Isabela R Marçal, BSc, MSc, PhD(C)

Ottawa, ON

Research Trainee Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab,
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Ottawa, ON | @isabelarmarcal

CWHHA member since April 2024

Biography

Isabela is a PhD student in Human Kinetics with the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Laboratory (EPCHL) at University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) under the supervision of Dr. Reed. She is driven by how exercise restores and improves the quality of life of others.

She obtained her BSc in physical education at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Bauru, Brazil, and subsequently earned a specialization in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation at the Institute Dante Pazzanese of Cardiology in São Paulo. Isabela completed her MSc in Movement Sciences at UNESP investigating hemodynamic, vascular, and cardiac autonomic response to aquatic exercise in older adults with hypertension. As a part of her master's, she performed a research internship in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven in Belgium. She was also the successful recipient of the inaugural Virtual Student Research Internship for Women within the EPCHL at the UOHI.

Isabela is involved in several trials assessing the effects of cardiovascular rehabilitation on the physical (e.g., cardiorespiratory fitness) and mental health (e.g., anxiety levels) of patients with cardiovascular disease at the EPCHL. She has a special interest in exercise training and cardiac implantable electronic devices, sex and gender-differences, and women’s heart health, the focus of her dissertation, and a reason to become an independent researcher in the fields of exercise physiology and cardiovascular disease. Isabela is also committed to addressing the under-representation of women in STEM as patients and scientists.