Dr. Bates received her medical degree from McGill University in 1991. After completing her internal medicine residency at the University of Calgary, she transferred to McMaster University where she undertook subspecialty training in hematology, followed by a research fellowship in thromboembolism during which she obtained her Master's degree in Health Research Methodology. In 2001, she joined the Faculty of Medicine as an Assistant Professor and is a consultant in thromboembolism at the McMaster Division of Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. Bates holds a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research University-Industry Program.Dr. Bates' research interests include simplification of the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism, development of new diagnostic strategies in patient populations not well served by currently available techniques, and venous thromboembolism in pregnancy. Currently, Dr. Bates is the principal investigator on two peer-review funded multicentre trials examining the best way to use D-dimer testing in patients with suspected recurrent deep vein thrombosis and in patients with possible pulmonary embolism. She has written a number of papers on the management of venous thromboembolism and thrombophilia in pregnancy and will chair the section on the use of antithrombotic agents during pregnancy for the Eighth American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy.