Heart failure is a condition related to the inability of the heart muscle to function normally. Heart failure is increasingly common with more than 100,000 Canadians diagnosed each year and is also a leading cause of hospitalization. The first few months after a heart failure-related hospitalization are a vulnerable period because of a higher risk of re-hospitalization, but also serve as an opportunity to optimize medical therapy and provide the education and self-management skills to live with this chronic condition. Unfortunately, a small proportion of people living with heart failure end up critically ill and require the assistance of extracorporeal machines to maintain circulation and improve their chances of survival. Dr. Aleksova’s work focuses on optimizing post-discharge care for patients hospitalized with heart failure and evaluating outcomes in patients supported with temporary mechanical circulatory support.
Heart transplantation is a life-saving therapy for a small group of patients living with advanced heart failure. Complications such as cardiac allograft vasculopathy of the transplanted heart are important to recognize and treat as effectively as possible to help heart transplant recipients of this precious gift of life live well. Dr. Aleksova’s work in heart transplantation involves evaluating the organ allocation system in Canada, understanding how to best diagnose cardiac allograft vasculopathy and assessing various outcomes after heart transplantation with the aim of improving the care of heart transplant recipients in the short-and long-term.
MSc, Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 2022
MD, University of Western Ontario, 2011
- Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) Research Innovation Grant (2022)
- William McDiarmid Scholarship Award (2020)
- UHN Transplant Fellowship Competition Award (2020)
- Heart failure
- Heart transplantation
- Mechanical circulatory support