• Naranjan Dhalla headshot
  • Distinguished professor

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Physiology and Pathophysiology
    University of Manitoba
    Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
    St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre 
    Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 2A6

    Phone: 204-235-3417
    Fax: 204-237-0347
    nsdhalla@sbrc.ca

Cross-appointment

Senior fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Medicine 

Research summary

Dr. Naranjan Dhalla is a leading expert in the field of heart research, with a focus on understanding the causes of cardiac dysfunction. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying heart disease, including the role of oxidative stress, changes in gene expression, and intracellular calcium overload.

One of the key findings of Dr. Dhalla's research is the connection between oxidative stress and the development of ischemia-reperfusion injury, a major cause of heart disease. He has also shown that catecholamines, which are hormones produced in response to stress, can cause cardiac dysfunction and lethal arrhythmias.

Using cutting-edge research techniques, Dr. Dhalla has shed light on the complex interactions between the heart, its cells, and the signaling pathways that govern its function. His work has identified new targets for drug development, offering hope for the development of more effective therapies for heart disease.

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    Research affiliations and groups

    Principal investigator, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre 

    Director of development, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre 

    Division of Cardiovascular Sciences and Disease 

    International Society for Heart Research

    International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences 

    Keywords

    • Cardiovascular Sciences
    • Cardiomyocyte Ca2+-Handling
    • Diabetic Cardiomyopathy
    • Energy Metabolism
    • Experimental Cardiology
    • Heart Failure
    • Heart Research
    • Ischemic Heart Disease
    • Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
    • Signal Transduction

     

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    Research themes 

    Cardiovascular sciences

    Pathophysiology of heart disease

    Experimental cardiology 

    Research interests 

    Molecular and cellular cardiology

    Diabetic cardiomyopathy

    Ischemic heart disease

    Heart failure 

Biography

Dr. Naranjan Dhalla is a renowned researcher and academic in the field of experimental cardiology. Throughout his extensive career, he has made significant contributions to our understanding of the pathophysiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and molecular biology of cardiac dysfunction. He has demonstrated that defects in the way that heart cells handle calcium, as well as remodeling of subcellular structures, play a critical role in heart failure, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and ischemic heart disease.

Dr. Dhalla's groundbreaking research has formed the metabolic, subcellular, and molecular basis of cardiac dysfunction and identified new targets for drug development to treat heart disease.

Dr. Dhalla was awarded his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1965 and served as an assistant professor at St. Louis University for two years before joining the University of Manitoba's Max Rady College of Medicine in 1968. Over the years, he rose to the rank of full professor and served as founding director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg for 19 years.

In addition, he was a driving force behind the International Society for Heart Research, serving as secretary general and later president, and has been the executive director of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences since 1996.

For over three decades, Dr. Dhalla has served as editor-in-chief of the international journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, and has been invited to speak at conferences and institutions around the world, offering over 500 talks. He has edited 64 books and trained 166 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students in biochemical and molecular medicine. With over 800 published research papers and more than 30,000 citations, he has made an invaluable contribution to the field of heart research.

Dr. Dhalla has received 212 honors and awards, including seven honorary doctorate degrees and four honorary professorships from universities around the world.

He was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2002, became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2000, and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1997.

Dr. Dhalla is also a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and has been honored as a Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba.

He remains a passionate and dedicated researcher, constantly seeking new ways to improve our understanding of heart disease and develop new treatments to help those affected.

Education 

PhD in Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh (1965)

Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania (1963)

Selected awards

Honorary Doctorate from the University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022)

Honorary Doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (2015)

Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kragujevac, Serbia (2014)

Honorary Doctor of Science from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (2010)

Honorary Doctor of Science from Panjab University, Chandigarh (2009)

Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2005)

Order of Manitoba (2002)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2000)

Honorary Doctor of Science from the Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava (1997)

Member of the Order of Canada (1997)

Honorary Doctor of Medicine from Charles University, Prague (1995)

Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba (1991)

Contact us

Physiology and Pathophysiology
432 Basic Medical Sciences Building
745 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9 Canada

204-789-3696
204-789-3934