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Dr. Sandi Dumanski 

Dr. Sandi Dumanski, Assistant Professor in the division of Nephrology, is one of these researchers working towards change with a research program that investigates the complex interplay between reproductive health, reproductive hormones, and kidney & cardiovascular disease. This work is grounded in her belief that an improved understanding of how reproductive events or disease, or even the healthy stages of the female reproductive lifespan, intersect with kidney and vascular health will provide critical insight into improved diagnosis, treatment, and preventative care for women everywhere.

One of the most defining aspects of Dumanski’s approach is her commitment to the community. Patient partners are invited to co-create relevant questions, shape study design, guide interpretation, and direct her overall research agenda. As Dumanski states, “the most meaningful research begins with the voices of the people it’s meant to serve.�

This philosophy was vividly realized in The HeART of Women’s Health: At the Intersection of Art and Science, a CIHR-funded Café Scientifique and art exhibition. The collaboration integrated science into artistic expression, thereby utilizing novel media to spark dialogue between women and the scientific community and encourage action around women's health. This project demonstrated how bridging science, creativity, and patient experiences can transform both understanding and care. 

Dr. Leslie Skeith

Dr. Leslie Skeith, Assistant Professor in the division of Hematology, is researching how best to prevent and treat venous thromboembolism (VTE: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) in pregnancy and the postpartum period. VTE is a leading cause of maternal mortality and can cause significant morbidity postpartum. Dr. Skeith led a multi-national pilot PARTUM (Postpartum Aspirin to Reduce Thromboembolism Undue Morbidity) trial to assess the feasibility of low-dose aspirin versus placebo to prevent postpartum VTE for patients with added VTE risk factors. Published in the Lancet Haematology, the pilot trial enrolled 257 participants across 4 countries. This work has set the stage for Dr. Skeith to lead a very large, definitive international trial funded by the CIHR and other funders to determine the role of aspirin to prevent VTE postpartum. This collaborative effort includes members from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Clinical Trials Stroke Group, patient partners, and researchers from 11 countries.

There are variable practices for anticoagulation management around delivery. Dr. Skeith is leading the PREP and GO (PRospective Evaluation of Peripartum Anticoagulation ManaGement for ThrOmboembolism) study, an observational cohort study across 7 countries to evaluate different anticoagulant management strategies around delivery and postpartum.

Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome have a high rate of of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. In another multicentre cohort study, her research team is testing complement activation serially in pregnant individuals with antiphospholipid syndrome, compared to a pregnant control population, to better understand pregnancy complications. Dr. Skeith is also a co-lead of HYPATIA, alongside Dr. Megan Barber, a randomized trial from Denmark of hydroxychloroquine versus placebo started pre-conception for pregnant individuals with positive antiphospholipid antibodies, with the goal to improve pregnancy outcomes. 

Dr. Kara Nerenberg

Dr. Kara Nerenberg is an Associate Professor in the division of General Internal Medicine & Obstetric Medicine. Her focus includes the IMPROVE (Identifying Methods for Postpartum Reduction of Vascular Events) research program, which incorporates an innovative learning health system approach (Evidence -> Integrated Care -> Data) to ensure that Alberta women who have experienced a Cardiometabolic Associated Reproductive Event (CARE) (i.e., hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, etc.) receive evidence-based preventative care after pregnancy.  

Using provincial administrative data, Dr. Nerenberg’s team established the Alberta Pregnancy and Postpartum Longitudinal Evaluation Surveillance System (APPLES) to monitor the cardiometabolic health and health services utilization of Alberta women during and after pregnancy.  Initial findings demonstrate a 25% increase in CARE events from 2010-2020; high rates of new onset cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., hypertension, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia and obesity) within the first five years after delivery despite low rates of cardiovascular risk factor screening; and high health services utilization (readmissions, ED visits, primary care and specialty care visits) within the first year after delivery.

To address these key clinical research gaps, Dr. Nerenberg established the Canadian Postpregnancy Clinical Network (> 150 interdisciplinary clinicians, transdisciplinary researchers, patient partners, health organizations and learners) to establish a new guideline on best practices for cardiometabolic disease prevention after CARE events. Pathways for interdisciplinary implementation and evaluation metrics are under development. This research will serve as the foundations for a comprehensive, gender transformative cardiometabolic health promotion program for women After-CARE.

Dr. Jamie Benham

Dr. Jamie Benham, Endocrinologist and Assistant Professor, leads the Endocrine, Metabolic, and Reproductive Advancements (EMBRACE) Women’s Health Research Lab. The primary focus of her research program in Women's Health is to enhance reproductive and cardiometabolic health outcomes across the life course in individuals affected by reproductive endocrine disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and diabetes in pregnancy. These conditions have historically suffered from inadequate funding and research efforts.

The EMBRACE lab aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between hormones and overall health, ultimately improving patient care and health outcomes. The World Health Organization reports that as many as 70% of people with PCOS worldwide have not received a diagnosis1. This lab is working to understand the care gaps in diagnosis and management of PCOS using administrative health data. Funded by the CIHR National Women’s Health Research Initiative, Dr. Benham and colleagues are working to optimize PCOS care in Alberta by implementing evidence-based guidelines for PCOS locally. An integrated knowledge mobilization approach is being used to guide this work, with the involvement of experts from related clinical and research fields, enriched by the lived experience of people with PCOS. The EMBRACE lab established a PCOS Patient Advisory Council earlier this year with support from the Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Patient Engagement Team.

The EMBRACE lab also places a strong emphasis on advocacy within the community and through social media platforms to share evidence-based information, counter misinformation, and raise awareness about Women's Health.
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Dr. Cynthia Seow

Dr. Cynthia Seow is Professor and Clinician Researcher in the division of Gastroenterology. Her research centres around the impact of the life cycle on the management of IBD, from pediatric to adult transition, sexual health, preconception, pregnancy, with a future goal to delve into the effects of menopause on IBD.

Highlights include being the North American lead for the ‘Global Consensus Statement on the Management of Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease’ (Mahadevan U, Seow CH, Barnes EL et al; Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology – in press April 2025). She previously co-led the Canadian guidelines: The Toronto Consensus Statements for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy (Gastroenterology 2016) and was an international invited expert for the Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Consensus Statements for Preconception, Pregnancy and Breast feeding (Gut 2023).Dr. Seow was the senior author for ‘The Influence of Sex and Gender on Canadians Living with IBD’ section of the ‘2023 Impact of IBD in Canada’ report.

Dr. Seow's original research contributions into women’s health in gastroenterology include optimising disease monitoring in pregnancy (specifically, use of intestinal ultrasound as a non-invasive technique), pharmacokinetics of advanced therapies in pregnant women with IBD, the immunologic impact of materno-fetal drug exposure and its implications for infant vaccinations, adherence to medications, and the impact of chronic disease on breastfeeding, urinary continence and health care utilisation in women with IBD.