Donate $2000 to help us beat heart disease and stroke.
Backed by dedicated donors and volunteers, Heart & Stroke’s commitment to research has been unwavering. From the first successful open-heart surgery in Canada to the discovery of the gene responsible for heart arrhythmias, our researchers have led life-saving advances for heart conditions, stroke and related dementia. Your donation will help us to continue the important work being done by countless researchers across Canada, including 46 researchers right here in Alberta. One of those local researchers is Dr. Kara Nerenberg.
Many women experience a high blood pressure disorder during pregnancy, making them two to five times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke before age 40, and to die prematurely before 60. Yet half of Canadian doctors aren't aware of this elevated risk, and so neither are their patients. At the University of Calgary, Dr. Kara Nerenberg, the Mid-Career Women's Heart and Brain Health Chair, leads a research program that is exploring some big questions: How many women with such a disorder (known as HDP, or hypertensive disorder of pregnancy) go on to develop risk factors for heart disease and stroke? What's the best way to reach these women? What tools do doctors need to help these new moms prevent heart disease and stroke? As a starting point, Dr. Nerenberg will examine health databases of Alberta women to learn more about how often, when, why and where they see their doctors after having a baby. Her program will also work with clinics across Canada that are specialized for women after pregnancy, to develop and test tools that could help doctors provide enhanced care for women after pregnancy.
