Rebecca Crosier, MD
Ottawa, ON | @beccacrosier
Cardiology Resident
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Ottawa, ON | @beccacrosier
CWHHA member since 2022
Biography
My name is Rebecca Crosier. I am a PGY-5, cardiology resident at the University of Ottawa. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in cellular biology and neuroscience. I then went on to complete my medical degree and internal medicine training at the University of Toronto. In my spare time, I enjoy many outdoor and athletic activities including triathlons, skiing and golfing. I have experience on an executive committee as a past president of the University of Toronto Triathlon Club from 2016-2018.
I was interested in joining the CWHHA because I am passionate about treating and preventing heart disease in women. As I progress through my training I am learning more and more about sex and gender specific differences across the spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. During my internal medicine training, I underappreciated some of the sex and gender differences in medicine. However, as I progress through my cardiology training, I am learning from patient’s and mentors about some unique challenges facing women with heart disease. I have learned that presentations of common disorders such as atherosclerosis can be different in women and this can lead to delayed or missed diagnoses. I have learned that some diseases disproportionally affect women more than men, and that the treatment is unique. I have learned that there is a lack of research and guidelines geared towards women with cardiovascular disease and I have learned that we need to augment our cardiovascular education to include sex and gender specific differences.
As I am trying to determine what my career will be, I have realized that I want treating and preventing cardiovascular disease in women to be part of my future practice. One area that I am researching presently are the differences in pathophysiology and development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction between women and men. In joining the CWHHA I hope to work with leaders in this growing field, meet mentors and peers and work together to advance women’s heart health research and knowledge translation.
