Lochmüller Lab

Our lab is growing! We are excited to introduce several new clinical research staff members who have joined the Lochmüller lab since our last update, and to welcome Dr Hugh McMillan back to CHEO and introduce his collaboration with the Lochmüller Lab.

Dr. Hugh McMillan

Neurologist, Associated Clinician

Dr. Hugh McMillan has returned to CHEO after a period working in Montreal. He and Dr. Lochmüller work closely together on pediatric neuromuscular research at CHEO, with the lab’s research coordinators working as a joint team to run clinical studies for both doctors.

Dr. McMillan is a pediatric neurologist with specialization in Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. He is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. McMillan holds a Clinical Research Chair (Level 2) at the University of Ottawa and is a Clinical Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute and has been an author of over 125 publications in peer-review journals and was a co-editor of a Pediatric Electromyography textbook. He is also a leader in clinical and translational research in pediatric neurology & neuromuscular medicine. He completed a Neuromuscular and Neurophysiology Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University and the Lahey Clinic, Tufts University; a Pediatric Neurology Residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa and a Pediatric Residency at McMaster Children’s Hospital, McMaster University.

Dr. Alberto Aleman

Neurologist

Dr. Alberto Aleman graduated from medical school at University of Buenos Aires. He completed his residency in adult neurology and he was chief of residents at the Hospital Privado de Comunidad; and afterward he became a permanent Staff in the Insituto Médico de Alta Complejidad in Argentina.

Dr. Aleman completed a neuromuscular fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children and is currently a neurologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Ozge Aksel-Kilicarslan

Research Associate

Ozge earned her MD degree from Ege University in 2011 and completed her Medical Genetics residency in 2016 at Dokuz Eylul University. She has a research interest in neurogenetics and investigated the role of Tubulin genes in the etiology of malformations of cortical development as a thesis project.

After working as a staff clinical geneticist in Turkey, she joined Dr. Lochmuller’s team as a research associate in October 2022.

Miriam Maisababi

Research Assistant

Miriam received a BSc Hons. in Biology (Concentration Physiology) in 2021 from Carleton University. She Joined the Lochmuller clinical research team in November 2022 as a research assistant, having worked as a medical assistant at a family practice before joining the team.

Miriam is interested in growing her knowledge of clinical research in neuromuscular diseases.

Liz Duff

Clinical Research Coordinator

Liz is a clinical research coordinator at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute – Neuromuscular Department supporting multiple phase II-IV clinical studies on rare neuromuscular diseases with Dr. Lochmuller. She earned her BSc in Psychology and MD from the University of the City of Manila. After working as a General Practitioner in the Philippines, she worked on migrant mental health at Bruyere Research Institute in 2018.