OTTAWA, June 2, 2025 — Ottawa Heart Institute scientist Erin Mulvihill, PhD, and her team have been awarded $2 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to lead a national project focused on improving heart health for women living with type 2 diabetes during menopause.
Mulvihill’s research project, HEARTWISE (Heart Health and Endocrine Disruption during Aging: Risk from Type 2 Diabetes in Women Incurring SlEep Disruption), will investigate why women with type 2 diabetes face an accelerated risk of heart disease during the menopausal transition and what can be done to change that.
“Many women in this stage of life experience sleep problems, weight gain, and stress, but these issues are often overlooked when it comes to diabetes and heart care,” said Mulvihill, who directs the Energy Substrate Metabolism Research Laboratory at the Ottawa Heart Institute. “Our goal is to understand how these factors interact and to improve treatments and guidelines specifically for women – many of whom have been looking for answers to their problems for years.”
HEARTWISE was developed in close collaboration with women living with diabetes who shared their experiences of being underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or underserved during their transition to menopause. Their insights helped shape the research questions and priorities, ensuring the work reflects real patient needs.
The project will test whether currently approved diabetes treatments can more effectively improve blood sugar regulation and reduce heart disease risk in peri- and menopausal women. Because these medications are already approved by Health Canada, any findings could be quickly put into practice to improve care.
More information is available on the CIHR website.
Media contact
Leigh B. Morris
Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
lmorris@ottawaheart.ca