Our Executive Team

Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute

Mishaela Houle

Mishaela Houle

Executive Director of Cardiac Sciences for the Edmonton Zone

As Executive Director of Cardiac Sciences for the Edmonton Zone, Mishaela Houle is responsible for the operational leadership for Cardiac Sciences programs and services at the CK Hui Heart Centre, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and Northern Alberta Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, as well as strategic leadership for Cardiac Sciences Edmonton Zone.

Ms. Houle has been with Alberta Health Services since 2002. Ms. Houle has broad experience in the Cardiac Sciences portfolio with experience in acute care nursing, project management, quality improvement and health care administration.

Mishaela has a special interest in cardiac surgery and process improvement in the healthcare environment.

Mishaela Houle
Dr. Roderick MacArthur

Dr. Roderick MacArthur, BSc (Hon), MD, MSc, FRCS(C)

Head, Cardiac Surgery, Edmonton Zone

Dr. MacArthur completed his medical degree at Dalhousie University, Halifax NS in 1996. Residency Training in Cardiac Surgery was undertaken at the University of Alberta with Royal College Certification in 2002. During his residency a Master of Science in Experimental surgery was accomplished (1998). This training was followed by a Heart Failure/Valve Surgery Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic – Rochester MN (2003). Dr. MacArthur then had the opportunity to complete an Aortic Surgery fellowship at the DeBakey Heart Centre in Houston, TX (2004).

Professional interests include Surgical Education, Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS), Aortic Surgery and International Health. Dr. MacArthur served as Program Director for Cardiac Surgery at the University of Alberta from 2005 – 2013. Additional educational roles include Examination Committee Member, External Reviewer (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada) and assisting in the development of the “Competence by Design” approach to surgical education. He has been the Surgical Director of the MCS program at the Mazankowski since its inception (2005).

Dr. MacArthur has been a visiting professor both nationally and internationally within the capacity of invited speaker and intra-operative mentor. Advancement of Cardiac Sciences in underdeveloped countries is an additional area focus and interest. Dr. MacArthur has been in practice as a consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute since 2004.

Dr. Dylan Taylor

Dr. Dylan Taylor MD, FRCPC, FACC, CHE

Facility Medical Director

Dr. Dylan Taylor was appointed co-facility Medical Director for the University of Alberta Hospital in 2004 and Facility Medical Director Mazankowski Heart Institute in 2009.

In 1981, Dr. Taylor received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Alberta. After completing residency training in Internal Medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, he undertook training in cardiology at Dalhousie and the University of Alberta. He completed a fellowship in echocardiography at the University of Alberta and University of Ottawa in 1991.

Shortly after returning to Edmonton, he became Director of the Cardiology Residency Program between 1991 to 2003 and served as Diagnostic Section Leader of the Cardiac Sciences Program from 1995 to 2009.

Dr. Taylor is a former Chair of Cardiology Specialty Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Royal College Cardiology Examination board from 1998 to 2002.

He has received numerous teaching awards including the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Distinguished Teacher award (2003), the Norman Davies Memorial Cardiology Teacher of the Year award (1992-2010) and Teacher of the Year by the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta (2000-2001).

His clinical research includes studies of coronary artery disease regression, the effects of exercise training on cardiovascular function in health and disease and outcomes in adult congenital and structural heart diseases.

Dr. Dylan Taylor's Research Biography

Dr. Dylan Taylor
Dr. Wayne Tymchak

Dr. Wayne Tymchak MD, FRCPC, FACC

Chief for the Division of Cardiology

Dr. Wayne Tymchak is a Professor of Medicine and Chief for the Division of Cardiology at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta.

He has been the Coronary Care Unit Director since 1985 and is an Interventional and Transplant Cardiologist. Dr. Tymchak has been involved in numerous Acute Coronary Syndrome, Coronary Intervention, Cardiac Transplantation, Lipid, and Gene delivery clinical trials.

Dr. Tymchak is a dedicated and accomplished teacher and has received numerous teacher of the year awards from trainees at all levels. He is a role model for students and trainees with his approach to clinical care and education. In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.

More recently he has been involved in International Health focusing on Eastern Europe.

Dr. Wayne Tymchak's Research Biography

Dr. Wayne Tymchak
Dr. Robert Welsh

Dr. Robert C. Welsh, MD, FRCPC, FESC, FACC, FAHA

Zone Clinical Department Head, Cardiac Sciences, Edmonton Zone

Dr. Robert Welsh is a Professor and academic interventional cardiologist at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was named Zone Clinical Department Head, Cardiac Sciences, Edmonton Zone in 2015. He also serves as Director, Adult Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology Program, Co-Chair of both the Vital Heart Response (STEMI regional reperfusion program) and the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation program (TAVI).

Clinical research interests are focused on the management of the full spectrum of Acute Coronary Syndromes and Interventional Cardiology. Further research interests include: diabetes mellitus and cardiac physiology. He has published over 130 peer reviewed articles, multiple book chapters and greater than 100 scientific abstracts. In collaboration with colleagues he has received a Canadian Institute of Health Research-Canadian Medical Association Journal Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Award. He is a faculty member at the Canadian VIGOUR Centre focused on collaborative regional, national and international research. He is currently on the executive or steering committee of 5 international trials and co-chairs a research adjudication committee.

He is Co-Director of the Annual Cardiovascular Congress in the Rockies. He initiated the Heartbeat Run Series to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and risk factor management and raise funds for local Hospital Foundations and Charities.

Mishaela Houle