There is a lot happening in our Women’s Health Research community this month, and as such, our e-blast is packed! I want to especially congratulate the ten WHRI members who are leading recently announced REACH and Convening and Collaborating projects.

Continue to follow us @womensresearch on all of your social media channels for updates on these projects, funding announcements, and special events. With this month being breast cancer awareness month, I encourage you to read the story on Dr. Paula Gordon and her leadership on making breast density screening a national standard. Consider sharing this story, in particular, with someone you know.

Lori A Brotto PhD, R Psych
Executive Director, WHRI
Professor | Department of OBGYN, UBC
Canada Research Chair | Women’s Sexual Health

MSFHR announces results of their 2021 KT competitions

The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) announced funding for 32 research teams through its two knowledge translation funding opportunities, the Convening & Collaborating (C2) and Reach competitions.

Among the 32 teams, we were thrilled see 10 led by WHRI members! Congratulations, everyone.

Congratulations to Dr. Gina Ogilvie and Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose!

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Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Assistant Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute, and Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, WHRI member, who were elected as Fellows to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for 2021!

Meet the researchers

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In Spring 2021, Dr. Sarah Munro was a co-Principal Investigator on two successful projects: Improving access to family planning services for Indigenous peoples through storytelling (CIHR Project Grant), and Co-designing a mobile application with immigrant adolescents for better sexual and reproductive health (CIHR Early Career Investigator co-led with Dr. Salima Meherali).

Zeba Khan, a graduate research trainee at the Contraception & Abortion Research Team, is supporting both grants.

Check out our Q&A with Dr. Munro and Zeba to learn more about these exciting projects!

Dr. Luis Nacul receives CIHR funding for research on post-COVID fatigue syndrome

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Congratulations to Dr. Luis Nacul, principal investigator of a team that recently received an Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps & Priorities through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

‘Post-covid fatigue syndrome’ (PCFS) is a term being used to describe a set of symptoms in people who have not recovered to previous levels of health and function after contracting COVID-19. Clinically, PCFS resembles post-viral fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

SmartParent has officially launched!

SmartParent - led by Dr. Patti Janssen - offers new parents throughout BC evidence-based text messages to guide them through the first year of parenting.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and we would be remiss if we didn’t speak to Dr. Paula Gordon.

Dr. Gordon is a driving force behind changes to breast cancer screening processes, communicating breast density results at the time of a screening mammogram, and in educating the public about the latest evidence related to breast health. Over the past year, she has been busy sharing these messages.

Positively Women

The Kirby Institute, in collaboration with Positive Life NSW, is offering tours of the Positively Women Online Exhibition: www.positivelywomenproject.com.au

This innovative research exhibition presents the art work and poetry of an incredible group of Australian women living with HIV. In the two hour online tours, you will be guided through the exhibition while experiencing some of the same practices the artists used.

These tours also include opportunities to share your impressions of the artwork. This research is being conducted to understand how viewing women's artwork and stories effect understandings of and attitudes towards HIV. You will be paid $30 for participation. There next tour is open to the general public and will take place Wednesday 13th October, 3-5pm AEDT (Australian time zone).

For more information or to book for one of the tours please email: acarter@kirby.unsw.edu.au

We also invite everyone to explore the site and complete a brief (2 minute) online survey about their impressions.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards, the Positively Women team

Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury Through Research

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Check out episode 13 of the @WomensResearch podcast, featuring Karen Mason, Dr. Paul van Donkelaar, and Quinn Boyle in conversation with our very own Dr. Kathryn Dewar! 

Please note that this episode contains discussion of intimate partner violence and brain injury, and may be upsetting.

COVID-19 safety at the Oak Street campus

We'd like to remind teams that, as it stands today, the COVID-19 safety protocols at the Oak Street campus have not changed from our last communication in late August.

• Medical masks (available at building entrances) are still to be worn
• Completion of C&W’s COVID-19 education curriculum for clinical and non-clinical staff remains a requirement for anyone working onsite

For research in non-clinical areas (i.e., research offices, lab space):

• There is no requirement to complete the Return to Onsite Research Intake Form for new projects
• There is no requirement to update the Return to Onsite Research Intake form or advise Facilities of new personnel
• Ensure new personnel complete all required training, including the C&W COVID-19 curriculum

For research in clinical areas:

• For new projects, completion of the Return to Onsite Research Intake Form is still required
• To add personnel to existing approved projects, contact Facilities with the name of new personnel and provide a copy of their C&W COVID-19 training certificate
• Ensure new personnel complete all required training, including the C&W COVID-19 curriculum

CST and Implications for Clinical Research Online

Women's Health Research Funding News

Coming soon! Keep an eye out for the new whri.org funding pages, which will highlight weekly funding opportunities, funding news and grant development learning opportunities.

• NSERC Releases New EDI Tool “Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process.”
• CIHR Pre-Announcement Indigenous Peoples and COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity

Find your funding by downloading the Funding Opportunities and Deadlines List for all upcoming Women’s Health funding opportunities (updated monthly at month end)

Email Eric Lussier for assistance with developing a research idea, finding funding, grants applications or grants revisions. I am available every Tuesday from 8am-4pm for virtual office hour meetings with WHRI researchers, or at other times by appointment.

Digital Health Week: Register Now

We are excited to announce that the Women’s Health Research Institute is collaborating with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) to host various activities for Digital Health Week between November 29 and December 3. Join us as we discuss the future of digital health research and implementation and celebrate innovation in women’s, newborn, and children’s health in BC.

You won’t want to miss it! Learn more about the various activities during the week on the Eventbrite page and register today.

Call for Abstracts:
Digital Health Week

As part of Digital Health Week activities, we will be hosting virtual posters and a trainee poster competition!

The trainee poster award winner will receive a prize of $300

Virtual Poster Presentation Details:

Date: Ongoing throughout the week of November 29 – December 3
Place: Single slide with five-minute video explanation to be hosted on YouTube
Eligibility to Submit: Trainees, investigators, clinicians, care-providers, and industry partners with an active digital health research or implementation project operating in BC.

Abstracts should be submitted using this online form by October 31, 2021

The full call for abstracts can be found here.

Building Connections: Trainee Mentoring Event

Join BC Children's Hospital Research Institute for the opportunity to connect with leaders in health sciences and build your networking confidence.

Registration for the Speed Mentoring and the ‘Be a More Confident Networker’ workshop will open next week. Participation is open to all trainees affiliated with research on the Oak Street Campus, but space is limited. 

Seeking Trainees with Sex and Gender Based Analysis Experience

Passionate about sex and gender-based analysis (SGBA)? Want to try your hand at writing curriculum? The Women’s Health Research Cluster is calling on trainees with some SGBA expertise to help them write a case study focusing on sex and gender considerations in research. This case study will be integrated into a real UBC Faculty of Medicine course! Email womenshealth.res@ubc.ca if you’re interested or to learn more.