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Instructors

Online course instructors crossing the road at the University of Toronto campus.

Excellence in Teaching

Each year over 2,000 undergraduate students are enrolled in more than 2 dozen biochemistry courses offered by the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. These include first year medical students who receive instruction in biochemistry lectures and seminars.

Instructors in the course. From left: Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier, Dr. Shana O. Kelley, Dr. Robert Murray, and Dr. Roy R. Baker,

The team of instructors for this online course includes award-winning professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants from within the Department, as well as a biochemistry professor who is also a medical doctor.

Read more about the individual instructors below.

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Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier

Professor and Department Chair
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Education

B.Sc., Carleton University, 1972
Ph.D., University of British Columbia, 1977
Post-doctoral Fellowship Harvard University, 1976 - 78
Post-doctoral Fellowship University of Toronto, 1978 - 80
University of Alberta, 1980 - 86
Blood Research, University of British Columbia, 2009

Department Biographical Listing

http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/reithmeier/bch.html

Contact

proteins.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier obtained his doctoral degree working on bacterial outer membrane proteins. Following post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard and the University of Toronto, he joined the faculty at the University of Alberta where he developed his research program on the structure and function of membrane transport proteins. He joined the University of Toronto in 1986 where he continues his research on membrane proteins.

An active and enthusiastic teacher, Dr. Reithmeier has taught biochemistry at the graduate and undergraduate level.

Awards

Dr. Reithmeier is a recipient of the prestigious W.T. Aikins Teaching Award.

Current Biochemistry Research

Structure and Function of Membrane Proteins

The Reithmeier Lab is interested in the structure and function of membrane proteins, in particular, the chloride/bicarbonate anion exchanger (AE1, Band 3). The Band 3 glycoprotein of the erythrocyte membrane is responsible for the exchange of chloride and bicarbonate across the plasma membrane, a process necessary for respiration. A truncated form of the protein (kAE1) is expressed in the kidney where it plays an essential role in bicarbonate re - absorption.

Research Website

Read more about Dr. Reithmeier's research on his lab's website. back to top

Dr. Roy R. Baker

Professor
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Undergraduate Coordinator and Associate Chair
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Co-Director of Metabolism and Nutrition
Undergraduate medical education, University of Toronto

Education

B.Sc., University of Toronto, 1969
Ph.D., University of Toronto, 1973
Postdoctoral Fellowship Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Gottingen), 1973 - 75
Postdoctoral Fellowship Montreal Neurological Institute (McGill University), 1976

Department Biographical Listing

http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/baker/bch.html

Contact

metabolism.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Roy Baker completed postdoctoral work in the areas of brain lipid metabolism and synaptic transmission. He joined the University of Toronto as a research scientist in medicine and biochemistry. Dr. Baker has taught a variety of courses within the faculties of arts and science, and medicine. He often uses a well-received case study approach to education, with applications to disease. Dr. Baker is currently Co-Director of the medical course Metabolism and Nutrition.

Awards

Dr. Baker is the recipient of teaching awards in medicine including:

• W.T. Aikins Award
• Harry Whittaker Memorial Teaching Award.

 

Current Biochemistry Research:

Phospholipid and Glyceride Metabolism in Neuronal Nuclei and Ischemic Brain

Of all the tissues in the body, central nervous tissue is the most highly specialized and complex. It is highlighted by the neuronal cell - the transmitter of nervous impulses. The Baker Lab studies the metabolism of phospholipids and neutral glycerides (diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols) in various subcellular membrane fractions of brain. In particular the production of platelet-activating factor in neuronal nulclei during ischema is of central interest.

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Dr. Shana O. Kelley

Professor
Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Director
Division of Biomolecular Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Education

Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1999
Postdoctoral Fellowship Scripps Research Institute, 1999 - 2000

Department Biographical Listing

http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/kelley/bch.html

Contact

nucleicacids.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Shana Kelley is a professor of biochemistry and pharmaceutical sciences and has taught biochemistry to undergraduate students for the last 10 years. Her research interests lie in the development of new technologies for disease diagnosis and drug delivery.

Awards

Dr. Kelley's work has been recognized with a variety of distinctions, including:.

• named one of "Canada's Top 40 under 40"
• a NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Fellow
• the Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award
• an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
• a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award
• a NSF CAREER Award, a Dreyfus New Faculty Award
• name one of "Top 100 Innovators" by MIT's Technology Review

 

Biochemistry Research

Molecular and Cellular Sensors

The Kelley Lab research efforts are directed towards developing and engineering new sensors and probes for the study of biological function and the detection and diagnosis of disease. Projects underway involve diverse disciplines ranging from biomolecular chemistry to molecular biology, cell biology to materials science, and nanotechnology.

Research Website

Read more about Dr.Kelley's research on her lab's website: http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/kelley/

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Dr. Robert Murray

Professor Emeritus
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Medical Doctor
Private practice, Toronto

Education

M.Sc. Physiology, University Michigan
Ph.D. MD, University of Glasgow
Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Toronto
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wisconsin

Contact

medicalperspectives.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Robert Murray did post-doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin, and returned to the University of Toronto to pursue a career in research and teaching medical students over the next 30 years. Dr Murray was the Director of the Metabolism and Nutrition Course in the Faculty of Medicine for three years. His main educational interest is to help students appreciate the importance of biochemistry in the understanding of health and disease.

Biochemistry Textbook Writer

Dr.Murray has written and edited the classic textbook on biochemistry, Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, that is used in universities across Canada, the USA, and international medical schools.

Awards

Dr Murray is the recipient of several teaching awards in medicine, including:

• WT Aikins Award
• Harry Whittaker Memorial Teaching Award

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Dr. Stavroula Andreopoulos

Senior Lecturer
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Education

B.Sc. University of Toronto, 1992
M.Sc. University of Toronto, 1994
Ph.D. Pharmacology University of Toronto, 1999
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Athens, 2001
Postdoctoral Fellowship Centre for Addition of Mental Health, Toronto, 2004

Department Biographical Listing

http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/andreopoulos/bch.html

Contact

coursedirector.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Stavroula Andreopoulos, obtained her doctoral degree in pharmacology from the University of Toronto where she worked on altered endogenous and CTX-catalyzed [³²P]ADP-Ribosylation of postmortem temporal cortex in the bipolar disorder brain. Following post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Athens and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health examining both the molecular mechanisms aspects of soluble guanylyl cyclase and lithium regulation of TRPC ion channels in bipolar disorder, she joined the faculty in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Andreopoulos has taught biochemistry at the second and third year undergraduate level for ten years.

Awards

Dr. Andreopoulos is the recipient of several awards, including:

• the NCDEU New Investigator's Awardee-National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• the University of Toronto Master's Fellowship, Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
• the CCNP W. G. Dewhurst Travel Award
• the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in Life Sciences Award.

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Dr. Sian Patterson

Lecturer
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Education

B.Sc. University of Guelph, 2003
Ph.D. Biochemistry University of Toronto, 2011

Department Biographical Listing

http://biochemistry.utoronto.ca/patterson/bch.html

Contact

coursecoordinator.onlinebiochem@utoronto.ca

Dr. Sian Patterson is currently a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at the Unversity of Toronto and is responsible for the coordination and running of the second, third and fourth year undergraduate laboratory courses. She is also responsible for running tutorial sessions for first year medical students at the University of Toronto. Dr. Patterson holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto where she examined the role of molecular chaperones in the biosynthesis of the human anion exchanger 1 membrane glycoprotein in both erythroid and kidney cell systems. She has extensive experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, completing the co-operative education program during her B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of Guelph. She has also facilitated workshops to train other Teaching Assistants through the TA Training Program at the University of Toronto.

Awards

Dr. Patterson has received three teaching awards in the Department of Biochemistry for her role as a TA and was also nominated by her students in 2010 for the TATP Teaching Excellence Award for TAs at the University of Toronto.

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About the Department of Biochemistry,
University of Toronto

Founded in 1908 by Professor Archibald Byron Macallum, the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto was the first department dedicated to this discipline in Canada and is one of the oldest in the world.

Portraits of early chairs in the department, George Connell (left) and Archibald Macallum (right).

The Department is within the Faculty of Medicine, and is the main resource for the teaching of biochemistry at the University of Toronto, for students in our Department, and all other life science disciplines.

From the earliest days, research has always been a major focus and in the last five years alone, the department has published over 1000 research articles

The robots room at the department.

The X-ray diffraction facility in the department.

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About the Faculty of Medicine,
University of Toronto

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto is Canada's premier medical school. It has a world-wide reputation for excellence in medical education and in medical research.

The medical school at U of T is the largest in Canada with some 1000 undergraduates and 2500 residents and post-graduate medical students training in its 10 fully affiliated teaching hospitals, including the world-renowned Hospital for Sick Children. SickKids is where the genes for the diseases cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy were first identified.

Statues of Banting and Best in the lobby of the Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto.

Banting and Best, discoverers of insulin, did their work at the University of Toronto. Oliver Smithies, who won a Nobel Prize in 2007 for his work on introducing genes into cells, developed a protein separation method, the starch gel electrophoresis, while in Toronto.

University of Toronto campus.

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Last Modified 19 April, 2011 8:12 AM