Norman Rosenblum

Senior Scientist
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology

Dr. Norman Rosenblum is Professor of Paediatrics, Physiology, and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto, and a Paediatric Nephrologist and Senior Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He is a past recipient of the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Developmental Nephrology, which he held between 2005 and 2019. Dr. Rosenblum was named Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) starting in 2018. 

Dr. Rosenblum has been deeply engaged in developing and managing career development programs for clinician scientists. He founded and led the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program from 2001-2012 and served as Associate Dean, Physician Scientist Training in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, from 2008-2017. 

The focus of Dr. Rosenblum’s research is to elucidate molecular mechanisms that control normal and malformed kidney development in genetic mouse models and human kidney organoids. His lab has generated several models of human kidney-urinary tract malformation and has published over 125 peer-reviewed original manuscripts and book chapters.  

Research

The overall goal of research in the Rosenblum Lab is to define molecular mechanisms that control formation of the normal and malformed kidney.  

Specific foci of investigation include signaling mechanisms that control: 

• differentiation of nephrogenic and stromal tissue elements from a common progenitor cell,   
• interactions between embryonic stroma and ureteric branches, and  
• interactions between embryonic stroma and nephrogenic precursors. 
  

Research also focuses on how human genetic mutations disrupt development of human kidney organoid tissue. This research is being pursued by interrogating signaling pathways in genetic mouse models, embryonic mouse kidney explants, and induced pluripotent cell-derived human kidney organoids. Molecular pathways currently being interrogated include Hedgehog- TGFb-dependent signaling and their effectors as well as Integrin-Linked Kinase signaling.  

Education and experience

• 1976: B.Sc., cum laude, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia 
• 1980: M.D., cum laude, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia 
• 1981–1984:  Resident in Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 
• 1984–1985: Chief Resident in Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 
• 1985: Fellow (Pediatrics), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada) 
• 1986: Diplomate (Pediatrics), American Board of Pediatrics 
• 1985–1986: Clinical Fellow, Division of Nephrology, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 
• 1988: Diplomate (Pediatric Nephrology), American Board of Pediatrics  
• 1986–1991: Research Fellow, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
• 1988–1993: Instructor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School  
• 1993–Present: Staff Physician, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto 
• 1999–Present: Full Member, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto
• 2005–Present: Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto 
• 2001–Present: Senior Scientist, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
• 2017–Present: Member, Board of Directors, EUREKA Institute of Translational Medicine
• 2018–Present: Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes 
• 2019–Present: Member, Executive, Medical Innovations Toronto (MiTO)

Achievements

• 2000–2002: Chair, Subspecialty Committee in Nephrology, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada 
• 2001–2004: Elected member, Council of the Society for Pediatric Research 
• 2004: Aventis Pasteur Award for Excellence in Research, Canadian Paediatric Society. 
• 2004–Present: Member, Steering Committee, Pediatric Scientist Development Program 
• 2004–2010: Elected Member, Council of the International, Society of Pediatric Nephrology 
• 2004–2012: Founder and Inaugural Director, Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program 
• 2005–2019: Canada Research Chair in Developmental Nephrology (Tier I) 
• 2006: Inaugural Norman J Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award, American Pediatric Society 
• 2007–2010: Overall Chair, 11th International Workshop on Developmental Nephrology, International Society of Nephrology  
• 2009: Paediatric Academic Leadership-Clinical Investigator Award, Paediatric Chairs of Canada 
• 2010: Maureen Andrew Mentor Award, Society for Pediatric Research 
• 2011: Medal for Research Excellence, Kidney Foundation of Canada 
• 2011–2014: Invited Chair, Biomedical Research Committee, Kidney Foundation of Canada 
• 2012–2013: Invited Chair, Training and Career Development Committee of Strategic Patient Oriented Research Initiative, CIHR 
• 2012–2014: Chair, Subspecialty Advisory Committee – Clinician Investigator Program, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada 
• 2012–2015: Chair, Scientific Committee, Canadian Society of Nephrology 
• 2013–2015: President, Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation 
• 2015: Physician Research Award for Career Excellence, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
• 2015–2020: Elected member, Council of the American Pediatric Society 
• 2016–2019: Trustee, International Pediatric Research Foundation 
• 2017: Chair, Hematology, Digestive and Kidney Operating Grant Review Committee, CIHR 
• 2018: Establishment of the ‘Norman Rosenblum Award for Excellence in Mentorship in the MD/PhD Program’ by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

1. Jiwani T, Kim JJ, Rosenblum ND. Suppressor of Fused (Sufu) controls cerebellar granule cell proliferation by suppressing Fgf8 and spatially regulating Gli proteins. Development. 2020. 147(3). pii:dev170274.
2. Mulder J, Sharmin S, Chow T, Carvalho Rodrigues D, Hildebrandt MR, D’Cruz R, Rogers I, Ellis J, Rosenblum ND. Generation of Infant- and Pediatric-derived Urinary Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Competent to Form Kidney Organoids. Pediatric Research. In Press. 
3. Rowan  CJ, Li  L, Martirosyan  H, Erwood  S, Hu  D, Kim Y-K, Mulder J, Blake  J, Chen  L and Rosenblum  ND. Hedgehog-GLI Signaling in Foxd1-Positive Stromal Cells Promotes Nephrogenesis Via TGFβSignaling. Development. 2018 Jul 9;145(13). pii: dev159947. doi: 10.1242/dev.159947 
4. Iskander S, Feeney M, Yee K, Rosenblum ND. Protein Kinase 2β is Expressed in Neural Crest-Derived Urinary Pacemaker Cells and Controls Pyeloureteric Contraction. J Am Soc Neph 2018, 29(4):1198-1209.
5. Sheybani-Deloui S, Chi L, Staite MV, Cain JE, Nieman BJ, Henkelman RM, Wainwright BJ, Potter SS, Bagli DJ, Lorenzo AJ and Rosenblum ND. Activated Hedgehog_GLI Signaling Causes Congenital Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018, 29(2):532-544.