This is a unique opportunity to complete a joint PhD between two world class institutions, The University of Toronto and the University of Melbourne, with a focus on the understudied research area of women’s cardiac health, with co-supervision by two female leaders in this area. This joint PhD project will be primarily based at the University of Toronto in the lab of Dr. Amy Kirkham in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education with a minimum 12-month stay at the University of Melbourne in the lab of Dr. Erin Howden. Domestic or international students can apply.
Overview:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) will kill one in four Canadians and Australians but are considered preventable by physical activity and dietary behaviours. Preliminary research suggests that the cardiovascular health benefits of exercise training differ in women vs men. Yet, most cardiovascular research has been focussed on white males and thus mechanisms remain understudied in women, especially postmenopausal women.
This PhD will consist of two major projects:
Project #1 will take place at U of T and aims to quantify the cardiovascular health changes with guidelines-based exercise and the impact of the addition of following dietary guidelines among pre and postmenopausal women at risk for CVD. Using a 3-arm randomized controlled trial with equal recruitment and stratification of 180 women by menopausal status to 6 months of: 1) exercise following Health Canada guidelines; 2) the same exercise plus counselling to follow Canada’s Dietary Guidelines to improve diet quality; or 3) stretching (active control), this study will answer the following questions: How do the effects of the physical activity guidelines on cardiovascular structure, function and 10-year CVD risk estimate differ among pre and postmenopausal women? What is the effect modification of adding a diet intervention on these effects of exercise? This is large multi-disciplinary ongoing trial called Ms. FIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial). Both resting and exercise echocardiography are performed and will be the basis of this analysis. The student will learn and complete analyses and help finish the trial including data collection and intervention delivery.
Project #2 will take place in Melbourne with a similar design but a focus on the use of physical activity/dietary guidelines to prevent heart failure with preserved ejection fraction among at risk postmenopausal women.
These projects will employ a variety of assessment techniques including cardiovascular ultrasound and MRI, blood analyses, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
Interested students should complete this form. Only the top candidates will be contacted for an interview. Apply before December 15, 2024 for the best chance of receiving an interview.
Selected candidates will then be asked to apply to the University of Toronto for admission. Deadlines for applications for admission are January 2025 for September 2025 start.
Over the course of the PhD taking place in Toronto in Dr. Kirkham’s lab, the candidate would also contribute to other ongoing large clinical trials involving the role of diet alone or in concert with exercise or other lifestyle interventions in the development or treatment of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Current interventional approaches in the lab include both acute and chronic exercise in various formats, novel nutritional strategies (e.g., caloric restriction, time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting) as well as healthy eating practices or focussed protein intake counselling, as well as multimodal cardiac rehabilitation. Our lab spaces contain a metabolic kitchen and exercise training suite, as well as developed protocols for remote delivery of nutrition and exercise interventions. Opportunities to learn various data collection techniques will be offered based on the interests of the candidate including imaging (ultrasound and MRI of the heart, vessels, brain, muscle, adipose tissues, as well as DXA), cardiopulmonary exercise testing, human tissue (blood, urine, saliva, skeletal muscle) collection and analysis, and other non-invasive techniques such as arterial tonometry, biolelectrical impedance, continuous glucose monitors, physical activity and sleep trackers.
Significant opportunities will be provided to both receive and give mentorship to others. Manuscript writing and academic presentations are expected outputs throughout the degree. All projects in the lab follow a strong “team science” approach involving various trainees (undergraduate to doctoral) and both clinical (especially oncology and cardiology) and academic collaborators. Typically, PhD students in the lab will have one committee member who is a clinician scientist (in either oncology or cardiology depending on the focus) who will additionally provide guidance on clinical judgement and knowledge translation of research to clinical practice.
The University of Toronto
Located in Canada’s most vibrant and culturally diverse city, the University of Toronto is consistently ranked among the world’s best research universities. The location, size and diversity provide unique opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
The Kirkham lab is located in the Goldring Centre for High Performance (building to the right of the track above). This award-winning building was completed in 2014 and houses cutting-edge research and teaching labs, a strength and conditioning centre, a state-of-the-art sports medicine clinic and a 2000-seat basketball and volleyball field house.
More information about the graduate program can be found here: https://kpe.utoronto.ca/academics-research/graduate-studies
Requirements:
- Human research experience of some sort is required
- Experience (research, volunteer, or work) with clinical populations or older adults
- Ability to take initiative and work independently, while also working well as part of a collaborative team
- An academic standing equivalent of a University of Toronto A- (80-84%) in the master’s degree completed. Note direct entry PhD is available for candidates without a thesis-based Masters degree but with considerable research experience.
- Candidates without degrees in English must meet the U of T English language proficiency requirements
Assets:
- Assets include education or clinical experience related to cardiovascular imaging and exercise physiology
- Experience and skill in academic writing and statistical analyses
- Leadership or mentorship experience
- Experience with one or more data collection techniques listed above in addition to imaging experience