Study Spotlight: SUPPORT

Where can women turn when they’re experiencing postpartum depression (PPD)?
Madison Lackie, a Masters student working with Dr. Lori Brotto and the UBC Sexual Health Laboratory, is part of a team working on creating a web-enabled intervention option for PPD which would allow women to access evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy from the comfort of their own home.

2018 Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grant Recipients

The Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) is very pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2018 Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grants. This competition was funded thanks to the dedicated support of the BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre Foundation.

This grant competition provides support for pilot studies in women’s and newborn’s health, which aim to generate preliminary data; test new approaches, methodologies or tools; bring new teams together; and/or support new research in women’s and newborn’s health from established researchers.

Member Spotlight: Congratulations to Dr. Laura Schummers!

This month our spotlight is on Laura Schummers, a Postdoctoral Fellow working with the Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART-GRAC)! Laura was recently awarded a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Research Trainee Fellowship for her project “Mifepristone outcomes study: Examining abortion access, outcomes, and costs following the introduction of mifepristone”, as well as a Health Systems Impact Fellowship co-funded by CIHR and the BC Ministry of Health for her work “Population-based epidemiological analysis to evaluate and inform reproductive health policies in British Columbia.”

BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BIOBANK – COLLECTION OF MATERNAL SAMPLES & CLINICAL DATA FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Principal Investigator: Dr. Suzanne Vercauteren

The BC Children’s Hospital Biobank collects, processes and stores samples and clinical data from women and babies to create a bank (or library) of samples. These samples can be used in future research to better understand the causes of diseases in women and families, with the ultimate goal of improving treatment and preventing diseases.

Dr. Jerilynn Prior: The ABCs of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, a disease which deteriorates bone tissue and increases the risk for fractures, affects approximately 2 million Canadians (Osteoporosis Canada). November is Osteoporosis Awareness month, a time to raise awareness and discuss prevention – but often popular conversation doesn’t include young women and the steps they can take to decrease their risk. Dr. Jerilynn C […]

Research spotlight: CervixCheck

Cervical cancer screening using the pap test remains critical for this preventable disease. In BC, provincial screening rates have remained the same over the last decade where approximately 30% of the population are under or never screened. Despite this, few interventions have been implemented to increase screening, where rates are lowest among priority populations who face barriers to clinic-based screening.

Member Spotlight: Dr. Paula Gordon

Last month Minister of Health Adrian Dix announced that BC would become the first province to share breast density results with all women and their healthcare providers with their mammography screening. Dr. Paula Gordon, Medical Director of the Sadie Diamond Breast Program at BC Women’s Hospital, along with the organization Dense Breasts Canada, was instrumental in advocating for this policy change.

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we spoke to Dr. Gordon about this change and its impact on women throughout the province.

Research Spotlight: The TMIST Trial

The Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) is a randomized, breast cancer screening trial that will help researchers learn about the best ways to find breast cancer in women who have no symptoms.

World Heart Day 2018: An Interview with Dr. Karen Tran

September 29th is World Heart Day. Check out our Q&A with Dr. Karen Tran on her research on hypertensive disorders in pregnant women!