Winnipeg researcher hopes to get to the heart of cardiac health disparities facing women in new role. Dr. Shelley Zieroth to spearhead initiative at St. Boniface Hospital. Bryce Hoye · CBC News · Posted: Aug 24, 2026 4:36 PM PDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago Estimated 5 minutes Social sharing. A longtime presence at St. Boniface Hospital is hoping to turn the Winnipeg facility into a centre of excellence in heart health research and treatment for women who have "been overlooked for far too long." Dr. Shelley Zieroth has been appointed the chair in women's clinical heart health research for Research Manitoba and the St. Boniface Hospital and Heart & Stroke foundations. "Women continue to be underdiagnosed, undertreated and underrepresented in cardiovascular research," she said during an announcement at St. Boniface Hospital on Monday. "I have seen first-hand how easily women's needs can be sidelined if they are not deliberately built into study design from the start. This chair will help ensure that in Manitoba, we do exactly that." Zieroth, a professor of cardiology at the University of Manitoba, has been based at St. Boniface Hospital for nearly two decades. She serves as director of heart failure and heart transplant clinics at St. Boniface Hospital. In the new chair position, she will also lead the creation of a women's heart health research and clinic initiative in Manitoba. The announcement represents a $1.3-million investment over five years, $5 million of that donated to the Heart & Stroke Foundation by an anonymous Manitoban. WATCH | New research chair named: New research chair focuses on women's clinical heart health 5 hours ago| Duration 1:41 Dr. Shelley Zieroth aims to help develop a women's heart care program in Manitoba in a position created through a partnership between Research Manitoba and the St. Boniface Hospital and Heart & Stroke foundations. Zieroth is the new chair in women's clinical heart health research. After cancer, cardiovascular disease is the second-leading cause of death in Canada, accounting for nearly a fifth of all deaths in the country annually, Statistics Canada says. The No. 1 cause of premature death in women in Canada is cardiovascular disease, the Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance Atlas says. Zieroth has worked nationally and internationally for years on sex and gender-based differences in heart health, how those differences manifest in patient care and the gaps in access to appropriate cardiac treatment for women. In that time, she said she's witnessed how understudied women's cardiac care is in the health-care system. "Two-thirds of clinical research in cardiovascular disease thus far has focused on men. It's time to change," Zieroth said. It doesn't take a heart surgeon to see the effect that lopsided pattern has had even at the public health messaging level. Common wisdom around heart attacks is that they tend to present as severe chest pain. That might be true for men, but it isn't necessarily the case for women. Acute chest pain can be a sign in men of a large artery to the heart becoming blocked. Women are more likely to experience blockages in smaller blood vessels to the heart or tears in an artery to the heart. That difference gives rise to symptoms in women that have in the past been mistaken or brushed aside as signs of anxiety or stress, side effects of menopause or other non-life-threatening conditions. Shortness of breath, pain in the shoulders or upper back, nausea, dizziness, sweating, extreme fatigue and pressure or discomfort in the chest are all possible symptoms of heart attacks in women. Jackie Ratz has been living with heart failure for a decade. She's now a patient advocate calling for more supports for women like her. "We need two different care paths: one for men and one for women, and the men's one is very well established," Ratz, a patient of Dr. Zieroth's, said at the Monday announcement. "We need to start looking at women and not looking at women like small men." Women tend to face a range of physiologically unique risks. Research suggests girls who have their first period before the age of 12 or after 15, and women with irregular periods or polycystic ovary syndrome, might be at greater risk of heart disease. The onset of menopause before age 45 or experiencing pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure can also increase risks of heart disease, the Heart & Stroke Foundation says. While some risks are more rooted in biology, others are linked to psychological, social, environmental, economic, policy or gender-based factors. Research by Zieroth and others published two years ago in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology suggested social determinants of health, along with biases in the health-care system, "play an equal if not greater role" on heart health outcomes in women. That work also explored how South Asian and Indigenous populations, as well as transgender patients and people with disabilities, experience "poorer health outcomes owing to structural barriers." Zieroth said Monday the forthcoming women's heart care research clinic will work to address barriers "as a living laboratory where we can test pragmatic, equity-focused interventions in real-world practice so we are not only generating knowledge but we are changing care." She hopes to establish a patient and caregiver advisory council to provide input to the women's heart health clinic that will be based on their lived experience, with an emphasis on "Indigenous, racialized, rural and socioeconomically marginalized women as partners in heart research." "This is about access to care, implementation of guidelines, evidence-based care and looking at the difference in men and women's cardiovascular health," the doctor said. "This will immediately improve women's outcomes here in Manitoba." Bryce Hoye is a multi-platform journalist with a background in wildlife biology. He has worked for CBC Manitoba for over a decade with stints producing at CBC's Quirks & Quarks and Front Burner. He was a 2024-25 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. He is also Prairie rep for outCBC. He has won a national Radio Television Digital News Association award for a 2017 feature on the history of the fur trade, and a 2023 Prairie region award for an audio documentary about a Chinese-Canadian father passing down his love for hockey to the next generation of Asian Canadians. With files from Alana Cole

New leadership to advance women's heart health research at St. Boniface Hospital. August 24, 2026 - Winnipeg, Manitoba St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, in partnership with Heart & Stroke and Research Manitoba, is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Shelley Zieroth as the Heart & Stroke, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, and Research Manitoba Chair in Women's Clinical Heart Health Research. Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death among women, yet women have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular research. The Chair will provide leadership in developing a Women's Heart Care program in Manitoba, advancing research, promoting the integration of best practices into clinical care, and fostering collaboration with researchers across Canada and around the world. A recognized leader in women's heart health Dr. Shelley Zieroth joined the Section of Cardiology at St. Boniface Hospital as Director of Heart Function Clinics in 2006. She is currently a Clinician-Scientist and Professor in the College of Medicine, Max Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and cross-appointed to the Department of Pathophysiology and Pathology at the University of Manitoba. After earning her medical degree and completing specialty training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Zieroth pursued a postdoctoral clinical fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at Toronto General Hospital. Her research focuses on heart failure and cardio-kidney-metabolic interactions. A collaborative commitment to improving women's heart health The Chair reflects a shared commitment by St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, Heart & Stroke, and Research Manitoba to advance research that improves cardiovascular health outcomes for women. "St. Boniface Hospital Foundation is grateful to partner with Heart & Stroke and Research Manitoba to support this important leadership role," said Karen Fowler, President & CEO of St. Boniface Hospital Foundation. "Dr. Zieroth's work will help accelerate discoveries that improve heart health outcomes for women and have a lasting impact in Manitoba and beyond." "Heart & Stroke is proud to support this important investment in women's heart health research," said Dr. Ryan Perry, Vice-President, Research and Science at Heart & Stroke. "Women have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular research, and addressing those gaps is essential to improving health outcomes. Dr. Shelley Zieroth's leadership will help advance knowledge, strengthen collaboration and accelerate the translation of research into better care for women in Manitoba and across Canada." "Investing in women's heart health research is essential to improving health outcomes today and for future generations," said Jennifer Cleary, CEO of Research Manitoba. "We are proud to support Dr. Shelley Zieroth's leadership and the innovative research that will build Manitoba's capacity and improve cardiovascular care and outcomes for women." "I am honoured to be appointed to this Chair position and to continue advancing research that addresses the unique cardiovascular health needs of women," said Dr. Shelley Zieroth. "Through collaboration, innovation and research excellence, we have an opportunity to improve care and outcomes for women living with heart disease today and for generations to come." "Investing in women's heart health research is essential to improving health outcomes today and for future generations.We are proud to support Dr. Shelley Zieroth's leadership and the innovative research that will build Manitoba's capacity and improve cardiovascular care and outcomes for women." Jennifer Cleary CEO, Research Manitoba For media inquiries, contact: Irina Ivanov Bissonnette, Director of Communications and Marketing St. Boniface Hospital Foundation