Congratulations to WHRI member Dr. Nichole Fairbrother who was recently honoured with the 2025 Mid-Career Excellence in Women’s Health Research Award from the Partnership for Women’s Health Research (PWHR)

Dr. Fairbrother leads the UBC Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab (PARLab), where her work focuses on perinatal anxiety, in particular postpartum thoughts of infant-related harm and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Dr. Fairbrother’s research seeks to shed light on highly stigmatized issues of mental health for new parents, and improve understanding and support for these challenges.

We’ve featured Dr. Fairbrother’s important work previously — read our World Mental Health Day 2019 feature to learn more about the history of her research.

This award is the latest of many achievements across Dr. Fairbrother’s career to date. She has spoken about the importance of perinatal mental health, and about women’s health research in general, in multiple high-profile settings.

In 2023, Dr. Fairbrother presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, emphasizing the importance of continued investment in women’s health. She has been featured on CBC for her work on debilitating fear of childbirth in pregnant women, and has spoken at public events and symposiums such as Through Pregnancy and Beyond, helping to fortify WHRI’s relationship with UVic and VIHA.

Coming up on October 30th, 2025, Dr. Fairbrother will be speaking with Samantha Buchsdruecker on Infant-Related Harm Thoughts: Why they Matter and How to Manage them, as part of the Partnership for Women’s Health Research 2025-2026 seminar series. Click the link below for more info and to register!