Dr. Sophie Collins (she/her) BSc, MSc, PhD

Dr. Sophie Collins is an assistant professor in the Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research training and expertise span integrative clinical physiology and respiratory epidemiology. The overarching goal of her research program is to advance understanding of the complex relationships between respiratory structure and function, shortness of breath (dyspnea), and exercise capacity in health and chronic cardiorespiratory disease. Her work uses prospective physiological and imaging studies, as well as large population-based cohorts, to investigate physiological hypotheses and identify and evaluate treatable traits.

 

Education

Graduate School and Year of Graduation:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University, 2024-2026
• PhD, Rehabilitation Science, University of Alberta, 2019-2024 
• MSc, Rehabilitation Science, University of Alberta, 2015-2018 
• BSc, Biological Science, Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta, 2011-2015

 

Research Area(s)

• COPD
• Cardiovascular disease
• Integrative physiology
• Imaging
• Epidemiology

 

1. A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Patients With Mild-to-Severe COPD. Collins SÉ, Kirby M, Smith BM, Rampuri ZH, Fuhr DP, Rowland S, Brotto AR, Rosychuk RJ, Thompson S, Weatherald J, van Diepen S, Stickland MK. Chest. 2026 Jun;169(6):1524-1535. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2026.01.012. Epub 2026 Feb 10.
2. Do Young Individuals With Chronic E-Cigarette Exposure Display Cardiopulmonary Abnormalities During Exercise and Blunted Recruitment of Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity? Williams TG, Collins SÉ, Brotto AR, D'Souza AW, Ehnes CM, Hicks B, Weatherald J, Leung JM, Stickland MK. Chest. 2026 Jun;169(6):1616-1627. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2025.12.024. Epub 2026 Jan 2.
3. The effect of sildenafil on resting and exercise diffusing capacity in trained and untrained individuals: A randomized crossover trial. Ehnes CM, Collins SÉ, Brotto AR, Fuhr DP, Thompson S, van Diepen S, Stickland MK. J Physiol. 2026 Apr;604(8):3297-3313. doi: 10.1113/JP290438. Epub 2026 Apr 6.
4. Smaller Airways or Bigger Lungs? Dysanapsis Etiotypes and Obstructive Pulmonary Physiology at Rest and During Exercise. Collins SÉ, Jensen D, Kirby M, Phillips DB, Molgat-Seon Y, Marciniuk DD, Lovinsky-Desir S, Walker BL, Aaron SD, Hernandez P, Tan WC, Bourbeau J, Smith BM; CanCOLD Investigators. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Aug;211(8):1519-1522. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202501-0205RL.
5. Carotid chemoreceptor inhibition improves exercise tolerance in participants with elevated carotid chemosensitivity: A secondary analysis. Collins SÉ, Phillips DB, Stickland MK. Auton Neurosci. 2025 Aug;260:103278. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2025.103278. Epub 2025 Apr 5.
6. Computed tomography total vessel count and vessel count percentages: associations with exercise capacity, symptoms and rapid FEV1 decline in COPD. Singh GV, Asghar H, Collins SÉ, Genkin D, Hogg JC, Bourbeau J, Tan WC, Stickland MK, Kirby M. Eur Respir J. 2026 Mar 5;67(3):2500560. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00560-2025. Print 2026 Mar.
7. Quantifying the impact of early life growth adversity on later life health. Goldman-Pham R, Alter MP, Bao R, Collins SÉ, Debban CL, Allinson JP, Ambler A, Bertoni AG, Caspi A, Lovinsky-Desir S, Ekstrom MP, Engert JC, Jacobs DR Jr, Malinsky D, Manichaikul A, Michos ED, Moffitt TE, Oelsner EC, Ramrakha S, Rich SS, Sack C, Stanojevic S, Subbarao P, Sugden K, Theodore R, Watson KE, Williams B, Yang B, Dupuis J, Shaheen SO, Barr RG, Hancox RJ, Smith BM. Commun Med (Lond). 2025 Nov 17;5(1):534. doi: 10.1038/s43856-025-01245-3.
8. Lung structure and function, post-treatment, in strictly defined subclinical pulmonary tuberculosis: a prospective cohort study in Canada. Long R, Collins S, Stickland MK, Kirby M, Lau A, Barrie J, Winter C, Armstrong G, Wong E, Parhar A, Yehya J, Bourbeau J, Tan WC, Doroshenko A. ERJ Open Res. 2025 Jul 14;11(4):01295-2024. doi: 10.1183/23120541.01295-2024. eCollection 2025 Jul.
9. How Do Sex and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Impact Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity? Ehnes CM, Collins SÉ, Brotto AR, Fleming ECM, Fuhr DP, VAN Diepen S, Stickland MK. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2025 Oct 1;57(10):2129-2137. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003746. Epub 2025 May 1.
10. Relationship of Pulmonary Vascular Structure and Function With Exercise Capacity in Health and COPD. Collins SÉ, Kirby M, Smith BM, Tan W, Bourbeau J, Thompson S, van Diepen S, Jensen D, Stanojevic S, Stickland MK; CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group and the Canadian Respiratory Research Network. Chest. 2025 Feb;167(2):402-413. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2024.09.027. Epub 2024 Oct 3.
11. The effect of inhaled nitric oxide on maximal oxygen consumption during exercise in acute hypoxia: a randomized double-blind crossover trial. Rampuri ZH, Collins SÉ, Mickelsen BSA, Brotto AR, Beaudry RI, van Diepen S, Stickland MK. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2024 Mar 1;136(3):514-524. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00767.2022. Epub 2024 Jan 4.
12. Ventilatory efficiency in athletes, asthma and obesity. Collins SÉ, Phillips DB, Brotto AR, Rampuri ZH, Stickland MK. Eur Respir Rev. 2021 Jul 20;30(161):200206. doi: 10.1183/16000617.0206-2020. Print 2021 Sep 30.
13. Measurement and Interpretation of Exercise Ventilatory Efficiency. Phillips DB, Collins SÉ, Stickland MK. Front Physiol. 2020 Jun 25;11:659. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00659. eCollection 2020.