Margaret Rand
PhD
Dr. Margaret Rand obtained her PhD in Biochemistry on the topic of platelet senescence at the University of Toronto and completed her research training in platelets and arterial thrombosis during Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands and at McMaster University. She is currently a Professor in the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, of Biochemistry, and of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. At the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where she co-directs the Clinical Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Laboratory, Dr. Rand is a Senior Associate Scientist in the Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program of the Division of Haematology/Oncology and in the Physiology and Experimental Medicine Program of the Research Institute.
Dr. Rand’s career-long research interest has been in blood platelet function and dysfunction, with a translation research focus on standardized pediatric bleeding questionnaires. She presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. She is Co-Chair of the Rare Inherited Bleeding Disorders Subcommittee of the Association of Hemophilia Clinic Directors of Canada, a member of the Hemostasis Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network, and a member of the Joint Bleeding Score Working Group of the ISTH.
Platelet function and dysfunction
Platelets play important roles in the formation of hemostatic plugs, which stop bleeding from injured blood vessels, and arterial thrombi, which are responsible for the clinical complications of atherosclerosis. My colleagues and I are interested in the biochemical mechanisms involved in platelet function and dysfunction. In one area of research, we are investigating hereditary and acquired disorders of platelet function and dysfunction. Another line of research involves studies of the reduced functions of stored platelets that are transfused into patients with low numbers of circulating platelets. We are also examining effectors of platelet function in vivo, including those that may be involved in the clearance of platelets from the circulation. We will be investigating polymorphisms in platelet membrane glycoproteins that can lead to an increased risk of bleeding complications, or of arterial thrombosis.
Appointments, Cross Affiliations, Memberships
Professor in the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, of Biochemistry, and of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto.
Co-director of the Clinical Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Laboratory, Hospital for Sick Children
Senior Associate Scientist in the Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program of the Division of Haematology/Oncology and in the Physiology and Experimental Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children
Board of Directors of the Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
Co-Chair of the Rare Inherited Bleeding Disorders Subcommittee of the Association of Hemophilia Clinic Directors of Canada
Member of the Hemostasis Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network
Member of the Joint Bleeding Score Working Group of the ISTH
Courses Taught