Rshmi Khurana

Area of Study / Keywords

pregnancy diabetes thrombosis preeclampsia exercise

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About

Personal Statement:

Pregnancy is a unique time in a woman’s life and can be fraught with risk if she has medical problems, either pre-existing or new.  My goal is to ensure that these women get excellent care so that she and her baby can have the best possible outcome.  I strive to do this by evidence-based practice, education and research.  

Dr. Rshmi Khurana is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s medical school. After completing her General Internal Medicine training at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Dr. Khurana completed a two-year fellowship in Obstetric Medicine (medical problems in pregnancy) at Brown University. She is part of the medical staff and attending physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. 

Leadership and Collaborations:

Dr. Khurana was the first to bring expertise in Obstetric Medicine to Alberta and started the successful Obstetric Medicine program in Edmonton in 2000.  She is the director of the program which received the Cooperation, Collaboration & Teamwork Award from the Department of Medicine in 2009.  She is the Obstetric Medicine lead of the Maternal Heart Health Clinic—which also received this award in 2017—and medical lead for Connect Care Diabetes in Pregnancy Inpatient Working Group. She is a member of the Lois Hole Hospital for Women’s Perinatal Quality Assurance Subcommittee and the Maternal Neonatal Standing Committee of the provincial Maternal Neonatal Youth Strategic Clinical Network. She is a long-standing member of the executive committee of the North American Society of Obstetric Medicine.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Khurana specializes in maternal disorders of pregnancy including, but not limited to, diabetes, hypertension, thrombosis and cardiac disease.

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Research

Dr. Khurana is a co-investigator on several large multi-center trials dealing with thrombosis in pregnancy.  She is also the clinical lead for a research group looking at the effects of physical activity in pregnancy.  She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented on a number of subjects including hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease and liver conditions in pregnancy. She has been a reviewer for Obstetric Medicine Journal and Thrombosis Research.

Selected Grants:

1. Alberta Diabetes Institute Pilot Grant, operating grant:  $30,000. (WCHRI bridge funding received in 2018 for being in the top 35% of applications to CIHR, amount of $31,260)
Period of support:  July 2017 – Aug 2019
Research project:  Novel targets for improving cardio metabolic function during pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).  
Role:  Co-investigator, Principal Investigator: Dr. Margie Davenport

2. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, operating grant:  $226,000.
Period of support:  July 2016 – June 2020.
Research project:  Blood pressure regulation during hypertensive pregnancies.
Role:  Co-investigator. Principal Investigators (Co-PIs): Dr. Margie Davenport, Dr. Craig Steinback
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, operating grant: $282,865.
Period of support:  July 2016 – June 2020.

3. Research project:  Safely ruling out deep vein thrombosis in pregnancy with the LEFt clinical decision rule and D-dimer (the Lead study): A prospective cohort study.
Role:  Co-investigator; Principal Investigator: Dr. Marc Rodger
Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI), operating grant:  $50,000.
Period of support:  Aug 2016 – Aug 2019

4. Research project:  The impact of exercise and sedentary (sitting) time on cardiovascular risk during pregnancy.  
Role:  Co-investigator, Principal investigator : Dr. Margie Davenport
CIHR, operating grant for $590,759.
Period of support January, 2011 – July, 2012

5. Research project: Pilot (Prosper) Postpartum Prophylaxis for PE randomized control trial
Role: Local principal investigator, Principal investigator Dr. Marc Rodger
CIHR, operating grant for $2,400,000.
Period of support Oct, 2006 to Oct, 2011

6. Research project:  Thrombophilia in Pregnancy Prophylaxis Study (TIPPS)
Role: Local principal investigator, Principal investigator Dr. Marc Rodger
Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, operating grant for $30,000. 
Period of support Jan, 2004 to Dec, 2006. 
Research project: comparing the use of random spot urine for protein to creatinine ratio to 24 hour urine for preeclampsia. 
Role:  Co-investigator, Principal investigator Dr. Winnie Sia. 

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Teaching

Dr. Khurana has received several awards for excellence in medical education and teaching. She is currently the coordinator for the Obstetric Medicine rotation, a mandatory rotation for General Internal Medicine residents and Obstetric residents which is also offered as an elective to other residents. She has had roles as Principal Teaching Physician for Internal Medicine at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in both undergraduate and postgraduate roles.  She is active in continuing medical education and is frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences in her field.

Dr. Khurana brokered an inter-university agreement with Memorial University to provide ongoing training to their General Internal Medicine residents in Obstetric Medicine. She has also led the development of a local curriculum and online resources for obstetric medicine learners that include teaching modules, guidelines, resource articles and clinical tools. She has contributed to the development of a Canadian Curriculum for Obstetric Medicine

Chan L., Wichart J., Kiang T., Khurana R., Gangoiti J.A., Barshop B.A., Midgley J.

Kidney International Reports. 2022 July; 7 (7):1716-1719 10.1016/j.ekir.2022.05.013

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Davenport MH, Ray L, Nesdoly A, Thornton J, Khurana R, McHugh TF

Sports Medicine. 2022 July; 2022 (July 28):1-11 10.1007/x40279-022-01730-y

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Davenport M.H., Nesdoly A., Ray L., Thornton J.S., Khurana R., McHugh T.L.F.

British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2022 April; 56 (8):452-457 10.1136/bjsports-2021-104755

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Williams A.J., Karimi N., Chari R., Connor S., De Vera M.A., Dieleman L.A., Hansen T., Ismond K., Khurana R., Kingston D., O’Connor K., Sadowski D.C., Fang-Hwa F., Wine E., Leung Y., Huang V.

BMC Gastroenterology. 2021 December; 21 (1) 10.1186/s12876-021-01853-y

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Journal of Exercise Movement and Sport. 2021 October;

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Kimber M.L., Meyer S., McHugh T.L., Thornton J., Khurana R., Sivak A., Davenport M.H.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 August; 53 (8):1739-1747 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002617

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Reyes LM, Khurana R, Liu F, Steinback CD, Davenport M.

JOGC. 2021 June; 43 (6):766-768 10.1016/j.jogc.2020.09.018

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Lemieux P., Yamamoto J.M., Nerenberg K.A., Metcalfe A., Chin A., Khurana R., Donovan L.E.

Thyroid. 2021 May; 31 (5):841-849 10.1089/thy.2020.0609

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Meah V.L., Strynadka M.C., Khurana R., Davenport M.H.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 April; 18 (8) 10.3390/ijerph18083907

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Meah V.L., Kimber M.L., Khurana R., Howse R., Hornberger L.K., Steinback C.D., Davenport M.H.

J Appl Physiol. 2021 April; 130 (4):923-932 10.1152/JAPPLPHYSIOL.00707.2020

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Meah V.L., Khurana R., Hornberger L.K., Steinback C.D., Davenport M.H.

Journal of Applied Physiology. 2021 April; 130 (4):1286-1292 10.1152/japplphysiol.00998.2020

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Kimber ML, Meyer S, McHugh TL, Thornton J, Khurana R, Sivak A, Davenport MH.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 February; 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002617

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Khurana R, Mackillop L, Davenport MH

Global Library of Women's Medicine. . 2021 February; 8 - Maternal medical health and disorders in pregnancy (https://www.glowm.com/article/heading/vol-8--maternal-medical-health-and-disorders-in-pregnancy--spo) unknown

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Reyes L.M., Usselman C.W., Khurana R., Chari R.S., Stickland M.K., Davidge S.T., Julian C.G., Steinback C.D., Davenport M.H.

Journal of Applied Physiology. 2021 January; 130 (1):139-148 10.1152/JAPPLPHYSIOL.00646.2020