Dr. Philip A. Marsden is a Clinician Scientist and Nephrologist at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and his research is aimed at understanding the contribution of important endothelial genes to disease processes and the novel aspects of how these endothelial genes are regulated. His 150 peer-reviewed papers have over 10,000 literature citations in high-impact journals and addresses the molecular basis for serious diseases of the cardiovascular and renal systems.
Dr. Marsden’s laboratory and collaborators described in 1992 the cloning, characterization and functional expression of the NO synthase that produces nitric oxide within endothelial cells. His work often targets cutting edge processes or molecular pathways regulating gene expression. As an example, he has recently focused on identifying epigenetic or chromatin-based pathways that are relevant to how endothelial phenotype is regulated in health and disease.
Dr. Marsden has received several awards for his research from the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF), the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a member of prestigious societies, such as the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI)(1999), the American Association of Physicians (AAP)(2013), the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2013), and the Royal Society of Canada (2014). He has served on a number of editorial boards and research advisory committees, most notably he served as the only Canadian representative on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine (2002-2014).
Dr. Marsden co-edits the seminal Nephrology textbook, Brenner and Rector’s The Kidney, 11th Edition, a role he has held for the past 8 years. He is the Elizabeth Hofmann Chair in Translational Medicine at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. The leadership roles he has held include having served as the University of Toronto Departmental Division Director in Nephrology for over 10 years (2007-2018). He also served as the Vice Chair of Medicine, Research, in the Department of Medicine, for four years (2012-2015) and he has contributed his research expertise to three Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) operating grant panels, the recent CIHR Foundation grant process, as well as the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Currently, he is funded by CIHR and HSF. Over his career he has always championed group scientific interactions, in order to enhance science at the interface of clinical and basic concepts, and the value of scientific collaborations. He is especially proud that he has trained over forty graduate students and post-doctoral research fellows. Advocating for trainees seeking careers as Clinician Scientists is a particular passion and to foster the environment that nurtures combining the clinical with the academic, he has overseen a Clinician Scientist lecture series at St Michael’s Hospital for over 10 years. To further fulfill the obligation to mentor, his lab has always taken high school students, multitudes of summer undergraduate students and co-op students who express interest in educational opportunities in Medical Research.
About the CMHF
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.
This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON
