Dr. Rebecca Amer is a graduate of McMaster University School of Medicine and has also enjoyed an internal medicine residency in Hamilton. She has her MSc in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto and is currently in her first year of training in Respirology. She demonstrates strong clinical skills, leadership qualities, research initiative and lots of enthusiasm. Rebecca was the recipient of the Dr. David Feldman Internal Medicine award in 2005. This award was given in honour of a former St. Joseph’s Healthcare master clinician who had a successful and impressive career path. Rebecca also received the PGY3 Chief Medical Resident Award for Excellence in Clinic Competence and Teaching in 2007.

Dr. Rebecca Amer is a graduate of McMaster University School of Medicine and has also enjoyed an internal medicine residency in Hamilton. She has her MSc in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto and is currently in her first year of training in Respirology. She demonstrates strong clinical skills, leadership qualities, research initiative and lots of enthusiasm. Rebecca was the recipient of the Dr. David Feldman Internal Medicine award in 2005. This award was given in honour of a former St. Joseph’s Healthcare master clinician who had a successful and impressive career path. Rebecca also received the PGY3 Chief Medical Resident Award for Excellence in Clinic Competence and Teaching in 2007.

Dr. Nathan Hambly earned his medical degree at the University of Ottawa (2009) and completed both internal medicine (2012) and adult respirology (2014) residencies at McMaster University.  He has since fulfilled clinical fellowships in pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease at McMaster University, University of Toronto and Royal Brompton Hospital in London, United Kingdom.  Dr. Hambly is the clinical lead of the Firestone Institute Pulmonary Hypertension Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital and McMaster University and works as a consultant respirologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.  His clinical interests include pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and sarcoidosis.

Research Interests: Pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, sarcoidosis and acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Dr. Nathan Hambly earned his medical degree at the University of Ottawa (2009) and completed both internal medicine (2012) and adult respirology (2014) residencies at McMaster University.  He has since fulfilled clinical fellowships in pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease at McMaster University, University of Toronto and Royal Brompton Hospital in London, United Kingdom.  Dr. Hambly is the clinical lead of the Firestone Institute Pulmonary Hypertension Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital and McMaster University and works as a consultant respirologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.  His clinical interests include pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and sarcoidosis.

Research Interests: Pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, sarcoidosis and acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Dr. Martin Kolb is an associate professor of medicine and director of research for the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He obtained his MD from the University of Würzburg, Germany in 1991, where he also completed a PhD equivalent in Experimental Respirology in 2003. He trained with Dr. Jack Gauldie at McMaster University from 1999-2001 and they closely collaborate since then on basic and translational projects in pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Kolb runs a specialty clinic for interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary fibrosis at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and is involved as Principal Investigator and Steering Committee member in several multi-center trials for lung fibrosis. Dr. Kolb has published more than 80 scientific articles and is Deputy Editor for Respirology and on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Research 
Dr. Kolb’s major research area is focused on mechanisms of lung injury, repair and fibrosis, particularly in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). He has a strong interest in growth factor biology (e.g. TGF? and IL-1), extracellular matrix, and mesenchymal cell progenitors (mesenchymal stem cells and fibrocytes). In his lab he uses a variety of animal models to study disease mechanisms and also the efficacy of novel drugs in the preclinical setting. Dr. Kolb leads activities in biomarker development for lung fibrosis and he participates as Principal Investigator and Steering Committee members in numerous clinical trials on interstitial lung disease. Dr. Kolb has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Journal of Pathology, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Immunology, European Respiratory Journal and many others. He is/was funded by CIHR, NIH, CFI, OTS and different Pharma companies over the years. He has received career awards from the Parker B. Francis Families Foundation, the Department of Medicine at McMaster and the New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institute for Health Research.

Clinical Activities

Dr. Kolb looks after several hundred patients with interstitial lung disease in his specialty clinic and also practices in General Respirology. He is medical staff at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton for Respirology and General Internal Medicine. Clinic bookings can be made through extension x35003.

Current standing

• Associate professor, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine and Pathology & Molecular Medicine; Reseach director; Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare
• Specialty clinic for interstitial lung disease and lung fibrosis
• Inpatient service for general internal medicine, respirology and ICU
• Consulting service

Education and professional standing

• M.D., University of Würzburg, Germany, 1991
• Residency, Anatomical Pathology, University Erlangen/Nürnberg
• Residency, General Internal and Respiratory Medicine, University of Würzburg, Germany, 1993
• Postdoctoral research fellowship in pulmonary fibrosis with Dr. Jack Gauldie, McMaster University, 1999
• Habilitation for Internal Medicine (PhD equivalent ), Germany, 2003
• Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, McMaster, 2003
• Department of Medicine and the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, 2004
• Research Director, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, 2009
• Director, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University 2013

Selected publications

• Richeldi L, du Bois RM, Raghu G, Azuma A, Brown KK, Costabel U, Cottin V, Flaherty KR, Hansell DM, Inoue Y, Kim DS, Kolb M, Nicholson AG, Noble PW, Selman M, Taniguchi H, Brun M, Le Maulf F, Girard M, Stowasser S, Schlenker-Herceg R, Disse B, Collard HR. Efficacy and Safety of Nintedanib in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 29;370(22):2071-82.
• Bellaye PS, Wettstein G, Burgy O, Besnard V, Joannes A, Colas J, Causse S, Marchal-Somme J, Fabre A, Crestani B, Kolb MRJ, Gauldie J, Camus P, Garrido C, Bonniaud P. The small heat shock protein ?B-crystallin is essential for the nuclear localization of Smad4: impact on pulmonary fibrosis. J Pathol 2014; 232: 458–472.
• Wettstein G, Bellaye PS, Kolb MRJ, Hammann A, Crestani B, Soler P, Marchal-Somme J, Hazoume A, Gauldie J, Gunther A, Micheau O, Gleave M, Camus P, Garrido C, Bonniaud P. Inhibition of HSP27 blocks fibrosis development and EMT features by promoting snail degradation. FASEB J. 2013 Apr;27(4):1549-60
• Hanumegowda C, Farkas L, Kolb MRJ. Angiogenesis in Pulmonary Fibrosis-Too much or not enough? Chest 2012 July 1;142(1):200-7
• Farkas L, Gauldie J, Voelkel N F, Kolb MRJ. Pulmonary Hypertension and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-A Tale of Angiogenesis, Apoptosis and Growth Factors. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011 Jul;45(1):1-15
• Farkas L, Ask K, Möller A, Farkas D, Margetts PJ, Gauldie J, Inman M, Kolb MRJ. VEGF-mediated angiogenesis ameliorates pulmonary hypertension in an animal model of lung fibrosis. J Clin Invest 2009;119(5):1298-311
• Möller A, Gilpin SE, Ask K, Cox G, Cook DJ, Gauldie J, Margetts PJ, Farkas L, Dobranowski J, Boylan C, O’Byrne PM, Strieter RM, Kolb MRJ. Circulating Fibrocytes are an indicator for poor prognosis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 2009; 179(7):588-94

Dr. Martin Kolb is an associate professor of medicine and director of research for the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He obtained his MD from the University of Würzburg, Germany in 1991, where he also completed a PhD equivalent in Experimental Respirology in 2003. He trained with Dr. Jack Gauldie at McMaster University from 1999-2001 and they closely collaborate since then on basic and translational projects in pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Kolb runs a specialty clinic for interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary fibrosis at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and is involved as Principal Investigator and Steering Committee member in several multi-center trials for lung fibrosis. Dr. Kolb has published more than 80 scientific articles and is Deputy Editor for Respirology and on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Research 
Dr. Kolb’s major research area is focused on mechanisms of lung injury, repair and fibrosis, particularly in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). He has a strong interest in growth factor biology (e.g. TGF? and IL-1), extracellular matrix, and mesenchymal cell progenitors (mesenchymal stem cells and fibrocytes). In his lab he uses a variety of animal models to study disease mechanisms and also the efficacy of novel drugs in the preclinical setting. Dr. Kolb leads activities in biomarker development for lung fibrosis and he participates as Principal Investigator and Steering Committee members in numerous clinical trials on interstitial lung disease. Dr. Kolb has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Journal of Pathology, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Immunology, European Respiratory Journal and many others. He is/was funded by CIHR, NIH, CFI, OTS and different Pharma companies over the years. He has received career awards from the Parker B. Francis Families Foundation, the Department of Medicine at McMaster and the New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institute for Health Research.

Clinical Activities

Dr. Kolb looks after several hundred patients with interstitial lung disease in his specialty clinic and also practices in General Respirology. He is medical staff at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton for Respirology and General Internal Medicine. Clinic bookings can be made through extension x35003.

Current standing

• Associate professor, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine and Pathology & Molecular Medicine; Reseach director; Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare
• Specialty clinic for interstitial lung disease and lung fibrosis
• Inpatient service for general internal medicine, respirology and ICU
• Consulting service

Education and professional standing

• M.D., University of Würzburg, Germany, 1991
• Residency, Anatomical Pathology, University Erlangen/Nürnberg
• Residency, General Internal and Respiratory Medicine, University of Würzburg, Germany, 1993
• Postdoctoral research fellowship in pulmonary fibrosis with Dr. Jack Gauldie, McMaster University, 1999
• Habilitation for Internal Medicine (PhD equivalent ), Germany, 2003
• Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, McMaster, 2003
• Department of Medicine and the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, 2004
• Research Director, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, 2009
• Director, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University 2013

Selected publications

• Richeldi L, du Bois RM, Raghu G, Azuma A, Brown KK, Costabel U, Cottin V, Flaherty KR, Hansell DM, Inoue Y, Kim DS, Kolb M, Nicholson AG, Noble PW, Selman M, Taniguchi H, Brun M, Le Maulf F, Girard M, Stowasser S, Schlenker-Herceg R, Disse B, Collard HR. Efficacy and Safety of Nintedanib in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 29;370(22):2071-82.
• Bellaye PS, Wettstein G, Burgy O, Besnard V, Joannes A, Colas J, Causse S, Marchal-Somme J, Fabre A, Crestani B, Kolb MRJ, Gauldie J, Camus P, Garrido C, Bonniaud P. The small heat shock protein ?B-crystallin is essential for the nuclear localization of Smad4: impact on pulmonary fibrosis. J Pathol 2014; 232: 458–472.
• Wettstein G, Bellaye PS, Kolb MRJ, Hammann A, Crestani B, Soler P, Marchal-Somme J, Hazoume A, Gauldie J, Gunther A, Micheau O, Gleave M, Camus P, Garrido C, Bonniaud P. Inhibition of HSP27 blocks fibrosis development and EMT features by promoting snail degradation. FASEB J. 2013 Apr;27(4):1549-60
• Hanumegowda C, Farkas L, Kolb MRJ. Angiogenesis in Pulmonary Fibrosis-Too much or not enough? Chest 2012 July 1;142(1):200-7
• Farkas L, Gauldie J, Voelkel N F, Kolb MRJ. Pulmonary Hypertension and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-A Tale of Angiogenesis, Apoptosis and Growth Factors. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011 Jul;45(1):1-15
• Farkas L, Ask K, Möller A, Farkas D, Margetts PJ, Gauldie J, Inman M, Kolb MRJ. VEGF-mediated angiogenesis ameliorates pulmonary hypertension in an animal model of lung fibrosis. J Clin Invest 2009;119(5):1298-311
• Möller A, Gilpin SE, Ask K, Cox G, Cook DJ, Gauldie J, Margetts PJ, Farkas L, Dobranowski J, Boylan C, O’Byrne PM, Strieter RM, Kolb MRJ. Circulating Fibrocytes are an indicator for poor prognosis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 2009; 179(7):588-94

After obtaining his medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Kerala in India in 1988, Dr Nair trained in general and respiratory medicine at the University of Kerala Medical College Hospital in Trivandrum (with an MD for thesis on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, Diploma in Tuberculosis, and National Board Certification in Respiratory Medicine (DNB), and Royal Sunderland and Royal Sussex County Hospitals in England (MRCP in General Medicine, 1996). He joined the faculty of Health Sciences of McMaster University in 2004 after training in Health Research Methodology, a clinical research fellowship and a PhD under the supervision of Professors Frederick Hargreave and Paul O’Byrne. He was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of India in 1993, Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians in 1999, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 2003 and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 2009 with certification in Internal Medicine and Respirology. He was awarded the Ann Woolcock Prize in 2005 by the American Thoracic Society and the Bastable-Potts Prize in 2016 by the Asthma Society of Canada for excellence in asthma research.

His laboratory characterizes the types of bronchitis in airway diseases using measurements in sputum, develops novel biomarkers in sputum, identifies mechanisms of bronchitis and explores novel targeted therapies of bronchitis. He directs the AllerGen National Centre of Excellence Clinical Investigators Consortium for Severe Asthma and is a co-investigator of the Canadian Respiratory Research Network. He was supported by the Canada Research Chair program from 2005-2015.

Clinical Interests

At the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, he looks after patients with complex obstructive airway diseases, severe asthma, recurrent bronchitis, and eosinophilic lung disorders.  These unique multi-disciplinary clinics, in collaboration with Dr Mike Trus, Dr Nader Khalidi, and Dr Gerry Cox, provide these patients access to biologics, molecular microbiology and bronchial thermoplasty and opportunities to participate in research programs.

Research Interests: Developing and applying non-invasive measurements of airway inflammation in the treatment of severe asthma and COPD.

After obtaining his medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Kerala in India in 1988, Dr Nair trained in general and respiratory medicine at the University of Kerala Medical College Hospital in Trivandrum (with an MD for thesis on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, Diploma in Tuberculosis, and National Board Certification in Respiratory Medicine (DNB), and Royal Sunderland and Royal Sussex County Hospitals in England (MRCP in General Medicine, 1996). He joined the faculty of Health Sciences of McMaster University in 2004 after training in Health Research Methodology, a clinical research fellowship and a PhD under the supervision of Professors Frederick Hargreave and Paul O’Byrne. He was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of India in 1993, Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians in 1999, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 2003 and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 2009 with certification in Internal Medicine and Respirology. He was awarded the Ann Woolcock Prize in 2005 by the American Thoracic Society and the Bastable-Potts Prize in 2016 by the Asthma Society of Canada for excellence in asthma research.

His laboratory characterizes the types of bronchitis in airway diseases using measurements in sputum, develops novel biomarkers in sputum, identifies mechanisms of bronchitis and explores novel targeted therapies of bronchitis. He directs the AllerGen National Centre of Excellence Clinical Investigators Consortium for Severe Asthma and is a co-investigator of the Canadian Respiratory Research Network. He was supported by the Canada Research Chair program from 2005-2015.

Clinical Interests

At the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, he looks after patients with complex obstructive airway diseases, severe asthma, recurrent bronchitis, and eosinophilic lung disorders.  These unique multi-disciplinary clinics, in collaboration with Dr Mike Trus, Dr Nader Khalidi, and Dr Gerry Cox, provide these patients access to biologics, molecular microbiology and bronchial thermoplasty and opportunities to participate in research programs.

Research Interests: Developing and applying non-invasive measurements of airway inflammation in the treatment of severe asthma and COPD.

Dr. O’Byrne is currently the Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. Dr. O’Byrne is  world renowned for his research on asthma that is the result of allergies.

His current research interests focus on the mechanisms and treatment of asthma, with particular reference to the role of environmental allergens and the mechanisms by which these cause airway inflammation. Dr. O´Byrne is a prolific publisher, as evidenced by his almost 400 peer-reviewed papers in highly regarded journals. He has also edited ten books and has written more than 100 review papers and is a frequent lecturer at international meetings.

Dr. O’Byrne is member of the Executive Committee of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), is Associate Editor of Chest, Thorax  and International Archives of Allergy and Immunology.

Research Interests: The mechanisms and treatment of asthma: specifically the regulation of environmental allergen-induced airway inflammation and the development of new anti-inflammatory asthma treatments.

Dr. O’Byrne is currently the Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. Dr. O’Byrne is  world renowned for his research on asthma that is the result of allergies.

His current research interests focus on the mechanisms and treatment of asthma, with particular reference to the role of environmental allergens and the mechanisms by which these cause airway inflammation. Dr. O´Byrne is a prolific publisher, as evidenced by his almost 400 peer-reviewed papers in highly regarded journals. He has also edited ten books and has written more than 100 review papers and is a frequent lecturer at international meetings.

Dr. O’Byrne is member of the Executive Committee of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), is Associate Editor of Chest, Thorax  and International Archives of Allergy and Immunology.

Research Interests: The mechanisms and treatment of asthma: specifically the regulation of environmental allergen-induced airway inflammation and the development of new anti-inflammatory asthma treatments.

Dr. Raghavan completed medical school at McGill University in Montreal.  She then completed Internal Medicine residency training at Queen’s University in Kingston before coming to McMaster for specialization in Respirology.  Following Respirology training, she returned to Queen’s to work in the Respiratory Investigation Unit at Kingston General Hospital with Dr. Denis O’Donnell to work on research in applied respiratory physiology.

She currently works at the Hamilton General Hospital on the Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Units, as well as on the respirology consult service.  She has a general respirology out-patient practice at the Hamilton General Hospital.  She also works at St. Joseph’s Healthcare on the pulmonary rehabilitation service.

Dr. Raghavan completed medical school at McGill University in Montreal.  She then completed Internal Medicine residency training at Queen’s University in Kingston before coming to McMaster for specialization in Respirology.  Following Respirology training, she returned to Queen’s to work in the Respiratory Investigation Unit at Kingston General Hospital with Dr. Denis O’Donnell to work on research in applied respiratory physiology.

She currently works at the Hamilton General Hospital on the Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Units, as well as on the respirology consult service.  She has a general respirology out-patient practice at the Hamilton General Hospital.  She also works at St. Joseph’s Healthcare on the pulmonary rehabilitation service.

Dr. Wald completed his medical school, internal medicine residency and fellowship training in respirology at McMaster University where he developed an interest in the management of chronic respiratory disease and exercise physiology. He subsequently completed a fellowship at the Montreal Chest Institute in pulmonary rehabilitation and chronic disease management. He returned to the firestone institute for respiratory health in July 2017 to begin his academic career with a focus on pulmonary rehabilitation and the comprehensive care of patients with COPD.

Research Interests: Management of chronic respiratory disease and exercise physiology

Dr. Wald completed his medical school, internal medicine residency and fellowship training in respirology at McMaster University where he developed an interest in the management of chronic respiratory disease and exercise physiology. He subsequently completed a fellowship at the Montreal Chest Institute in pulmonary rehabilitation and chronic disease management. He returned to the firestone institute for respiratory health in July 2017 to begin his academic career with a focus on pulmonary rehabilitation and the comprehensive care of patients with COPD.

Research Interests: Management of chronic respiratory disease and exercise physiology