Title/Role: Principle Investigator, Professor, Interim Academic Lead of the Dietetics Specialization Program, Co-Director of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory
Division: Human Nutrition
Department: Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science
Faculty: Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kinship: daughter, sister, wife, mother
Address: 4-002H Li Ka Shing (LKS) Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
Office Telephone: 1+(780) 492-4393
Fax: 1+(780) 492-9270
Email: donna.vine@ualberta.ca
PCOS Together Website: pcos.together.ualberta.ca
Facebook: PCOS Together
X: @PcosTogether
Dr. Donna Vine is a passionate and highly motivated Principle Investigator in Women’s Health Research and has a basic to clinical translational research program at the University of Alberta and she is an Ambassador for the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. Dr. Vine is also a Professor in Human Nutrition and Academic Lead for Nutrition and Dietetic programs in the Division of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta. Dr. Vine's main research and clinical focus is improving the health and quality of life of those living with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which impacts 15% of women and individuals with ovaries. PCOS is the most common hormone-metabolic disorder that affects health across the lifespan and those with PCOS are pre-disposed to mental illness, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Upon listening to PCOS patients and their challenges and barriers in understanding their disease and receiving appropriate and timely health care, Dr. Vine was inspired to do evidence-based research to understand their health and health care needs. Dr. Vine's patient partners inspire her in their generosity to help others and this led me to advocate to raise awareness and improve the health and health care of those living with PCOS. Dr. Vine has been recognized for these efforts for International Women’s Day (2023 and 2024) by the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute and the Alberta Women’s Health Research Foundation. Dr. Vine's work in improving the physician and patient pathways to improve health care in those with PCOS re-enforces what can be achieved in the health care system with collaboration and team work. Dr. Vine's currently endeavour is to promote and undertake research in women’s health and PCOS using a multi-pronged approach at which patient-centered and family needs are the priority and collaborating with health care professionals to improve the health and health care of those with PCOS. The following are areas of research and community outreach that Dr. Vine is involved in;
i) Dr, Vine established and lead the PCOS Together Research and Community Outreach program (https://pcos.together.ualberta.ca/). This program provides educational resources to patients living with PCOS, community support and outreach, including virtual forums on different health care topics on PCOS. The research is part of the PCOS Together program, basic to clinical and translational health care to clinical practice research. The focus of the research relevant to this proposal is the i) epidemiological studies on adverse health outcomes in PCOS, particularly CVD, ii) health and health care surveys and focus groups of those affected by PCOS, in particular a lack of a lifelong health focus on chronic disease risk, iii) our Heart Health study in females with and without PCOS, which provides knowledge to be mobilized in this proposal related to early cardiovascular disease detection and progression. Through all of these initiatives Dr. Vine has engaged patient partners in study design, results and dissemination, focus groups and patient forums. Patients with PCOS are my greatest inspiration to advocate and help to improve their health and health care. Dr. Vine has established a PCOS cohort of >400 individuals who are engaged to participate in research and want to help others with PCOS to improve access to informed health care and education, improve health outcomes and learn how to self advocate in the life-long journey of living with PCOS.
ii) Dr. Vine has led the establishment of Primary Care and Patient Pathways to Care for PCOS in Alberta, which will be a model of care for other provinces in Canada. Dr. Vine has brought together provincial and national stakeholders including; the Alberta Ministry of Health, the College of Surgeons and Physicians, Physician Learning Program, Alberta Health Services (AHS) (Division Obstetrics-Gynecology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Cardiology, Nutrition Services-Eating Disorder clinics), AHS Scientific Clinical Networks including Diabetes Obesity and Nutrition, Cardiovascular and Maternal, Child and Youth Health, AHS Pathway HUB, AHS: The Gender Program, Pan-Canadian NWHRI: Cardiovascular HUB/Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance, and the Partnership for Women’s Health Research Canada. This collaborative network has developed these pathways and will mobilize pathways to care for implementation and evaluation.
iii) Dr. Vine lead the Heart Health Study in females with and without PCOS. Dr. Vine has discovered young women aged 18-45 years at high-risk with PCOS and obesity have early atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cardiac dysfunction. Dr. Vine also knows those with PCOS receiving testosterone gender affirming therapy are at increased risk of cardiovascular health complications. Dr. Vine's patient-partners in these studies have stated that there is a gap in health care with a focus on menstrual dysfunction and fertility. These patients are told by their physicians they are too young to worry about cardiovascular disease. However, Dr. Vine's study team has recognized that these individuals do not have ongoing preventative health care for cardiovascular disease as part of standard of care. Dr. Vine's proposal will address these gaps in health care and mobilize our knowledge to implement a pilot program for early screening and monitoring of cardiovascular health in these high-risk populations with PCOS.
iv) Dr. Vine has lead epidemiological studies in PCOS and health outcomes in collaboration with the Alberta Strategic Patient Oriented Research unit. Dr. Vine has discovered that those with PCOS have increased health care burden with a 2-4 fold higher incidence of chronic disease compared to age-matched controls including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, mental health conditions and cancers. These findings have contributed to the rationale for this proposal to improve the overall health care for those with PCOS.
v) National and International service to endocrinology and PCOS: Dr. Vine serves on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (CSEM) as Secretary-Treasurer, continuing medical education, resident mentorship and conference planning, and contribute to the International Guidelines for Assessment and Management of PCOS, and the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society (AEPCOSS). Dr. Vine is an Ambassador for the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF) and the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WHCRI). Collectively, Dr. Vine is an national and global advocate to improve health and health care for those with PCOS and androgen excess conditions, and mentorship to early young investigators in women’s health.
Supervision and Mentorship: Dr. Vine currently supervises 2 Phd students and 1 MSc student, 3 UG project students, 3 Research Associates, 1 Animal technician. Dr. Vine currently mentors 2 early career endocrinology researchers. Through the PCOS Together program and my other affiliations including the prestigious Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids Scholar group and the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Laboratory that she co-directs, Alberta Diabetes Institute, AEPCOS, CSEM, WHCRI , and Albert Health Services, Dr. Vine provides an unique training environment with diverse opportunities for professional development and training.
Academic duties: Dr. Vine is currently Academic Lead of the Dietetics Specialization program, and Co-Chair of programs in Nutrition and Dietetics at the U of Alberta
Please see ResearchGate for more information.
