Toronto: Indian-origin Sonia Anand has been appointed as head of a new research chair on heart diseases at Canada's top McMaster University at Hamilton near here.

Anand, who is a professor of medicine at the university, will head the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario-Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Population Health Research.

The university on Thursday said the new chair "will revolutionise the way we look at heart disease".

A Ph.D in health research from the university, Anand is known for her research on cardiovascular risk factors among women and immigrant communities in Canada.

In a statement, the university said the new chair will support Anand's research into the causes of cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes and obesity, as well as cardiovascular disease in diverse ethnic populations.

The research will then be used to formulate policies to check future cardiovascular disease, the statement added.

"As a long-standing researcher funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Anand has proven to be a leader among her peers," said Rocco Rossi, Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario province.

"This new chair will help empower Ontario's diverse communities to better understand and embrace heart health."

John Kelton, Dean at McMaster University, said: "Dr. Anand's work to look at the big picture is vitally important to the development of new approaches, both for the individual and also to determine how our health care systems respond in this critical area.

"We have an exceptionally strong team in cardiovascular research in Hamilton, and we're grateful that has attracted extraordinary support from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario." IANS