Lawson VP of research and scientific director departs amid outcry over dog cardiac study

The scientific director and vice president of research at Lawson Research Institute has left the organization, a week after it emerged that clandestine cardiac tests were being performed on dogs at St. Joseph's Hospital, prompting public outcry.

In a brief email to senior staff on Thursday, Roy Butler, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care London, which operates Lawson, announced that Lisa Porter was no longer with the research institute as of Thursday.

"We thank Lisa for her service and wish her well in her future endeavours," the email, sent late Thursday morning, reads.

Butler, who is also a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Windsor, was named Lawson's vice president of research and scientific director in February 2024.

Messages seeking comment left with Butler's University of Windsor email and phone number were not returned before publication.

St. Joseph's confirmed her departure, but added that, "out of respect for the privacy of all parties, we cannot share details and will not discuss individual personnel matters."

Her departure comes days after St. Joseph's publicly announced it would immediately end research studies on dogs, following consultations with the province. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that he was "deeply disturbed" by the research.

During an announcement in Windsor on Tuesday, Ford went further, promising to introduce legislation that would ban testing on certain animals in the province, prompting concerns about political interference in scientific research.

St. Joseph's initially defended the research after the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), based out of the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, revealed dogs had been used for years as part of a heart study at Lawson.

Published in partnership with Postmedia, the report said researchers from Lawson had been inducing heart attacks as long as three hours in dogs and puppies as part of research aimed at accurately imaging post-heart attack injury and healing.

CBC News has not independly varyfied the reports from IJB.

Sourced from U.S. breeders, IJB said the dogs, some as young as 10 months, would be wheeled into the hospital in blanket-covered crates and taken to a lab on the hospital's sixth floor. Loud music would be blared to drown out their barking.

The dogs would be euthanized, and their hearts removed for further study, the report said, citing two whistleblowers.

St. Joseph's has said the research was conducted to "learn more about how to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models," including artificial intelligence.

In a separate email to St. Joseph's staff on Thursday, which can be read in full below, Butler said the past week had been "deeply difficult for all of us," and that the organization was working on a transition plan to minimize the impact on researchers and their work — work "which has resulted in major strides in cardiac care and treatment."

"The dogs involved will remain in our facility under the care of animal care specialists while we work with the Animal Care Committee at Western to explore opportunities for rehoming them."

In his email, Butler said inaccurate information had been shared about the research, but didn't go into detail. CBC News has asked multiple times for clarification on the inaccuracies but has not received a response.

Animal research, Butler said, was important in finding new medical treatments and tests, and when scientific discoveries can be made without the use of animals, they are used.

St. Joseph's will appoint an independent third party to review its research involving animals, with the findings shared publicly as part of a "commitment to improving transparency," he said.

Hospital officials have refused multiple interview requests from CBC News.

"We understand there are personal opinions about the merits of research involving animals, but it is important to be clear about the scientific, transparent, ethical and regulated approach taken to this work and our adherence to these strict standards," Butler said.

"Please know that over the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on the safety and security of our staff, physicians, researchers, patients, residents, and visitors."

On Thursday, Lawson issued what it said was a fact sheet to provide information and counter some details in IJB's initial story, including that the dogs were caged alone, without beds, for long periods of time.

All procedures were conducted under anesthetic, with dogs monitored by a registered veterinary technician during and after, the document reads. Pain management was also a "top priority," and the dogs socialized daily with humans and each other, and "had access to outdoor spaces and nutritious food."

"Although the research studies involving dogs has been stopped, this care continues to be delivered for the dogs currently in our care."

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the Western Animal Care Committee (ACC) provided oversight to ensure research is ethical at every stage, the document reads. Institutions with researchers seeking federal funding are required to have an ACC to oversee animal-based research.

At least 16,151 dogs were used in research across Canada in 2023, according to the CCAC, which develops standards for the ethical use and care of animals in science, and participates on ethics review panels for research approval.