Fast Five: Meet Dr. Emilio Alarcon

The Fast 5 series features quick, personal profiles of our research team members. 

Dr. Emilio Alarcon, Principal Investigator and Laboratory Director, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa ON.

1. What are you reading for pleasure right now?
I am reading the Hunger Games for the 50th time!

2. What is the most worthwhile non-monetary investment you’ve made?
Learning Kung-Fu.

3. What advice would you give your younger self?
Do not give up, keep trying even when most people say you are wasting your time.

4. What prompted you to get into regenerative medicine?
The need to help patients and healthcare providers. I had to spend quite of lot of time at the hospital when my son was a toddler.

5. If you could buy one new toy for the lab right now – if money was not an issue – what would you get and why?
I would buy an electrospinning device to fabricate meshes with aligned fibers. Those materials could be used for preparing bioresponsive patches for heart, muscle and skin repair.