UCalgary cardiovascular and kidney health researcher recognized nationally

High blood pressure is a silent killer that affects one in four Canadians. 

Also known as hypertension, it relates to the force of blood against an artery wall being consistently too high. Hypertension can cause serious damage to heart function for years without easily detectable warning signs. 

Individuals may not be aware they have hypertension until it has harmed organs, eventually causing a heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease or stroke. 

For Dr. Sandra Dumanski, MSc'20, MD, a kidney specialist and researcher at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, understanding and preventing those negative health outcomes is a clinical and research priority. Her efforts recently earned her national recognition. 

Dumanski is the recipient of Hypertension Canada’s prestigious Jacques de Champlain New Investigator Award for 2026, which recognizes emerging scientists who have already made significant contributions to hypertension research.

“It’s a privilege and honour,” says Dumanski of the award. “What matters most about receiving this award is the opportunity it provides to shine a light on hypertension and its impact on health.” 

Since launching her research program, Kidney ReACH (Reproductive And Cardiovascular Health) in 2020, Dumanski has established herself as a national leader in cardiovascular and kidney health research. 

Her research seeks to better understand vascular function and cardiovascular disease risk, particularly at the intersections of kidney disease, reproductive hormones, and sex and gender. Through ongoing engagement with patient-partners, she works to co-develop strategies to address important gaps in knowledge and care.

In just six years, she has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 125 presentations locally, nationally and internationally.

Translating research to improved patient care

For Dumanski, research and patient care go hand in hand. Her research informs her clinical practice, where she helps patients manage hypertension and reduce cardiovascular risk associated with chronic kidney disease. At the same time, her experiences caring for patients continually inspire new research questions that can lead to earlier diagnosis, better treatments and healthier lives. 

“Every day in clinic, I see the consequences of hypertension,” says Dumanski. “Those experiences are a constant reminder of why this research matters. The questions my patients ask today often become the research questions my team works to answer tomorrow.”

In addition to her research and clinical work, Dumanski is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and physicians.

Not only is she the research advisor for the Nephrology Residency Training Program at UCalgary, but she has also personally supervised 18 trainee scientists and mentored, both informally and formally, more than 40 research and medical trainees. Her dedication to mentorship was recognized by the CSM, who awarded Dumanski the Faculty Award for Resident Mentorship in 2023.

A legacy of community impact

Dumanski is a national advocate for cardiovascular health and health equity and has served in multiple leadership roles with the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance. 

She has led eight formal community-based educational initiatives promoting women’s cardiovascular health. Dumanski has a strong record of public-facing education, including the delivery of numerous community presentations to increase awareness of hypertension and vascular disease to diverse audiences, including high school students, community groups and corporate wellness retreats. 

Dumanski also incorporates sex and gender-based considerations into her research.

Internationally, she serves as executive committee secretary for the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and nationally as program committee chair for the Canadian Organization for Gender and Sex Research. 

Closer to home, she also serves as the Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) Champion for the Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research SUPPORT Unit (AbSPORU).

Her expertise in this area has been noticed. She has been invited to contribute to clinical guidelines and reports produced by Hypertension Canada, the European Atherosclerosis Society, the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance, and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). 

“Receiving this award is encouraging, but there’s still so much work to do,” says Dumanski. “Hypertension remains one of the leading causes of preventable heart and kidney disease and research on prevention can really improve lives.”