Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for women worldwide. Largely protected in their early years by hormones such as estrogen, women are not tuned in to the CVD risk factors they may possess as they approach middle age. More recently, additional sex-specific risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of CVD such as a prior adverse pregnancy outcome(s).

As a Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise, Dr. Coté’s research focuses on how the female heart adapts to exercise beginning in childhood and how lifelong exercise may confer cardioprotection for individuals with increased risk. In order to understand how exercise elicits changes to the heart and blood vessels during normal growth and development and throughout adulthood, Dr. Coté’s research uses advanced imaging modalities, novel exercise strategies, and biomarker analyses. Through long-term tracking of exercise patterns relative to structural and functional changes in the heart and blood vessels, Dr. Coté hopes to address some important gaps in understanding the progression of CVD risk in women while also informing CVD prevention and treatment strategies, aimed at improving the health of all Canadians.