Research PROJECTS
Why focus on Women's+ Cardiovascular AND reproductive Health?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of hospitalization for Canadian women and the leading cause of death for women worldwide. Although women are disproportionately impacted by certain CVD symptoms and conditions, they remain underrepresented and understudied in clinical research. Emerging evidence emphasizes the importance of considering reproductive factors, such as early menarche and menopause, pregnancy loss, as well as childbirth timing and frequency, in CVD risk considerations for women under 50 years of age.
Note: Women+ includes all individuals who identify as women regardless of their biological sex assigned at birth.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Intersectional Disparities in Obstetrical Health
This project investigates intersectional inequities in the prevalence of obstetrical complications across diverse populations. It aims to examine how overlapping social and structural factors shape disparities in cardio-obstetric health.
Sex Differences in Quality of Care and Outcomes in Female-Predominant Chronic Diseases
This project investigates whether males and females with female-predominant chronic diseases receive equitable care and how outcomes may differ by sex. It aims to uncover potential disparities in healthcare delivery and inform strategies to improve health equity.
RECENT Manuscripts
Recently published manuscripts (2019-present):
Johnston A, Petrcich W, Smith GN, Fell DB, Tanuseputro P, Coutinho T, Edwards JD. Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women With a History of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study. Circulation. 2025; 151(7): 460-473.
Grubic N, Johnston A, Randhawa VK, Humphries KH, Rosella LC, Maximova K. Breaking Down Bias: A Methodological Primer on Identifying, Evaluating, and Mitigating Bias in Cardiovascular Research. CJC. In press, December 2024.
Johnston, A, Smith, GN, Tanuseputro, P, Coutinho, T, Edwards, JD. Assessing Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women with a History of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Guidance Paper for Studies Using Administrative Data. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2024; 00: 1-14.
Johnston A, Dancey SR, Tseung V, Skidmore B, Tanuseputro P, Smith GN, Coutino T, Edwards JD. Systematic review of validated case definitions to identify hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in administrative healthcare databases. Open Heart 2023;10:e002151. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2022-002151
Parry M, Visintini S, Johnston A, Colella TJ, Kapur D, Liblik K, Gomes Z, Dancey S, Liu S, Goodenough C, Hay JL, Noble M, Adreak N, Robert H, Tang N, O'Hara A, Wong A, Mullen KA. Peer-support interventions for women with cardiovascular disease: protocol for synthesising the literature using an evidence map. BMJ Open. 2022 Oct 5;12(10):e067812.
Zheng, H, Sigal, RJ, Coyle, D, Bai, A, Johnston, A, Elliott, J, Hsieh, S, Kelly, S, Toupin-April, K, Wells, GA. Comparative efficacy and safety of antihyperglycemic classes for patients with type 2 diabetes following failure with metformin monotherapy: an updated systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2022; e3515.
Johnston, A, Tseung, V, Dancey, SR, Visintini, SM, Coutinho, T, Edwards, JD. Use of race, ethnicity, and national origin in studies assessing cardiovascular risk in women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. CJC Open, 2021; 3(12): S102-S117.
Elliott, J, Johnston, A, Husereau, D, Kelly, SE, Eagles, E, Charach, A, Hsieh, S, Bai, Z, Hossain, A, Skidmore, B, Tsakonas, E, Chojecki, D, Mamdani, M, Wells, GA. Pharmacologic treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. PLOS ONE 2020; 15(10): e0240584.
Etowa, J, Johnston, A, Jama, Z, Eccles, K, Ashton, A. Mixed-methods Evaluation of a Community Based Postpartum Support Program: A Study Protocol. BMJ Open 2020;10: e036749.
Etherington, N, Deng, M, Boet, S, Johnston, A, Mansour, F, Said, H, Zheng, K, Sun, LY. The impact of physician sex/gender on processes of care, and clinical outcomes in cardiac operative care: A systematic review. BMJ Open 2020;10: e037139.
Johnston, A, Mesana, TG, Lee, DS, Bader Eddeen, A, Sun, LY. Sex Differences in Long-Term Survival A fter Major Cardiac Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Journal of the American Heart Association 2019; 8(17): 8:e013260.
Johnston, A, Smith, C, Zheng, C, Aaron, S, Kelly, SE, Skidmore, B, Wells, GA. Influence of prolonged treatment with omalizumab on the development of solid epithelial cancer in patients with atopic asthma and chronic idiopathic urticaria: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical & Experimental Allergy.
Johnston, A, Kelly, S, Skidmore, B, Hsieh, S, Wells, GA. Systematic reviews of clinical practice guidelines: A methodological guide. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2019; 108: 64-76.
Commentaries
Johnston A. The COVID-19 vaccine evidence gap: Decisions without data for pregnant and breastfeeding women. UOJM. Published online August 26, 2021;11(S1).
abstracts
Recently published conference abstracts (2021-present):
Johnston, A, Petrcich, W, Fell, DB, Tanuseputro, P, Smith, GN, Coutinho, T, Edwards, JD. Influence of neighbourhood-level proportion of visible minorities on prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, May 2023; 39(5); S1.
Tseung, V, Johnston, A, Lindsay, P, Visintini, S, Edwards, JD. Sex-specific impacts of depressive and cognitive comorbidity on self-care and quality of life in women with heart failure: A narrative review and key informant perspectives. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, May 2023; 39(5); S15.
Johnston, A. Dancey, S, Tseung, V, Fell, S, Tanuseputro, P, Smith, G, Coutinho, T, Edwards, JD. A systematic review of validated case-finding definitions to identify hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in administrative healthcare databases. European Heart Journal, Oct 2022; 43 (Supplement 2): ehac544.2504.
Johnston A, Alomgir A, Liu P, Northoff G, Edwards J. Sex-specific effects of comorbid depression on mortality and risk of cognitive decline and dementia in heart failure: an analysis of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centre prospective cohort. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2021;37(2): e18.