PROGRAM

Dr. Cindy Barha

Dr. Barha will present on her Momnesia study which is investigating the neural basis for reduced memory and executive functioning across pregnancy, aka “baby brain.”

Cindy Barha is a postdoctoral research fellow supervised by Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose at UBC. Cindy’s primary research interests focus on the interactions between the stress and reproductive axes in determining cognitive trajectories across the lifespan, with a concentration on how these interactions influence normal age-associated cognitive decline as well as risk for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, she is interested in understanding the short- and long-term consequences of pregnancy on the brain. Cindy received a PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience from the University of British Columbia and is currently supported by a fellowship from the Alzheimer’s Association (USA) and Brain Canada.

Dr. Chelsea Elwood

Dr. Elwood will explore the challenges related to penicillin allergies in obstetrics and provide an update on her research with the BC Women’s Hospital Penicillin Allergy Clinic.

Dr. Chelsea Elwood completed her B.M.Sc. and M.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Western Ontario and subsequently worked in infectious disease research as a microbiologist at the same institution prior to completing her medical training at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Elwood is completed a fellowship in Reproductive Infectious Disease at UBC, after her residency Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is actively engaged as a translational researcher in both basic science and clinical research focusing on the a number of areas including antimicrobial stewardship including penicillin allergy de-labelling. She is also co-chair of the SOGC Infectious Disease committee whose role is to make recommendations in reproductive care as it relates to infectious diseases in particular the current global COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Nichole Fairbrother

Dr. Fairbrother will discuss her research on postpartum thoughts of infant harm and postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder. She’ll present a tool developed for new parents to help them identify and speak to a healthcare professional about postpartum harm thoughts.

Dr. Nichole Fairbrother is a registered psychologist, clinical associate professor with the UBC Department of Family Practice, and head of the UBC Perinatal Anxiety Disorder Research Lab (PARLab). She is a CIHR-funded perinatal mental health investigator and was recently awarded a Health Professional-Investigator by Michael Smith Health Research BC. Dr. Fairbrother is a member of the Women’s Health Research Cluster and is leading the perinatal mental health working group, which established the first perinatal mental health conference within the Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting. Her research is in the area of perinatal anxiety disorders and epidemiology, with a focus postpartum thoughts of infant-related harm, perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and screening.

Dr. Deborah Money

Dr. Money will share updates from the Maternal Microbiome Legacy project, which is investigating whether the type of delivery (vaginal or caesarean section) has an impact on the infant gut microbiome.

Dr. Deborah Money is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, an associate member in the Department of Medicine and the School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, an Associate Member of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Science, at the University of British Columbia. Following a BSc, and MD, she completed residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, at UBC and then did a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington, becoming Canada’s first dual specialist in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Infectious Diseases.

She has had a series of leadership roles including, Associate Director STI/AIDS at the BCCDC (2000), Division Head of Maternal Fetal Medicine (2001-2006), Acting Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the inaugural Executive Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI), concurrently Vice-President, Research, for BC Women’s Hospital (2006-2016), Executive Vice-Dean, Faculty of Medicine, UBC, (2016-2020), ending this role to take on several COVID-19 related projects and responsibilities.

She is an active clinician scientist in Reproductive Infectious Diseases, based at the Women’s Health Research Institute, leading several large multicentered research projects on HPV and prevention of cervical cancer, the maternal/infant microbiome and HIV in women. She is the lead for CANCOVID-Preg, a Canada-wide surveillance program studying the outcome following COVID-19 for pregnant women and their infants; the lead for a pan-Canadian SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance study using antenatal sera, and the lead for COVERED, a national study of the safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and lactating persons.

She has been a successful teacher, mentor and research team builder and has published more than 280 peer reviewed publications and has received more than $28M in peer reviewed funding. She was the first non-US President of the Infectious Diseases Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG). She is currently a member of the federal COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. She has received many awards including the Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award for Service to the University and Community (2021), a Lifetime Achievement Award from IDSOG (2019), a YWCA Woman of Distinction award (2013) and a Queen Elisabeth II, Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).