Tarek Bismar, MD
University of Calgary - Canada

Dr. Bismar was born in Egypt and performed his medical studies in Syria where he received his MD from Damascus University. He continued his post-graduate education at several US universities, including Washington University-St. Louis, Wayne State University in Michigan and Harvard University in Massachusetts. He is currently an associate professor for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine in Alberta, Canada. He also supervises two post-doctorate candidates in the field of pathology.

Dr. Bismar specialized in pathology at Washington University in St. Louis. During that time, he had always imagined working with patients afflicted with cancer, but did not plan on becoming involved with prostate cancer, specifically. However, during his studies, he experienced a turning point and decided to continue his training in urological pathology and start his own research program for prostate cancer.

“During my residency, I had the chance to be involved in a research project investigating the significance of biopsy parameters on patients’ outcome. I learned many things related to prostate cancer and my mentor was very patient with me,” explains Dr. Bismar.  “I started learning more about prostate cancer and the importance of finding new diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic markers for this disease”

In addition to his PCF Young Investigator Award, Dr. Bismar also received the Junior I Scientist Award from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec. His work can be found in 38 publications and book chapters. He is a reviewer for scientific journals such as Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer.

Dr. Bismar is a member of the International Society of Urological Pathology, the Prostate Cancer BioResearch Network (CPC-BioNet), the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, and the Canadian Association of Pathologists.

When he is not busy working, Dr. Bismar enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, swimming and traveling. He grew up playing soccer in the Middle East, but finds that it is difficult to participate in a team sport, as he is constantly busy with work and family.

He and his wife just had their first baby boy, and this has further fueled Dr. Bismar’s career goal. “My son has brought tremendous joy to my life and given me a meaning to carry on and accelerate in my research to help more men with prostate cancer.”