Dr. Jennifer Williams, a former postdoctoral fellow in scientific cardiovascular physiology on the College of Toronto and incoming Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier College, has been awarded the distinguished 2025 Ontario Mind Institute – Banting Discovery Award. This accolade helps excellent early-career researchers tackling important mind and coronary heart well being points with a sex- and gender-based lens.
Dr. Williams’s pioneering analysis investigates how on a regular basis stressors, like train, weight loss plan, and hormonal fluctuations, have an effect on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular well being in girls. Supported by the $30,000 Banting Discovery Award, her lab will purchase a transcranial Doppler ultrasound system to measure real-time adjustments in blood circulate to the mind and coronary heart beneath acute stress. Her purpose is to determine actionable biomarkers and life-style targets that enhance mind and cardiac well being in girls.
In her earlier analysis, Dr. Williams has studied how hormonal contraceptives, menopause, and life-style elements affect vascular operate. She continues to champion sex- and gender-based evaluation (SGBA) in cardiovascular analysis, advocating for extra inclusive and consultant science.
Dr. Williams’s work exemplifies the Ladies’s Well being Analysis Cluster’s dedication to advancing equitable, SGBA-informed science. We eagerly await the insights rising from her progressive investigations and their potential affect on girls’s mind and coronary heart well being throughout the lifespan. Take a look at her cluster profile for extra.