On March 24th and 25th, the Women’s Health Collective Canada hosted the first ever National Women’s Health Summit, in collaboration with the Partnership for Women’s Health Research (PWHR), of which the WHRI is a founding member. The summit brought together members of the public, cross-sector industry partners, and multidisciplinary researchers.
The WHRI community was well-represented with showings from our three member-led Knowledge Mobilization Hubs:
The Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub (JEPS), led by NPA Dr. Saraswathi Vedam, the Sexual Health and Genito-Pelvic Pain Knowledge Empowerment Hub (SHAPE), led by NPA Dr. Lori Brotto, and the Improving Pregnancy and Reproductive Health of People Experiencing Incarceration (IMPACT) Hub, led NPA Dr. Jessica Liauw.
Current and past members of the WHRI executive leadership team spoke to BC’s role in producing research that is advancing women’s health across disciplines. Dr. Gina Ogilvie spoke to cervical cancer screening, Dr. Lori Brotto discussed improving the experience of people in menopause, and Dr. Paul Yong spoke to creating innovative methods to treat and detect endometriosis. Dr. Aline Talhouk delivered a keynote on the role of artificial intelligence in women’s health.
A featured conversation with Senator Danièle Henkel highlighted federal leadership in the area of women’s health, including progress on Bill S-243, the National Framework for Women’s Health in Canada Act, which completed its second reading in the federal senate on March 26 and is currently under consideration by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology.
A clear message emerged: advancing women’s health requires coordinated, collaborative action. Innovation must be grounded in strong evidence – evidence that meaningfully integrates sex, gender, and intersecting factors such as race, ability, and Indigeneity.
In BC and at WHRI, we are proud to lead from the West.