Dr. Lily Wu
It's no secret that the Western world is littered with high-sugar and high-fat foods...and that these don't make for a healthy diet. However, less known are the severity and frequency of diseases caused by their regular consumption: metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes are all consequences of an excessive intake in sugar and fat and can lead to a decreased quality of life, painful symptoms, and death.
Dr. Lily Wu is a world leader in these food-instigated diseases and disorders and highly devoted to their prevention and treatment. Studying the mechanisms of insulin resistance, Dr. Wu has made numerous discoveries including the role of methylglyoxal in producing hypertension and diabetes, the regulation of hypertension and diabetes by hydrogen sulfide, and the modulation in channels by endogenous substances. She is currently working at the TBRRI on methods to aid in the early detection and prevention of metabolic syndrome and their application to benefit the cardiac health of Thunder Bay patients.
Her extensive and award-winning research comes none too late; the World health Organization suggests that roughly 1 billion people have hypertension and 250 million have type 2 diabetes, numbers that are expected to increase by over 50% come 2025.
Actively training her students to address the health crises of tomorrow, Dr. Wu is particularly proud of the directions they take after graduation. Some of her trainees are working as health professionals in universities and pharmaceutical companies; a former student is currently the clinical data coordinator of Sanofi R&D Centre and another is a professor at Harbian University in China. Meanwhile, a few are completing their PDF training at various institutions such as Harvard University, one went on to pursue therapeutics at McGill, and another is attending the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Dr. Wu adds that for those looking to delve deeper into the sciences of health, Lakehead will be offering a new master's of health sciences this fall - the only of its kind between Winnipeg and Southern Ontario.
"The degree is designed largely to prepare students who will emerge as health researchers and will provide advanced methodological and health-related education."