Venessa Thorsen, BSc (Hons), MSc(C)

Kelowna, BC

Faculty of Medicine,
University of British Columbia
Co-Founder & Director, Students for Heart Health
Kelowna, BC | @venthorsen

CWHHA member since April 2024

Biography

Venessa Thorsen is a Masters of Science candidate in the Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences program in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and Psychology at UBC Okanagan, where she graduated with honours in 2021.

Venessa's research interests lie in Cardiology. She is passionate about improving preventive care for heritable cholesterol disorders such as Familial Hypercholesterolemia and is dedicated to making meaningful contributions to this area. In December 2023, she delivered a first-of-its-kind continuing medical education course which she developed for family physicians and pediatricians across British Columbia to learn about guideline recommendations for early diagnosis of primary dyslipidemias.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Venessa co-founded the non-profit “Students for Heart Health” which raises funds and promotes community engagement in physical activity and blood donation initiatives through partnerships with the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canadian Blood Services, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation.