Researcher of the Year
University of Ottawa and APUO. Fifth Faculty of Medicine recipient since 1963, and the second clinician.
Principal Investigator · Founder of BEaTS
Dr. Marc Ruel
MD, MPH, FRCSC, FAHA, FCCS, FACC
Cardiac surgeon making coronary bypass surgery less invasive, and leading the trials and guidelines that shape how it is practised around the world.
- Professor of Surgery, University of Ottawa
- Director and Endowed Research Chair, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
- Cardiac Surgeon, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
- Past President, Canadian Cardiovascular Society
500+Papers and chapters
400Invited lectures, mostly international
20International guidelines and consensus statements
150+Surgeons and teams trained in Ottawa
7Books, incl. a surgical atlas in 4 languages
2002Continuous peer-reviewed funding since
Recognition
Awards and honours
Honoured by the American Heart Association, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the University of Ottawa for a career that changed cardiac surgery.
“Giants of Cardiothoracic Surgery”
Society of Thoracic Surgeons and CTSNet
Distinguished Achievement Award
AHA Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, awarded once every three years
- 2024Lifetime Achievement AwardFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
- 2024Dr. Robert Roberts Award for Research ExcellenceUniversity of Ottawa Heart Institute. Also 2015, as inaugural recipient
- 2023William W. J. Glenn LecturerAmerican Heart Association Scientific Sessions
- 2021Lifetime Achievement AwardSociety of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery of India
- 2019Clinical Researcher of the YearFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
- 2018Order of OttawaCity of Ottawa
- 2013Alumnus of the YearUniversity of Ottawa
Research excellence
Less invasive surgery, backed by evidence
From the first high-volume series of minimally invasive multivessel bypass to the randomized trials and guidelines that set the standard of care.
Multivessel bypass through a small incision
Developed minimally invasive coronary surgery (MICS CABG), performed without opening the breastbone. Ten-year follow-up of 500+ Ottawa patients showed 90% survival.
MIST: the first international randomized trial
Designed and led the first multicentre trial comparing MICS CABG with sternotomy. Patients recovered better after the minimally invasive approach.
Trials that set medication after bypass
CASCADE, ACTIVE, TARGET and the CIHR-funded ODIN trial tested antiplatelet and statin therapy in surgical patients, changing practice and current guidelines.
A surgical voice in international guidelines
The first surgeon to vice-chair the ACC/AHA Acute Coronary Syndromes Guideline, and chair of the AHA statement on secondary prevention after bypass.
Choosing the right valve for each patient
More than 100 valve surgery papers on prosthesis sizing, long-term outcomes and anticoagulation, including the PROACT Mitral trial.
Founder of the BEaTS program
Two decades with Drs. Suuronen and Alarcón developing injectable biomaterials for heart repair: over $8M in funding and 125+ papers in the past decade.
Track record
Funding, leadership and mentorship
Selected funding
Large grants as PI from CIHR, Heart & Stroke and CFI.
- CIHR Project Grant: ODIN trialOne-month DAPT in bypass patients · PI · 2023–2030
- Medtronic: MIST trialInvestigator-initiated · PI · 2019–2025
- CIHR Operating GrantMatrix-based cardiac regenerative therapy · PI · 2013–2018
- CIHR Operating GrantProgenitor cell-based angiogenic therapy · PI · 2008–2012
- CIHR & NSERC CHRPInjectable collagen matrices · PI · 2018–2021
Leadership
Editorial and society leadership across North America.
- Executive Editor, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery2026
- Associate Editor and Cardiovascular Surgery Editor, Circulation2020–2026 · only surgeon on the editorial roster
- President, Canadian Cardiovascular Society2020–2022
- Chair, Steering Committee, Arterial Revascularization Trial2022–present · the longest-running trial in cardiac surgery
- Chair and Head, Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa2013–2023 · two five-year terms
Mentorship
Hundreds of residents, fellows and graduate students trained worldwide.
- 150+Surgeons and teams trained peer-to-peer
- 11Faculty recruited as Division Head
- 33Book chapters
- ~10KCopies of his surgical atlas sold
Dozens of former trainees now lead in academia and clinical practice, including Dr. Erik Suuronen, a postdoctoral fellow in 2004–2005.
Community engagement
Better access to cardiac care
Building national programs, advocating for patients and opening Ottawa's operating rooms to surgeons from around the world.
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
As President, secured the Society's first federal funding, created its first EDI Committee and led public advocacy on COVID-19, myocarditis and heart failure.
National cardiac initiatives
Led the Post-COVID Myocarditis Surveillance Registry, the Heart Valve Disease Collaborative, the C3i Cardiac Care Access Platform and the Cardiovascular Centres' Alliance.
Care beyond Ottawa
As Chief of Cardiac Surgery, extended the program's national reach through a new partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador.
Teaching surgeons worldwide
Peer-to-peer training in minimally invasive bypass for 150+ surgeons and teams, and the Atlas of Cardiac Surgical Techniques, now in its third edition.
Shaping the literature
International Advisory Board, The Lancet Surgery and Anaesthesiology; Editor, Current Opinion in Cardiology; Canadian Director, Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Trusted reviewer
Scientific reviews for research councils in Canada, the UK and Europe, and service as a reviewer for the US FDA.
Selected publications
Recent highlights
- 2026Multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting via small thoracotomy versus sternotomy (MIST): an investigator-initiated, international, open-label, randomised controlled trialThe Lancet
- 2026Secondary prevention after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: 2026 update. A scientific statement from the American Heart AssociationCirculation
- 20252025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI Guideline for the Management of Patients With Acute Coronary SyndromesCirculation · co-published in JACC
- 2025Early versus delayed bypass surgery in patients with acute coronary syndrome receiving ticagrelor: the RAPID CABG randomized trialJAMA Surgery
- 2021Durability of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass graftingJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Interested in training or collaborating?
We welcome surgical fellows, graduate students and clinical partners.