Educational Initiatives
The Foundation collaborates with Canadian partners to develop educational initiatives that educate, support, and empower patients and families living with heritable thoracic aortic diseases.
AORTA App
LDSF Canada collaborated with Dr. Marina Ibrahim and Andréanne Cartier at the Montreal Heart Institute, together with the digital design team at ProductShop, to develop AORTA, an evidence-based digital companion designed to support both clinicians and patients in aortic care. The platform provides clinicians with access to clinical guidelines, risk assessment and surgical threshold calculators, and referral tools to support evidence-based decision-making and standardized care. For patients and families, AORTA offers clear, accessible education on aortic conditions, genetics, and disease management, while connecting users to support resources and community networks. By bringing together clinical and patient-facing resources in a single platform, AORTA helps improve communication, increase confidence in care decisions, and strengthen care pathways for individuals affected by heritable thoracic aortic diseases.
AORTA App coming soon!
LDS Patient Education and Imaging Day
On October 25, 2025, LDSF Canada hosted its first LDS Patient Education Day in London, Ontario, bringing together patients, families, researchers, and clinicians for a day of learning and engagement. Participants attended educational sessions led by experts and had the opportunity to contribute to research through optional advanced 3D facial imaging. The imaging initiative, led by Dr. Benedikt Hallgrímsson’s team at the University of Calgary, is exploring how facial characteristics may improve the diagnosis and understanding of genetic syndromes, including Loeys-Dietz syndrome. By combining medical information with 3D facial photographs from individuals and, in some cases, their relatives, the project aims to develop more accurate diagnostic tools and advance knowledge of the relationship between genetics, facial features, and disease presentation.
Stay tuned for our next Patient Education Day! Announcements will be shared through our newsletter and social media channels. Subscribe to our newsletter here.
