Celebrating World Sexual Health Day 2024: Positive Relationships
On September 4th, the WHRI, in partnership with Options for Sexual Health (OPTIONS) and the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), celebrated World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) and aimed to dismantle social and cultural taboos surrounding sexuality while advocating for positive sexual health worldwide.
The theme for WSHD 2024 was Positive Relationships. The event included rapid presentations on sexual and reproductive health research conducted by students, trainees, and fellows. Along with special guests Tiffany Melius, Executive Director of OPTIONS and Dr. Elna Rudolph, President of WAS, who all emphasized the importance of sexual rights, access to information and that positive relationships encompasses a wide range of connections, including familial, romantic, platonic, and professional relationships.
Dr. Lori Brotto, WHRI Executive Director began the event by raising awareness about sexual health and the importance of practicing Positive Relationships with everyone we interact with daily.
To learn more about the importance of Positive Relationships and sexual health continue reading!
fostering positive relationships
Continue the dialogue of fostering Positive Relationships through the WAS resource page that covers all topics such as consent, types of relationships, warning signs and many more.
Sexual Health involves a positive and respectful attitude towards sexuality and relationships, ensuring safe and enjoyable sexual experiences without coercion, discrimination, or violence.
Meet the WSHD 2024 Presenters
Presentation covered themes of Pregnancy, Sexual and Mental Wellbeing and Contraception/Abortion. Scroll below to meet the presenters and see their topics.
Group 1: Pregancy
“Defining the optimal interval from delivery to ovulation induction initiation: a population-based cohort study”
Saloni Koshti is a recent graduate student from the Masters in Public Health program at the University of British Columbia. Currently, Saloni is a research assistant at Dr. Laura Schummers’ group at UBC.
“Incidence of Early Pregnancy Loss among Contemporary Populations: A Descriptive Systematic Review”
Ariana Javer is a 4th year pharmacy student and Vani Guglani is a 3rd year pharmacy student at the University of British Columbia. They are currently research assistants as part of the Schummers Lab team.
“Interpregnancy interval and adverse pregnancy outcomes following a spontaneous preterm birth: a population-based cohort study”
Catalina Ionescu is a second-year UBC Master of Public Health student and a student researcher within the Schummers Team: Reproductive Population Health Data Lab.
Group 2: sEXUAL AND mENTAL wELLBEING
“Supporting Older Women’s Sexual Health and Wellbeing in Fraser Health Authority’s Assisted Living Sector”
Leah Coppella is a PhD student at SFU, supervised by Dr. Valorie Crooks. She works in collaboration with Fraser Health Authority’s Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Research Unit.
“A Women’s Journey to Parenthood: Memory, Self-Schema, and Well-Being During Fertility Treatment”
Joaquin Gomez de la Torre (he/him/his) graduated from UBC in 2024 with a B.A. in Psychology. He works as a Research Assistant at the Memory & Imagination Lab at the University of British Columbia supervised by Dr. Daniela J. Palombo.
“Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of Individuals Navigating Infertility”
Deniz Basakci (she/her) graduated from UBC in 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology. She works as a Research Assistant and Study Coordinator at the Memory & Imagination Lab at the University of British Columbia supervised by Dr. Daniela J. Palombo.
“Trauma-Informed Sexual and Reproductive Health Technologies: Insights from a Focus Group Discussion with Patients in British Columbia”
Agnes Kyamulabi is an MSc student in Population and Public Health at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. She is a student researcher with the CART-GRAC Research Network and a Graduate Research Assistant on a project focused on trauma-informed design under the supervision of Dr. Fatawu Abdulai.
Group 3: Contraception and Abortion
“Contraceptive use in British Columbia, Canada between 2001 and 2021: a descriptive analysis”
Alice Mei, an undergraduate neuroscience major at UBC, is a Research Assistant in Dr. Gillian Hanley’s OVCARE lab. Her current project studies contraceptive use patterns in British Columbia and their impact on cancer and non-cancer outcomes.
“Adolescents’ Intrauterine Contraception Device Continuation and Satisfaction Journeys at an Urban British Columbia Youth Clinic: A Longitudinal Survey Analysis”
Bronte Johnston (she/her) is a PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, specializing in youth contraception, and a Part-Time Research Assistant in the Schummers Lab. She co-teaches a reproductive health course at McMaster University with Dr. Elizabeth Cates.
“Contraception Prescribing Among British Columbian Pharmacists: Practices, Attitudes, Barriers and Facilitators in the First Year Following Scope Expansion”
Irene Luong is a fourth-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) student at the University of British Columbia (UBC), currently conducting research in Dr. Laura Schummer’s lab. Irene is deeply passionate about women’s health and is dedicated to advocating for advancements in the field of pharmacy
“Access to Mifepristone: A Survey of Pharmacies in British Columbia”
Carissa is a third-year pharmacy student, and Catherine is a first-year medical student. The PIs on the project are Dr. Laura Schummers (Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation) and Dr. Michael Law (School of Population & Public Health)
“Use of the Etonogestrel Extended-Release Subdermal Implant in Canada since availability”
Andrea Stucchi, a PhD student at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, studies the impact of contraception subsidies on pregnancy, abortion outcomes, and health system costs in Canada. She is also a Research Coordinator at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research.
“Undergraduate Students’ Experiences Seeking and Accessing Hormonal Contraception: An Integrative Review”
Breanna Siemens, supervised by Dr. Caroline Sanders, is a student in the Master of Science in Nursing program at the University of Northern British Columbia, where she is also an instructor in the undergraduate nursing program.
“Contraceptive care in British Columbia: A critical discourse analysis”
Kerry Marshall (she/her) is a PhD candidate at UBC’s school of nursing. Her research interests and experiences include gender equity, reproductive rights, and 2SLGBTQ health. She is co-supervised by Drs. Victoria Bungay and Lydia Wytenbroek.
Thank you
Each year, volunteers work with WHRI staff to make this event possible by reviewing abstracts, developing the event program, and moderating the sessions. Thank you to our 2024 event volunteers Marta Kolbuszewska, Nafis Rahman, and Jennifer Zhang for devoting time and effort to make this such a success.
connect with the WHRI
Thank you to all the trainees who presented and supervisors who supported this work. We saw presentations under Dr. Laura Schummer’s Lab at UBC’s Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Wendy Norman’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART-GRAC), and Supervisor support from Dr. Caroline Sanders, Dr. Samantha Dawson, and Dr. Gillian Hanley.
We look forward to seeing you in 2025!
- If you weren’t able to attend, please check out the recording on our YouTube channel.
- Check out some photos from social.
