C Chik, BSc, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Area of Study / Keywords

neuroendocrinology pituitary

About

Personal Statement:

The focus of my clinical and research practice is the body’s hormonal response in diseases. One area I am particularly interested in is pituitary disorders. The pituitary gland is tiny, but a powerhouse of hormone production. Disorders, including tumours, of the pituitary gland can cause many types of illnesses, which in turn can have myriad effects throughout the body. I study the effectiveness of drugs for potential use in treating pituitary disorders.

Dr. Constance Chik’s contributions to the field of endocrinology, particularly in the area of pituitary disorders, have resulted in numerous awards and leadership recognitions from her peers. She graduated from the University of Toronto’s medical school, completing internal medicine and endocrinology training at the same university. Dr. Chik was a recipient of a Medical Research Council fellowship and completed a PhD in neuroscience at McMaster University followed by further research training at the National Institutes of Health. She was recruited to the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism in the Department of Medicine as a clinician-scientist supported by an AHFMR Clinical Investigator Award.

Leadership and Collaborations:

Dr. Chik was the medical director of the Clinical Investigation Unit and former co-director of the Western Canada Pituitary Clinic. She was the program director and a former chair of the Examination Board, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as well as a past-president of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (CSEM).

When she was the director of the Division of Endocrinology, Dr. Chik switched her focus to identifying care gaps and enhancing care of patients with diabetes and endocrine disorders. She is a founding member of the Alberta Pituitary Patient Society, a patient support group for pituitary patients. She received the 2011 CSEM Educator Award and the 2019 CSEM Dr. Robert Volpé Distinguished Service Award.   

Research

Dr. Chik’s research interests include pineal cell biology, pituitary function, acromegaly and diabetes. She has published extensively in Endocrinology, Journal of Neurochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology about the cellular mechanism of the pineal gland and melatonin, the hormone of darkness, with funding from many agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Her current focus is on the outcome of patients with pituitary disorders.

Teaching

Dr. Chik has been involved in the training of medical and graduate students, residents and fellows in endocrinology and has mentored many junior faculty members.