This month we would like to shine the spotlight on Kate Bourne, an active Dysautonomia International volunteer.

Kate started volunteering for Dysautonomia International shortly after she became a graduate student at the University of Calgary, working under the supervision of Dr. Satish Raj, a Dysautonomia International Medical Advisory Board member and collaborator on the “Big POTS Study.” Kate put her data analysis skills to work, mining the Big POTS Survey data for new information about POTS, resulting in the production of several research abstracts and manuscripts. Kate received a prestigious Vanier Scholarship from the Canadian government for this work and her other academic accomplishments.

Kate served as a representative of Dysautonomia International during the Heart Rhythm Society conferences in 2018 and 2019, where thousands of electrophysiologists gather to learn about the latest research in their field. Kate also volunteered her research skills to assist with Dysautonomia International’s Annual Conference research studies in 2018 and 2019, and she has lectured on her own research data during our annual conferences.

“I have enjoyed all of my volunteer experiences with Dysautonomia International.  Volunteering with the conference research projects has been particularly meaningful to me. It is an amazing experience to meet so many wonderful people, and work with an international research team, while helping to increase our understanding of POTS.”

Kate says that the dysautonomia community is inspiring! “It is an honor to work with a group of patients and their supporters who are fully engaged and very willing to participate in research, and who will do anything they can to help us learn more about POTS and other autonomic conditions – thank you!”

Thank you, Kate, for everything you do!

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