Research Bursary Program
Supervisor Project Proposal for Summer 2015
Supervisor Last Name:
Supervisor First Name:
McGill Dept/School: Medicine
Faculty Professor (Full, Associate or Assistant): Associate (TenureD)
Email: stella.daskalopoulou@mcgill.ca
Phone No. (optional): 514-934-1934 ext 42295
Research Field: Cardiovascular
Proposal No. (1 or 2): 2
Research Location (McGill or affiliated institution): MUHC (Glen and MGH)
Ethics approval will be required for proposed project (Yes/No): Yes (already obtained)
Proposed project will involve chart reviews (Yes/No): Yes
Project Title (maximum 1 line):
pRedictivE Value of artEriAl stiffness in the development of pre-ecLampsia (REVEAL)
Hypothesis/Question to be Addressed (maximum 4 lines):
Pre-eclampsia is a deadly complication of pregnancy: millions of mothers and children are affected yearly. Arterial
stiffness, a composite indicator of vascular health, has shown to increase at pre-eclampsia onset, and in women
destined to develop pre-eclampsia. We aim to evaluate if trends in arterial stiffness could better predict preeclampsia and its short-term recovery than current tools (uterine artery Doppler or/and angiogenic factors).
Specific Aims (maximum 10 lines):
REVEAL will follow high-risk pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy from their first trimester of pregnancy.
Specifically, we aim to 1) assess temporal changes in arterial stiffness during pregnancy, and up to 6 weeks postpartum of those who develop versus those who do not develop pre-eclampsia; and 2: a) compare the predictive
value of arterial stiffness for pre-eclampsia with the predictive value of uterine artery Doppler (UAD) or/and
specific angiogenic factors, and b) to define the composite predictive value of arterial stiffness in combination to
UAD or/and angiogenic factors in predicting pre-eclampsia. High-risk pregnancy is defined as any woman with any
of the following characteristics: pre-existing hypertension, pre-existing diabetes, pre-existing renal disease, or prepregnancy overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2), or age ≥35 years, or a history of pre-eclampsia,
gestational hypertension or gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
Role of Student (maximum 15 lines):
The successful candidate will have a key role in this project; he/she will be taught valuable literature search
techniques and guided to perform a literature review to become familiar with the appropriate background. With
this knowledge, the successful candidate will be armed to 1) develop his/her own hypotheses, and 2)
propose/discuss protocol adjustments as required, with the possibility to study markers involved in pre-eclampsia.
The student will also be involved in the subject contact, recruitment process, and data entry. Dr. Daskalopoulou
will also guide/teach the student to perform the statistical analyses. Using these techniques, the student's project
will aim to correlate changes in arterial stiffness throughout pregnancy and development of pre-eclampsia. Upon
completion, the student will present the data to lab members and at scientific meetings/conferences and will be
involved in manuscript preparation. In order for the student to truly gain from this experience, he/she will also
actively participate in weekly meetings with Dr. Daskalopoulou and other lab members to discuss his/her
hypotheses, progress, and any troubles encountered with the project. Ethics approval has been granted for this
project. The recruitment has been proven and will be ongoing. Thus, the completion of the student's project in a
short period of time is feasible. It should also be noted that subjects will be followed for ~8 months, providing an
opportunity for the student to continue working with this project if he/she so desires.