FLOURISH at CPP 2025

Rohan D’Souza and Rizwana Ashraf will represent the FLOURISH Lab at the 9th International Congress on Cardiac Problems in Pregnancy in Vienna from 24 to 27 April 2025. Across several sessions, their work will address some of the most pressing challenges in maternal cardiovascular health – delivering new research, facilitating critical discussions, and proposing innovative approaches to better care for pregnant individuals with heart conditions.
D’Souza will deliver four invited presentations, each focused on a critical issue in the field. His work will explore how anticoagulation decisions are made for pregnant individuals with mechanical heart valves across different settings, as well as a proposed protocol for monitoring low molecular weight heparin during pregnancy. He will also introduce COSCarP, a new international core outcome set for studies on cardiac disease in pregnancy, designed to standardize research and improve care, and will discuss the ongoing work of the Canadian Network of Networks for Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Pregnancy (CaNCaM-Preg), where he is the nominated principal investigator.
CaNCaM-Preg is a nationwide initiative focused on transforming maternal heart health care. By bringing together a network of clinicians, researchers, and individuals with lived experience, the network is conducting in-depth reviews of serious cardiovascular events during pregnancy, ensuring better prevention and follow-up care, and guaranteeing specialized care for individuals with heart valve disease. Supported by $5 million in funding, CaNCaM-Preg is working to bridge the gaps that exist in how we care for individuals with cardiovascular conditions during and after pregnancy.
In addition to his invited presentations, D’Souza will co-chair two sessions on registry-based research, moderate a guided poster session, and present findings from two recent scoping reviews – one focused on how severe cardiovascular morbidity is defined and another on the risk factors for adverse outcomes in individuals with valvular heart disease. He will also be honoured with the 2025 CPP Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Pregnancy and Heart Disease.
Ashraf, a graduate student in McMaster University’s Health Research Methodology program, will present two guided posters. One explores predictive and prognostic biomarkers in peripartum cardiomyopathy, while the other reviews systematic reviews on anticoagulation strategies for individuals with mechanical heart valves. These studies address areas where current evidence remains fragmented and provide vital insights for improving care in this complex field.
FLOURISH’s involvement at CPP 2025 is a testament to its continued dedication to improving clinical practice through rigorous, impactful research, working to make a real difference in how maternal cardiovascular health is understood and managed.