Researchers investigating cardiovascular disease in women with spinal cord injury

Women with spinal cord injuries are far more likely to develop heart disease and stroke than other women, but researchers still don’t know why or how best to protect their heart health. Because of this, many women with spinal cord injury feel overlooked when it comes to reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Aaron Phillips, PhD, an associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Neurosciences and Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary, has been awarded a Michael and Terry Wilson Cardiovascular Research Innovation Fund grant to investigate how spinal cord injury impacts the heart and blood vessels in women. His aim is to develop personalized treatments—and ensure they are delivered equitably—to improve long-term health in women with spinal cord injuries.

Phillips is pleased, saying the funds are essential for launching and carrying out this important work.

“Research focused on women’s health after spinal cord injury has historically received insufficient support,” says Phillips. “This grant provides the resources to conduct gold-standard cardiovascular assessments with people living with SCI, using advanced imaging and blood pressure measurement techniques, and to inform early studies of therapies that will directly benefit patients. Equally important, this grant will allow my lab to train and mentor women scientists and researchers from underrepresented backgrounds, helping to build the next generation of leaders in women’s health and disability research.”

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in individuals with spinal cord injury. Previous research shows that these injuries can impact the body’s ability to stabilize blood pressure, a key factor in preventing cardiovascular disease. 

For this population, blood pressure instability is often a result of orthostatic hypotension, a rapid drop in blood pressure when the patient is upright, and autonomic dysreflexia, where stimuli below the injury—such as a full bladder—causes rapid life-threatening elevations in blood pressure. Both conditions can weaken the heart and blood vessel function over time, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to six times. 

Phillips’ previous work, published in Nature in 2021 and 2025, and Nature Medicine in 2025, discovered ways to address orthostatic hypotension and autonomic dysreflexia, including electrical spinal cord stimulation to stabilize blood pressure. Their research also provided clues that treatment responses may differ between men and women. 

Women have key differences in their physiology, including smaller hearts for their body size and more flexible vessels. They also rely less on the body’s sympathetic system to maintain blood pressure. Phillips’ study will look at these sex differences, measure the magnitude and frequency women experience orthostatic hypotension and autonomic dysreflexia in their daily lives, and investigate the mechanisms behind these conditions. 

This work will result in the first comprehensive database of the burden of these conditions, as well as the cardiovascular structure and function of females with spinal cord injuries. 

Phillips is excited about the study. 

“Our findings will allow us to develop sex-specific treatment strategies,” says Phillips. “For example, our lab has already made breakthrough discoveries showing that electrical spinal cord stimulation improves blood pressure stability in people with spinal cord injury, and this study will allow us to optimize the therapy for women.”

Results will also inform updates to clinical guidelines so physicians can better prevent and manage heart disease in women with spinal cord injuries. 

Following this study, the team hopes to launch a larger study on long-term interventions aimed at improving cardiovascular health in females with spinal cord injury.

Dr. Aaron Phillips is an associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Neurosciences and Cardiac Sciences. He is associate dean of Innovation and Commercialization and director of the RESTORE Network. He is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.