join with a variety of TRCHR researchers to tackle problems other institutes can’t address.

The Innovator in Cardiovascular Precision Medicine role will involve building a specialized team to execute various projects under Cedric’s leadership. He looks forward to mentoring trainees and providing them with experience in cardiovascular research and coding projects, which often require flexibility and a fondness for ambiguity—skills he notes have served him well throughout his career in an ever-evolving field.

Dr. Mansoor Husain, Executive Director at TRCHR, emphasized the significance of being able to welcome an old colleague to such an exciting new position. “We’re thrilled to have Cedric back at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research in this official capacity. He co-founded our Computational Program at UHN many years ago, the foundation of which continues to develop novel data methods and best practices in cardiology. We look forward to seeing the advances he’ll make in cardiovascular precision medicine at the Centre.”

We welcome Cedric back to the TRCHR and look forward to following his work in cardiac precision medicine at SickKids!