Recent PhD grad tackles cardiovascular health in transgender population

Transgender cardiovascular health is an understudied area. In fact, until recently researchers didn’t know what areas of cardiovascular health to focus on in this population.   

But that problem has been solved.

Chantal Rytz, a student in the Leaders in Medicine Program at the Cumming School of Medicine who recently successfully defended her PhD thesis, undertook a year-long priority setting exercise that involved 50 stakeholders from across Canada. These included representatives from the transgender community, funding bodies and not-for-profit organizations, as well as clinicians and researchers. 

On March 1, the group gathered to view the final top 10 research priorities to address transgender cardiovascular health issues. The results were somewhat unexpected.  

“The project was focused on cardiovascular health, but what we found is that’s not the main priority for the transgender population,” says Rytz. “The top three priorities were related to feeling safe and validated within the healthcare system; increasing transgender health-specific training for clinicians; and increasing funding for transgender health research, which underscores that addressing these system-level factors may indirectly improve cardiovascular health in this population.”

Rytz explained that the transgender community is aware of the need for research in cardiovascular health. However, the participants in her study said that living in, and being accepted for, their felt gender is their top concern. 

Addressing these needs will indirectly improve cardiovascular health, says Rytz, because individuals will be less stressed and be more likely to seek care. 

Rytz’s priority setting exercise was funded through a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Planning and Dissemination grant she received in 2023. 

Read about the intersection of cardiovascular health and gender-affirming hormone therapy here.