Margie Davenport, PhD

Email

mdavenpo@ualberta.ca

Phone

(780) 492-0642

Address

1-052 Li Ka Shing Centre For Research

8602 112 St NW

Edmonton AB

T6G 2E1

Email

margie.davenport@ualberta.ca

Christenson Professor in Active Healthy Living

Degrees
Postdoctoral Fellowship (Physiology and Pharmacology), University of Calgary, 2012
PhD (Integrative Physiology), University of Western Ontario, 2010
BSc (Kinesiology), University of Western Ontario, 2005
BSc (Biology), Trent University, 2001

Background
My graduate work was focused on the use of prenatal exercise to promote cardiometabolic health in women diagnosed with, or at risk for gestational diabetes. This work led to the development of target heart rate zones for pregnant women which are included in current national and international guidelines for exercise. My postdoctoral fellowship investigated the impact of exercise on cerebrovascular function in older adults with a focus on post-menopausal women.

I am an exercise physiologist and Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta.  I hold the Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living and am the Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health (www.exerciseandpregnancy.ca; established 2013).  

I had the pleasure of being the Chair of the  SOGC/CSEP 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy, and the upcoming 24 hour Canadian Guideline for Postpartum Physical Activity.  This work led to the development of the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, and the CSEP Pre & Postnatal Exercise Specialization.

Over the last decade I have worked with a number of National/International organizations including FIFA, Sport Canada, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine to support physical activity during and following pregnancy.

As a former National Team Athlete, much of my current work is focused on recreational and elite pregnant/postpartum athletes.  Over the coming years we aim to address previously "taboo" topics such as high intensity/long duration exercise, heavy weight lifting, and contact sport during and following pregnancy.  I also conduct research investigating the impact of physical activity and sleep in complex pregnancies such as cogenital heart disease, type 1 diabetes and twin pregnancies on cardio-metabolic health of both mother and baby.  

Our Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and CFI-funded lab is equipped with state of the art tools for assessing maternal hemodynamics (e.g. peripheral and cerebral ultrasounds), fetal hemodynamics (i.e., fetal ultrasound), neurovacular control (i.e. microneurography systems), and respiratory function. We also have Actigraph's, ActivPALs and Equivitals to assess physical activity and physiological responses to free-living conditions.  Our lab also includes a dedicated gym facility for conducting exercise (aerobic, resistance and yoga) interventions and a biochemistry suite for biological sample collection and processing (e.g., blood, urine and saliva).  Our mobile cardiovascular research program is able to conduct studies both in the lab, but also at remote regions of the world (e.g., Everest Region of Nepal).

KIN 334

Dr. Davenport is currently accepting applications for graduate (PhD and MSc) and post-graduate students.