Sex and gender trainee honoured for her resilience, compassion and wisdom

Doctoral candidate Chantal Rytz is passionate about improving cardiovascular health for all women, especially those who have traditionally been forgotten.

Her work with Calgary’s transgender community has gotten her noticed. The University of Calgary’s Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) recently awarded her the WRC Distinguished Alumna Award, calling her an “up-and-coming health-care leader.”

Rytz is honoured to be the recipient of the award, which honours women for their resilience, compassion and wisdom.

“There are a lot of deserving individuals in the department at the University of Calgary, and around the city and province who work tirelessly for women, and it is very exciting to be chosen,” she says. “I believe all women are important and deserving.”

Rytz’s postsecondary path started at the University of British Columbia, where she earned an undergraduate degree in medical biochemistry. It was during this time that she developed an interest in biochemistry, physiology, and disease prevention, and she was thrilled to continue her studies at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Libin Cardiovascular Institute member Dr. Marc Poulin, PhD.

She earned her master's in Cardiovascular and Respiratory Science​s in 2019, and her project helped her hone her interests even further. Finding “interesting sex and gender-based differences” in cardiovascular disease progression and responsiveness to disease therapy during her project ignited a passion for sex and gender research in cardiovascular health.

This interest led her to the lab of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s Dr. Sofia Ahmed, MD, who is nationally recognized for her expertise in sex and gender in cardiovascular health.

Studying in Ahmed’s lab is a perfect fit for Rytz.

“The lab bridges all of my interests across disciplines,” says Rytz. “I couldn’t be happier with the mentorship and support I am receiving.”

Ahmed says Rytz is deserving of the WRC award.

“Chantal is an outstanding graduate student, mentor and champion of equity, diversity and inclusion, both in her scientific work as well as her contributions to the University of Calgary and greater society,” says Ahmed. “We are very fortunate to have her as part of our laboratory and the University of Calgary community.”

For her doctoral project, Rytz works closely with Calgary’s transgender community to fill a knowledge gap when it comes to cardiovascular health. Specifically, she is examining the effects of hormone therapy on cardiovascular health in transgender women. 

According to Rytz, transgender women are at the highest risk of suffering from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events, surpassing the risk that trans- and cisgender men and cisgender women face, yet there is a lack of research in this population.

It’s a problem she is tackling head on.

“Transgender women have the highest need, yet the community is extremely understudied,” says Rytz. “Through my work, I hope to not only improve health in this community but also advocate for more research and increase both awareness and surveillance in this population.”

Rytz, who grew up in Calgary, won the University of Calgary 3MT final in 2021, speaking on the topic of transgender women and cardiovascular health.

Her future career is not completely mapped out yet, but she knows research will always be part of her path.

“Research is one of my big passions,” she says. “I especially love clinical research because of the interaction with people with lived experience. I love meeting and hearing the stories of the people who benefit from this work. It gives the importance of it all a face, a name, and a livelihood that I am lucky enough to be able to work for. This award is for them.”