Our research group, led by Dr.Jean-Francois Legare, is at the forefront of ground-breaking studies aimed at advancing medical knowledge and improving patient care.
Keith Brunt, PhD
Translational Scientist (Collaborator)
Dr. Keith Brunt is the main founder & leader of IMPART team. He is an associate professor at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, a translational scientist in the cardiovascular surgery/ cardiology departments of the New Brunswick Heart Centre. He is also the president of the Heart & Stroke Foundation New Brunswick.
Following the completion of his undergraduate studies in Physiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Brunt went on to Queens University to pursue Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. After a fellowship in Cardiac Surgery and Regenerative Medicine at Toronto General Hospital, he became an Assistant Professor in Pharmacology and Medicine in Saint John.
Dr. Brunt is currently teaching as an adjunct professor in the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Business in addition to directing Community Engagement and Innovation Development efforts for Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. He is also the Chief Scientific Officer at NB-BioMatrix, Inc., and a special graduate faculty member at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
Research interests for Dr. Brunt include nano-pharmocology, heme metabolism, and molecular and cellular cardiology.
Research | Publications | News | Brunt Lab | Biospherix Partnership
Kenneth D’Souza, PhD
Senior Scientist
Department of Cardiac Sciences
Cardiac Amyloid Disease
Saint John Regional Hospital
Dr. D’Souza is currently a full-time Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick and Senior Scientist at the Department of Cardiac Sciences. He completed an undergraduate and MSc at McMaster University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He then completed his PhD in Biochemistry at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (DMNB). Notably, Dr. D’Souza was a NSERC Vanier funded scholar (first in NB for life sciences) as well as the first PhD graduate at DMNB.
Dr. D’Souza currently focuses on cardiac amyloid disease. In addition to managing several clinical projects on amyloidosis, he is also developing novel diagnostics for amyloidosis, including the use of spectroscopy and machine learning. Apart from research, he is also the principal grant writer and assists with all aspects of research management and planning.
Dr. D’Souza is also a contracted instructor at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and Mount Allison, where he teaches a broad range of subjects across Biology, Biochemistry and Health.
Area of research interests
Cardíac amylodid; spectroscopy; Machine learning
Dana El-Mughayyar, MSc, CCRP ©
Clinical Research Manager
Department of Cardiac Sciences
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Saint John Regional Hospital
Saint John, NB
Dana El-Mughayyar is a certified clinical research professional with over nine years of experience in cardiovascular health, spine surgery, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, and chronic pain research. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Dalhousie University as an O'Brien Fellow, also supported by ResearchNS (Nova Scotia Scholars), Dalhousie Research Excellence Scholarship, Nova Scotia Graduate Research Award, where her research focuses on exploring and enhancing cardiac rehabilitation outcomes through patient-oriented research and implementation science in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick.
In addition to her research, Dana serves as the Director of Experiential Learning for Dalhousie University's IMPART Program, where she leads initiatives that expand experiential education and research training opportunities. She is also the founder of the Department of Cardiac Sciences Experiential Learning Research Program, a structured experiential learning initiative that provides students and trainees with meaningful clinical research experience while fostering the next generation of healthcare researchers. She is also an Affiliate Scientist with the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU).
Dana has received multiple awards recognizing her contributions to clinical research, innovation, and academic excellence. She has co/authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, presented her work at national and international scientific conferences, and collaborates with multidisciplinary research teams and healthcare partners across Canada. She also serves as a peer reviewer and editorial board member for several scientific journals, including Global Spine Journal, PLOS ONE, and Medicine.
Her work is driven by a commitment to advancing patient-centred, evidence-informed healthcare. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, implementation science, and knowledge translation, Dana strives to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, ensuring that scientific discoveries lead to meaningful improvements in patient care, health outcomes, and health system performance.
Area of research interests:
Patient advocacy; rehabilitation; patient outcomes; cardíac surgery
Read and follow here: Publications | ResearchGate