Marc Ruel

Dr. Marc Ruel is the Division Head of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He received his MD degree from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and his Royal College specialist certification in cardiac surgery in 2000. He subsequently pursued a combined fellowship in minimally invasive surgery and laboratory research at Harvard University, where he also completed a Masters in Public Health. Dr. Ruel is a professor in the Department of Surgery (primary affiliation) and the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (cross-appointed affiliation) at the University of Ottawa. A seasoned heart surgeon, innovator and researcher, Dr. Ruel served a leading role in developing and promoting minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery worldwide. He has published approximately 400 scientific papers and book chapters and is a recipient of numerous awards. The laboratory research program that Dr. Ruel started at the beginning of his career has expanded tremendously and achieved marked translational impact. Dr. Ruel is the president of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), one of the most respected medical societies in the world. Since the CCS was created in 1947, only three other surgeons – including the Heart Institute’s founder Dr. Wilbert Keon -have previously held this role.