President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer,
University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Robert Roberts received his M.D. from Dalhousie University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Toronto.  Funded by a Canadian Heart Foundation Scholarship he pursued research in enzymology and cardiac metabolism at the University of California, San Diego, following which he was Director of the Cardiac Care Unit at Barnes Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine, Washington University.  In 1982, he accepted a position as Chief of Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and became Professor of Medicine with joint appointments in the departments of Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.  On April 1, 2004, Dr. Roberts was appointed President and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and Director of The Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre.  He also retains an adjunct Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

His early research focused on quantification and diagnosis of ischemic heart disease.  He developed the first quantitative assay for plasma MB CK in 1974 and the first radioimmunoassay for MB CK, based on an antibody to the B-subunit in 1976, which was also the first RIA for an isoenzyme.  MBCK remained the standard for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction throughout the world for more than three decades.  Today all markers for myocardial infarction including the troponins are antibody based. 

On moving to Baylor, Dr. Robert's basic research effort focused on the application of the techniques of recombinant DNA to cardiac growth and molecular genetics of cardiovascular disease. These efforts would subsequently earn him the title of one of the founders of molecular cardiology.  He edited and co-authored the first textbook on Molecular Cardiology in 1993, Molecular Basis of Cardiology, and has authored the section on Molecular Cardiology in numerous text books since that time.  In recognition of his achievements he was selected by the American Heart Association to direct one of the three initial Bugher Training Programs for molecular biology of the cardiovascular system.  His many contributions in the field of molecular genetics include 1) the first locus for familial dilated cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, ARVD in North America and identified the desmin gene for familial dilated cardiomyopathy and the first gene for WPW along with several novel mutations for DCM and HCM.  He identified a novel family of proteins that bind specifically to triplet repeats responsible for myotonin mRNA nucleocytoplasmic transport.  In 2007, he identified a novel gene, Myozenin 2 responsible for human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  He developed the only transgenic rabbit with a phenotype of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and together with transgenic mice has elucidated the pathogenesis of Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.  Utilizing these transgenic animal models he identified that statins and/or Angiotensin II Blockers could reverse the phenotype.  In 2005, he showed the HCM phenotype in the transgenic rabbit could be prevented with Atorvastatin therapy.  Studies are currently in process to evaluate these therapies in an American-Canadian clinical trial. The application of genetics in research and clinical management of cardiomyopathies pioneered Baylor Cardiology into a major referral center for inherited cardiovascular disease.

On moving to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, he founded The Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre.  Utilizing a genome wide scan, they identified the first major locus for coronary artery disease on Chromosome 9p21.  This was identified and published in Science on May 3, 2007 and confirmed by investigators worldwide. 

Dr. Roberts served on the Cardiovascular Study Section of the NIH (1979-1982), the Cardiology Advisory Committee of the NHLBI (1984-1988) and subsequently the Advisory Council of the National Heart Lung, & Blood Institute (2000-2001).  He was Chairman of the Study Section for the Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology Committee of the American Heart Association (1990-1993) and a member of the Central Research Review Committee (1990-1995).  He served on the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Committee from 1986-1990.  He became a member of the Research Planning Evaluation Committee (RPEC) for the American Heart Association (1994-2001) and served as Vice-Chairman (1997-1999) and Chairman (1999-2001) and during this time, he served on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association.  In 1991, he served as Chairman of the Scientific Sessions for the American College of Cardiology and served on the Board of Trustees (1996-2001), Young Investigators' Awards Committee (1988-1990), Member of Budget, Finance & Investment Committee (1997-2003), Nominating Committee (1998-2000) and Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Merck/Pfizer/ACCF (2000-2006), Member, CIHR Team Grant A (2007-Present).  Dr. Roberts is the Editor of Current Opinion in Cardiology and a member of the Editorial Board of several prestigious cardiology journals. He has lectured throughout the world and has been the plenary speaker at many national meetings including the American College of Chest Physicians Simon Rodbard Lecturer, 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of Japanese Circulation Society, Mikamo Lecturer, Tokyo, Japan 1997, opening Plenary Speaker for the Japanese College of Cardiology 1995, Japanese Cardiology, the Secondary International Symposium on Heart Failure in Geneva, Switzerland, Simon Dack Presidential Address at the ACC Scientific Sessions (2002) and the State-of-the-Art Lecture, Canadian Cardiovascular Society (2005).  He is known for his expertise in ischemic heart disease and molecular biology of the cardiovascular system. 

Dr. Roberts is a major national and international educator and spokesman for molecular genetics throughout the cardiac community.  He has chaired and participated in a core curriculum course of molecular biology for the clinician at the AHA and ACC Annual Scientific Sessions each year for over 15 years.  As the Director of the Bugher and NHLBI training programs, he trained more than 40 molecular cardiologists, held leadership positions in the AHA and ACC and has been recognized as an important leader in the research and practice of cardiology worldwide.

Dr. Roberts received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American College of Cardiology in 1998, the Award of Meritorious Achievement from The American Heart Association (2001) and recently was awarded Master of the American College of Cardiology (2007).  He was awarded the Robert Beamish Leadership Award in 2005 and the McLaughlin Medal from the Royal Society of Canada (2008).  He has over 700 publications including Associate Editor of Hurst's The Heart, (1989-present) and was awarded the Most Highly Cited Researcher (2002).