Beyond the binary: What does gender-inclusive women's health research look like?

In November 2019, the WHRI released its new Strategic Plan. The new plan prioritizes equity and inclusivity, and shares our commitment to respect, work alongside, collaborate with, and support the health of women across the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. The plan also announced our new core values, among which are equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Behind these statements is the recognition that women’s health research is needed by more than just cisgender women (women whose gender aligns with their assigned sex at birth). Trans women are often left out of women’s health conversations, and trans men and non-binary people also have health needs that our work addresses.

Over the next few months, we will be sharing examples of work carried out by our membership that reflect this commitment. This piece, featuring the EC Ella study, is an important demonstration of these values, and serves as a reminder to think critically about sex and gender and to identify and challenge cisnormativity when we encounter it.

By Melissa Nelson, AJ Murray, Dr. Michelle Chan, and A.J. Lowik

Updates from the SUPPORT study

Where can women turn when they’re experiencing postpartum depression (PPD)?

Madison Lackie, a Research Coordinator at WHRI, is part of a team working on creating a web-enabled intervention option for PPD which would allow women to access psychoeducation and support from the comfort of their own home.

Expanded support now available for investigators launching clinical trials

The Clinical Research Support Unit (CRSU) at BC Children’s Hospital is improving support and streamlining internal approval processes for clinicians launching investigator-sponsored clinical trials that require a clinical trial application (CTA) and corresponding No Objection Letter from Health Canada.

The CRSU is now providing early consultation for teams drafting a CTA. In addition, to ensure the process of obtaining formal approval is simple and straightforward regardless of where your research is taking place, the CRSU has worked with the Women’s Health Research Institute to identify new signing authorities for the Oak Street campus. 

Did you know that we offer communications support for our members?

If you have an event, recruitment information, results, resource, or job listing to distribute, we can help! Check out our new Communications Support Requests form to learn more.

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Dr. Sadarangani, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and Director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center, is a recipient of a 2019 Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grant for the project “Mechanism of interference of pertussis immunization in pregnancy with infants’ active immune response.”

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Every year in Canada, over 8,000 women are diagnosed with gynecological cancer – and about 40-50% of these cancers are considered rare and often life-threatening. Dr. Mark Carey, recipient of a 2019 Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grant, is working to find better treatments for a rare type of ovarian cancer called low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC).

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2019 Medical Staff Association of Children's and Women's Hospital Awards!

Among this year's recipients were a number of WHRI members:

Global Health Award
Dr. Laura Sauvé

Indigenous Health and Outreach Advocate
Dr. Neora Pick

President's Award
Dr. Roanne Preston

Leadership Recognition Award
Dr. Catherine Allaire

Research Recognition Award
Dr. Anton Chau

Fifth Annual Women's Health Research Symposium

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We would like to invite you to the upcoming Fifth Annual Women's Health Research Symposium to be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre at the University of British Columbia.

The Symposium is being hosted by the Women’s Health Research Institute and will be an opportunity to showcase some of the amazing women’s health research taking place in BC and beyond. The theme of this year’s event focuses on digital and virtual health and how this emerging field is catalyzing women’s health research.

More information on the program and speakers can be found here: https://ubccpd.ca/course/WHRI2020