Personnel Awards for Women’s Heart & Brain Health

Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Satish Raj and Dr. Richard Wilson.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a women’s cardiovascular health complication that affects both the heart and brain. Individuals with POTS experience excessive increases in heart rate while standing, and debilitating symptoms. Jacquie Baker is investigating whether increasing inspired carbon dioxide levels can reduce heart rate and improve symptoms in patients. She hopes her research will help better understand heart health in women with chronic cardiovascular conditions.

Doctoral student at Queen's University under the supervision of Dr. Mark Ormiston.  

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a disease that is more prevalent in females, but more severe in males, and culminates in right heart failure. Tarrah aims to decipher the role of both sex hormones and innate immunity in this progression to heart failure. She hopes her research will contribute towards women’s cardiovascular health, as it has historically been understudied. 

Doctoral student at the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Satish R Raj.

Rashmin Hira is investigating Long-COVID and its connections to disorders of heart rate and blood pressure, as well as non-drug-related treatments to help patients with their condition. She hopes her research will help inform clinicians/scientists on the underlying causes of Long-COVID, disorders of heart rate and blood pressure, as well as potential treatments.

PhD candidate at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre under the supervision of Dr. Louise Pilote and Dr. M Natasha Rajah.

How does hypertension affect cognitive decline and brain structure in men and women differently? Amanpreet Kaur is investigating the role of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD in cognitive decline). She hopes her findings may lead to more effective strategies for early detection, prevention of cognitive decline based on sex-specific differences.

Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Adam Metherel.

Dandan Li is investigating the conversion rates of the omega-3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and other heart-healthy compounds, with consideration of sex differences and genetics. Her research uses heart-healthy individuals in a clinical trial setting by supplementing EPA for 12 weeks.

Doctoral student at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Vaibhav Patel and Dr. Paul Fedak.     

Megan Meechem is investigating the mechanisms, development, and progression of atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by development of lesions in walls of arteries. Her research aims to uncover key pathways involved in the disease, ultimately contributing to improved therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular health, with a particular focus on sex-specific differences in atherosclerosis.

Doctoral student at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Vernon Dolinsky.

Caitlin Menzies is investigating how gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exposure during intrauterine development contributes to the development of cardiomyopathy and metabolic disease in offspring later in life. She is focusing on mitochondrial function, and how upregulation of a mitochondrial deacetylase protein, Sirtuin3, may be protective against GDM-induced dysfunction.

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health under the supervision of Dr. Benjamin Goldstein.

Megan Mio is investigating sex differences in how conditions like obesity, blood pressure, and cholesterol can influence brain health in youth with serious mental illnesses, including depression. She is using unique eye imaging techniques to study early-life changes in blood vessels. Her research may help guide preventative heart-brain approaches and inform new psychiatric treatments that are specific to young women.

Doctoral student at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr.Claudine Gauthier.

Zacherie Povtin-Jutras is investigating the effects of intensity and dose of physical activity on vascular brain health in women. To measure vascular brain health, he is using cerebrovascular reactivity which quantifies the abilities of blood vessels to expand and to bring more blood to the brain when needed.

Postdoctoral fellow at the Montreal Heart Institute, University of Montreal under the supervision of Dr. Louis Bherer.

Hanieh Mohammadi Provencher is investigating heart-brain interactions in women with heart failure using novel quantitative imaging biomarkers. The alterations of these biomarkers through exercise interventions are also explored and findings from her project could also potentially be applied to monitor the heart and brain health of astronauts during space missions.

Doctoral student at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Stephane Bourque.

Jad-Julian Rachid is investigating maternal health during pregnancy, particularly the impact of iron deficiency and high blood pressure upon the mother’s heart. He is also examining treatments aimed at preventing heart complications and enhancing long-term health outcomes for hypertensive mothers. His work is exploring new solutions that can benefit the health and well-being of women and children.

Postdoctoral associate at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Keith St. Lawrence.

Leena Shoemaker is investigating brain blood flow regulation in women with varying severities of carotid artery stenosis (CAS), a major risk factor for stroke. She is using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and light-based technology to explore how CAS impacts different regions of the brain during rapid reductions in blood pressure. Her research will help better understand brain imaging techniques, including novel MRI methods for assessing brain metabolism and blood flow regulation. 

Doctoral student at University of Toronto/University Health Network under the supervision of Dr. Anna R Gagliardi.

Many women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy (HDP), which increases risk of early heart disease. Sara Sino aims to generate insight on strategies that can promote the use of Question Prompt Lists among health care professionals and patients, to enable greater communication, improve the health of women with HDP, and reduce rates of heart disease.

Doctoral student at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Maureen Jane MacDonald.

Jenna Stone is investigating the influence of hormonal contraceptives, including oral contraceptive pills and hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs), on early risk indicators for cardiovascular disease. She is extremely passionate about her research and hopes it facilitates opportunities that help her further her career aspirations.

Postdoctoral fellow at Sunnybrook Research Institute under the supervision of Jennifer Rabin.

Despite being among the fastest growing ethnoracial groups in Canada, women of Asian descent are underrepresented in research on vascular health and dementia. To address this gap, Rachel Yep is investigating whether the relationship between vascular health and cognition differs across Canadian women of South Asian, Chinese, and White ethnicity. This award is helping her conduct much-needed research on women’s brain health in diverse, underrepresented groups.