Sandra Davidge, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Contact
Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Obstetrics & Gynaecology Dept
- sdavidge@ualberta.ca
- Phone
- (780) 492-1864
- Address
-
232 Heritage Medical Research Centre
11207 - 87 Ave NWEdmonton ABT6G 2S2
Executive Director, WCHRI, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Women and Children's Health Research Institute
- sdavidge@ualberta.ca
- Phone
- (780) 492-1864
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
About
Dr. Sandra Davidge is a Distinguished University Professor and the Executive Director of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI). She is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Alberta. As a leader in pregnancy research, Dr. Davidge is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). She has published over 280 scientific articles on pioneering studies that are focused on understanding the causes on pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, in order to develop new therapies to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Place of Graduation: University of Vermont, 1993
Post-doctoral Training: Magee Womens Research Institute; University of Pittsburgh, 1993-1996
Research Interests: Pregnancy Complications, Preeclampsia, Advanced Maternal Age, Developmental Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Physiology
Distinction: Former 2-term Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Maternal and Perinatal Cardiovascular Health, Government of Canada, 2007-2021
Research
Research Focus & Overview
The Davidge laboratory studies cardiovascular physiology with a specific interest in the area of women’s, maternal and perinatal cardiovascular health. We investigate potential mediators for vascular endothelial cell dysfunction in both and deficiency as well as in the pregnancy complication, preeclampsia. Moreover, we combine our expertise in and pregnancy complications to study the cardiovascular effects for offspring born from an adverse intrauterine environment (also known as developmental origins of disease).
Preeclampsia
Studies include understanding mechanisms normal cardiovascular adaptations of pregnancy as well as mechanisms for impaired vascular responses in women with preeclampsia, a pregnancy disorder by hypertension and proteinuria. This work addresses the regulation of vascular tone by factors such as nitric oxide and matrix metalloproteinase. Moreover, we study the effect of oxidative stress on endothelial cell function as a potential mechanism for vascular dysfunction in women with preeclampsia.
Effects of Maternal on Vascular Function
Another area of research for this laboratory is studying the impact of on the vasculature with a specific interest the action of sex steroids on vascular function. Moreover, the age at which women deliver their first child has increased steadily. In Canada, births occurring among women aged 35 years and older account for over 18% of total live births. Childbirth at an advanced maternal age (=35 years) has a myriad of clinical ramifications, including increased risk of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Children born from a suboptimal intrauterine environment are at a greater risk of cardiovascular morbidities later in life. Our laboratory is studying the consequences of maternal on vascular function with interests in both maternal and offspring health.
Fetal Programming of Cardiovascular Disease
Complications in pregnancy may also influence cardiovascular health in the offspring. Numerous epidemiological studies have determined an association between a poor uterine environment (usually reflected by low birth weight) and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases later in life. It is likely that adaptive responses to fetal/neonatal environmental stresses lead to permanent changes that negatively influence metabolic and cardiovascular health in adult life. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes are not known. Our laboratory assesses mechanisms for altered cardiovascular responses in pregnancies from an adverse maternal environment as well as assessing the offspring from these pregnancies in various life stages (fetal, neonatal, young and aged adults).
Trainees
The Davidge laboratory is committed to the training of undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral fellows with an average of 8-10 trainees in the laboratory.
This research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Alberta Innovates, Canada Foundation for Innovation; along with the Stollery Children’s Health Foundation and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
Techniques
� Vascular function studies using myography are conducted on isolated small arteries from our various animal models.
� Analysis of the expression of various enzymes and receptors using Western blot and Immunohistochemistry techniques.
� Cell cultures of endothelial and smooth muscle cells to assess cellular mechanisms.
Courses
PHYSL 404 - Cardiovascular Physiology
General concepts in human cardiovascular physiology: properties of the myocardium, heart function, vascular biology, hemodynamics and control of cardiovascular system. Discussion of cardiovascular pathologies and relevant clinical situations. Prerequisites: PHYSL 212 and 214, or 210 and consent of Department.
PHYSL 504 - Cardiovascular Physiology
General concepts in human cardiovascular physiology: properties of the myocardium, heart function, vascular biology, hemodynamics and control of cardiovascular system. Discussion of cardiovascular pathologies and relevant clinical situations. Prerequisites: consent of Department. Priority given to students registered in a graduate program. Note: this course is not open to students with credit in the corresponding PHYSL 400 level course.
Featured Publications
Pasha M, Kirschenman R, Wooldridge A, Spaans F, Cooke CLM, Davidge ST
Antioxidants. 2022 June; doi.org/10.3390/antiox11071275
J Agric Food Chem. 2022 June; 70 (21):6397-6406 doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07161
Wang B, Wu HH, Abuetabh Y, Leng S, DAVIDGE ST, Flores ER, Eisenstat DD, Leng RP
Cell Death and Disease. 2022 April; 13 (4):397 doi: 10.1038/s41419-022-04854-1
Fan H, Liao W, Spaans F, Pasha M, DAVIDGE ST, Wu J
Journal of Food Science. 2022 March; 87 doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.16077
Wooldridge AL, Hula N, Kirschenman R, Spaan F, Cooke CLM, DAVIDGE ST.
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. 2022 March; doi:10.1017/ S2040174422000216
Hula N, Vu J, Quon A, Kirschenman R, Spaans F, Liu R, Cooke C-LM, DAVIDGE ST
American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2022 March; 322 doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00636.2021
Goulopoulou S., De Groot C., Taylor R.N., Davidge S.T.
Chesley’s Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy, Fifth Edition. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00006-3
Vatish M., Redman C.W.G., Davidge S.T.
Chesley’s Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00019-1
Conrad K.P., Taylor R.N., Davidge S.T., Staff A.C., Roberts J.M., Lindheimer M.D.
Chesley's Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy- 5th Edition. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00022-1
Dechend R., Lamarca B., Davidge S.T.
Chesley’s Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00010-5
Staff A.C., Figueiro-Filho E., Davidge S.T.
Chesley's Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy- 5th Edition. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00014-2
Taylor R.N., Conrad K.P., Davidge S.T., Staff A.C., Roberts J.M.
Chesley’s Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.01001-0
Jeyabalan A., Hubel C.A., Davidge S.T.
Chesley's Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy- 5th Edition. 2022 January; 10.1016/B978-0-12-818417-2.00017-8
Sáez T., Wiley C., Quon A., Spaans F., Davidge S.T.
Pregnancy Hypertension. 2021 December; 26 10.1016/j.preghy.2021.09.007
Nerenberg K.A., Cooke C.L., Smith G.N., Davidge S.T.
Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2021 December; 37 (12):2056-2066 10.1016/j.cjca.2021.08.007
Tewari S., Margalef P.T., Kareem A., Abdul-Hussein A., White M., Wazana A., Davidge S.T., Delrieux C., Connor K.L.
Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2021 November; 11 10.3390/jpm11111064
Pasha M., Wooldridge A.L., Kirschenman R., Spaans F., Davidge S.T., Cooke C.L.M.
Frontiers in Physiology. 2021 July; 10.3389/fphys.2021.718568
Abdul-Hussein A., Kareem A., Tewari S., Bergeron J., Briollais L., Challis J.R.G., Davidge S.T., Delrieux C., Fortier I., Goldowitz D., Nepomnaschy P., Wazana A., Connor K.L.
Mol Aspects Med. 2021 July; 87:100986 doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2021.100986
Do V., Eckersley L., Lin L., Davidge S.T., Stickland M.K., Ojala T., Serrano-Lomelin J., Hornberger L.K.
CJC Open. 2021 March; 3 (3):345-353 10.1016/j.cjco.2020.10.020
Ganguly E., Kirschenman R., Spaans F., Holody C.D., Phillips T.E.J., Case C.P., Cooke C.L.M., Murphy M.P., Lemieux H., Davidge S.T.
The FASEB Journal. 2021 February; 35 (2) 10.1096/fj.202002193R
Kumaran K., Krishnaveni G.V., Suryanarayana K.G., Prasad M.P., Belavendra A., Atkinson S., Balasubramaniam R., Bandsma R.H.J., Bhutta Z.A., Chandak G.R., Comelli E.M., Davidge S.T., Dennis C.L., Hammond G.L., Jha P., Joseph K.S., Joshi S.R., Krishna M., Lee K., Lye S., McGowan P., Nepomnaschy P., Padvetnaya V., Pyne S., Sachdev H.S., Sahariah S.A., Singhal N., Trasler J., Yajnik C.S., Baird J., Barker M., Martin M.C., Husain N., Sellen D., Fall C.H.D., Shah P.S., Matthews S.G.
BMJ Open. 2021 February; 11 (2) 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045862
Hula N., Spaans F., Vu J., Quon A., Kirschenman R., Cooke C.L.M., Phillips T.J., Case C.P., Davidge S.T.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 2021 January; 165 (105461) 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105461
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
Ganguly E., Hula N., Spaans F., Cooke C.L.M., Davidge S.T.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 2020 November; 157 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104836
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