Dr Stephan van Eeden is an Internist at St Paul's Hospital and an Associate Professor with the faculty of Medicine attached to the Division of Internal Medicine & Respirology. He graduated from the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa in 1975, and after four years as a family practitioner resumed his studies in Internal Medicine at the same University. He trained and certified in Pulmonology and Critical Care in 1985 and was promoted to Director of Critical Care, Tygerberg Hospital, University of Stellenbosch in 1989. He did his PhD in the Department of Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia with DR James C Hogg as his supervisor. He graduated in 1995 and completed his Canadian specialist examination (FRCPC) in 1996.

Research Activities:

The focus of his research efforts are the mechanisms of lung inflammation, particularly, lung inflammation caused by infection, cigarette smoking and air pollution. This research covers a broad range of clinical conditions such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Current research addresses the response of the bone marrow during acute and chronic lung inflammation. He has shown that white cells released from the bone marrow play a crucial role in the lung inflammation elicited by cigarette smoke and particulate air pollution. This research has lead to the novel hypothesis that white cells released from the bone marrow are responsible for the increase in heart and lung disease and deaths in subjects exposed to high levels of air pollution. This research has given him international recognition as an expert on the bone marrow response during inflammation. It has led to a landmark publication in March 2002 showing that air pollution causes the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the underlying disease in vessels responsible for stroke and heart attacks.

Dr van Eeden spends the majority of his time (~50%) in the McDonald Research Laboratory & iCAPTURE Center, St Paul's Hospital. His research has resulted in 63 peer-review publications, numerous abstracts and presentations at national and international meetings. He is the recipient of the Martin F Hoffman Award for Excellence in Research and the Department of Medicine Faculty Research award, St Paul's Foundation and CIHR research fellowship. He is also a Career Investigator of the American Lung Association.

His work has been strongly influenced by long-standing collaborations with many scientists including Drs. James C Hogg, Claire Doerschuk, Blair AM Walker, Scott Simon, Renaud Vincent and George Agnes as well as interactions with numerous research fellows and students.

Education / Training:

University of Stellenbosch, RSA MBChB Medicine 1975
University of Stellenbosch, RSA Mmed Internal Medicine 1984
Fellow of College of Physicians (SA) FCP Internal Medicine 1984
Fellow of College of Physicians (Pulm) FCP(Pulm) Pulmonology 1995
University of British Columbia PhD Exp. Medicine 1995
Medical Council of Canada MD Medicine 1996
Fellow of Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada FRCP(C) Internal Medicine 1996

Recent Publications:

Stephan F van Eeden. Neutrophil sequestration and migration in lung microvessels: Influence of neutrophil heterogeneity. In "Interaction of Blood and Pulmonary Circulation" Futura, NY (in press)

Gerald S. Zavorsky1, Stephan. F.Van Eeden2, Keith.R. Walley2, and James. A. Russell3 Circulating white blood cells affect red cell pulmonary transit times in endurance athletes during intense exercise. Eur J Sports Med 2002:34;954-959

Suwa T. Hogg JC. Quinlan KB. Ohgami A. Vincent R. van Eeden SF. Particulate air pollution induces progression of atherosclerosis.Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 39(6):935-42, 2002

Stephan Van Eeden, James C Hogg. Systemic Health effects of Ambient air particulate matter exposure. J Tox Environ Health. 2002 (in press)

Suwa T, Hogg JC, Quinlan KB, van Eeden SF. The effect of Interleukin 6 in L-selectin expression on polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Am J Physiol (Lung Mol Biol) 2002 (in press)

van Eeden SF, Hogg JC: Systemic inflammatory response induced by particulate matter air pollution: the importance of bone-marrow stimulation. J Toxicol Environ Health A 25;65: 1597-613. Review. 2002.

Fujii T, Hayashi S, Hogg JC, Mukae H, Suwa T, Goto Y, Vincent R, van Eeden SF: Interactionof alveolar macrophages and airway epithelial cells following exposure to particulate matter produces mediators that stimulate the bone marrow. Am J Resp Cell Mol Biol 27: 34-41, 2002.

Fujii T, Hogg JC, Keicho N, Vincent R, van Eeden SF, Hayashi S: Adenoviral E1A modulates inflammatorymediator expression by lung epithelial cells exposed to PM10. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 284:L290-7. Epub 2002.

Goto Y, Hogg JC, Suwa T, Quinlan KB, van Eeden SF: A novel method to quantify the turnover and release of monocytes from the bone marrow using the thymidine analog, 5’-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 285: C253-C259, 2003.

Mahmudi-Azer S, van Eeden S: Neutrophil “connectivity” and neutrophil-mediated pathology. Critical Care, 2003.

Fujii T, Hogg JC, Keiho N, Vincent R, van Eeden SF, Hayashi S: Adenoviral E1A modulates inflammatory mediator expression by lung epithelial cells exposed to PM10. Am J Physiol (L) 284: L290-L247, 2003.