Clinician-researcher recognized nationally

Clinician- researcher Dr. Mouhieddin (Dean) Traboulsi, MD, has been recognized nationally, receiving the 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiologists (CAIC) in October 2023.

“It is nice to be recognized by one’s colleagues,” says Traboulsi. “I am elated and humbled to be in the company of past recipients of this award.”

Traboulsi received his medical degree from Damascus University Medical School in Syria. He came to the University of Calgary in 1981, where he completed internal medicine, cardiology, interventional cardiology training and a Heritage research fellowship.

“I arrived in Calgary the same year that the angioplasty program was started,” says Traboulsi. “I was amazed by the revolutionary way to treat coronary artery disease and chose to pursue a career in interventional cardiology.”

Starting in 2000, Traboulsi directed both the Cardiac Catherization (cath) Lab and the Foothills Interventional Cardiology service for 16 years. Both programs expanded during his tenure, and Traboulsi supported the development and refurbishment of three then state-of-the-art cath labs.

He also led the introduction of the minimally invasive TAVI Program, to implant aortic valves, at Foothills Medical Centre. The program now completes about 200 aortic valve replacements annually.

Revolutionizing care after heart attacks

Traboulsi was an active researcher, authoring numerous publications, and participating in various national and international clinical trials, focusing mainly on improving care for patients after a heart attack.

Through this research and his leadership roles, Traboulsi helped transform care for acute heart attack patients.

As director of the Southern Alberta STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Reperfusion) program and co-director of Alberta Cardiac Access, Traboulsi led the way in significantly improving mortality rates following an acute heart attack in Alberta.

This was accomplished through a collaborative program involving emergency medical services and hospital emergency departments. The protocol bypassed the emergency room in favour of the cath lab – vastly improving the speed with which patients are treated.

“Our research showed that going directly to the cath lab to receive a stent was the way to go, because time is critical when it comes to a heart attack,” he says.  “We were among a handful of programs in Canada and North America to adopt this protocol, and Calgary was ranked the best place in Canada to have a heart attack for many years.”

Traboulsi is still involved in improving post heart attack care in Alberta, especially in remote and rural areas.

Leadership and education activities

Traboulsi is a local, provincial, and national leader who has held numerous roles, including past president of the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology.

He is also passionate about the importance of education. He cites the University of Calgary Interventional Cardiology Training Program, which has trained close to 100 interventional cardiologists from around the world, including Norway, Israel, India and Saudi Arabia.

Medical missions

In addition to his clinical, research and leadership activities, Traboulsi has volunteered as part of numerous medical missions around the world.

His first mission was to his home country of Syria in 2000. Traboulsi was part of a team of Calgary cardiologists who visited the country to lead training activities and conduct procedures. Traboulsi returned with the group once to Syria, and then went annually on his own for a decade, bringing medical supplies and conducting procedures.

He visited India 10 times, helping a Calgary-trained local physician conduct an educational course for Indian cardiologists to learn a less invasive and safer way to perform cardiac catheterization and coronary intervention. He also performed numerous procedures in the country.

Traboulsi also visited other countries on medical missions. In China, he helped train doctors to perform angioplasties. In Trinidad and Tobago he was part of a Calgary team that performed close to 100 procedures in 10 days.

“I have been very lucky in my life,” says Traboulsi. “I am trying to give back, and that’s why I am passionate about helping others.”

Dr. Todd Anderson, MD, dean of the Cumming School of Medicine, is personally grateful for Traboulsi’s guidance during his early training. He says Traboulsi is an outstanding cardiologist, a natural leader, and an excellent technical interventional cardiologist who provides superlative outcomes for his patients. 

“Dr. Traboulsi revolutionized the way we treated patients with myocardial infarction (heart attacks) with the introduction of the STEMI pathway,” says Anderson. “By combining systems of care and data collection in the APPROACH database, a cycle of continuous quality improvement allowed Calgary to have the best outcomes after for patients after experiencing a heart attack in the country. He was a tireless champion and leader of this program.”

Interventional cardiologist Dr. Michael Curtis, MD, who directs the Cardiac Catherization Lab at the Foothills Medical Centre and leads the Interventional Cardiology group, has known Traboulsi since 1991, when Curtis was a resident.

Curtis worked under Traboulsi’s leadership for a number of years, when Traboulsi was director of the Cardiac Catherization Lab and director of Interventional Cardiology. He says Traboulsi is highly respected by all.

“His greatest attribute to me is his fierce and determined passion,” says Curtis. He cares a great deal about the well-being of his patients well-being and the cardiology program in Calgary and always has a clear and informed sense of what is right.”

Today, Traboulsi practices as a senior interventional cardiologist and member of the Foothills interventional cardiology service in addition to being a member the Calgary Heart Centre cardiology practice group. In that role, he mentors junior staff and fellows, providing clinical and career advice. 

As he inches closer to retirement, Traboulsi can’t help but be thankful for the impact he has had. He credits numerous mentors, but is also quick to mention his wife, Marg Traboulsi, an audiologist who he met while they both worked at Foothills Medical Centre.

“The most important thing to me is family,” says Traboulsi, explaining he has three successful adult children. “I was fortunate to have a very supportive spouse who took over the bulk of the work of raising children and supported me in all of my endeavours.”

Dr. Dean Traboulsi is a clinical professor and a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. He is co-founder of the Calgary Heart Centre Cardiology practice group.

Dr. Todd Anderson is a professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences and dean of the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM). He is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Michael Curtis is a clinical associate professor in the departments of Cardiac Sciences and Medicine at the CSM. He directs the Cardiac Catherization Lab at the Foothills Medical Centre and leads the Interventional Cardiology group. He is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.