Women's Health Research Institute, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC (2025)

12/22/2025

🎉 Holiday cheer at WHRI! 🎉

We are extending our gratitude and thanks to WHRI Executive Assistant Rebecca Friesen who organized and facilitated this year’s holiday clothing drive in support of the Powell Place Women’s Shelter, helping spread generosity and care beyond our walls. This year’s donations included clothing, socks, hygiene and menstrual products.

A huge thank you to Rebecca, for her expert planning, time, and care in bringing WHRI’s holiday lunch to life. Our team came together for a festive holiday staff party filled with delicious food, ornament making, and meaningful connection—a wonderful way to close out the year together.

Wishing everyone joyful holiday season and a bright start to 2026!

12/19/2025

That’s a “wrap” on our Podcast for 2025. 🎧

Thank you to all of our guests over the years who’ve shared so many wonderful insights and continued essential dialogue. Here are just a few of our favourites to get you started on your listening journey.

⏩ Improving Healthcare for 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities with Dr. Allie Slemon and Dr. Ingrid Handlovsky

⏩ Chatting with the Women’s Health Research Club

⏩ Exercise, Perimenopause and Brain Health with Dr. Cindy Barha

⏩ Let’s talk about it: Undoing stigma and advancing gender equity in Medicine with Tori Ford

Stay tuned for our new episode of podcast with Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose that will premiere in January 2026. Thank you to all our brilliant guests. 🤍 We are excited for future episodes!

Until then, listen to our episodes: https://whri.org/news-events/podcast/

12/19/2025

Dr. Deborah Money and Dr. Elisabeth McClymont discuss new research showing the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.

Drawing on data from nearly 20,000 pregnancies across Canada, the study found that vaccinated pregnant people were far less likely to be hospitalized or require ICU care — and their babies were less likely to be born preterm.

🗨️ “The body of evidence is overwhelmingly clear: COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective in pregnancy,” says Dr. Deborah Money, Order of Canada recipient and senior author.

🗨️ “Pregnancy is a unique period of vulnerability but also of opportunity for prevention,” said Dr. McClymont, lead author and Assistant Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. “This study reinforces how vaccination can make a real difference for maternal and newborn health.”

This study was funded by Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and BC Women's Health Foundation. As vaccine guidance continues to shift in some regions, this research offers important clarity for pregnant women, care providers, and policymakers.

Learn more: https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/covid-19-vaccination-significantly-reduces-risk-to-pregnant-women-and-baby/?utm_campaign=news&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social

12/15/2025

We extend our gratitude and congratulations to Dr. Kathryn Dewar, Senior Research Manager at the Women’s Health Research Institute, as we celebrate her 15 years at the Provincial Health Services Authority - PHSA. Dr. Dewar has been an integral part of the WHRI since 2010, supporting institute-level initiatives including oversight of the WHRI Research Support Unit, WHRI grant competitions, and the annual Women’s Health Research Symposium.

Since 2011, Dr. Dewar has also served as a member of the UBC Children’s and Women’s Health Centres Research Ethics Board.

Reflecting on her time at WHRI, Dr. Dewar shares: “It is a privilege to be part of an organization that is committed to facilitating impactful women’s health research and advancing gender equity. I am deeply honored to work with such a dynamic and inspiring team. I have learned so much over my time at the WHRI and greatly value the many relationships I have built along the way.”

Congratulations, Kathryn, on your remarkable achievements!

12/12/2025

Congratulations to Travis Boulter on his new role as Research Manager for the Maternal Newborn Program at BC Women’s Hospital. In this role, he will support research facilitation within the program and represent the WHRI on the C&W Right to Participate in Research initiative. Travis joined the WHRI as a Research Assistant in 2019 and has played a key role in guiding and supporting many new research staff and volunteers.

Congratulations Travis! Please do reach out to Travis directly to connect: https://whri.org/about-us/staff-directory/

12/11/2025

Celebrating our Year in Numbers!

From April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, our community continued to grow, connect, and create meaningful impact across British Columbia and beyond. This year, we saw incredible growth across our communications, membership and research activities.

Year in Numbers:

- 753 WHRI members—our largest community yet
- 1,086 trainees supported in strengthening the future of women’s health research
- $52.1 million in research funding advancing new knowledge and evidence-based solutions

These numbers reflect you, our researchers, clinicians, allied-health professionals, trainees, and community-partners who are instrumental in turning research into action and advancing women’s health research.

📘 Explore more highlights in our 2024-2025 Annual Report: https://whri.org/about-us/reports/ -reports

12/10/2025

Human Rights Day is commemorated every year on December 10 — the day on which the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Learning about human rights helps build the knowledge, skills and attitudes that empower us all to advocate for our rights and the rights of others.

How can you take part in Human Rights Day? Start with these resources: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/human-rights-commemorative-days/human-rights-day.html

12/10/2025

As the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign nears its close, we’re spotlighting critical research that supports survivors of gender-based and intimate partner violence (IPV). This global initiative encourages communities to speak out against gender-based violence – including violence toward women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

In honour of this annual observance, we spoke with Dr. Cheryl Lea Wellington, whose current research seeks to illuminate the physiological processes involved in IPV-related brain injury and the impact that these types of brain injuries can have on both short- and long-term health outcomes.

By advancing our understanding, research like Dr. Wellington’s brings us closer to a future where survivors receive the care, recognition, and support they deserve.

Learn more about Dr. Wellington’s research and what it means for the future of survivor-centered care: https://whri.org/honouring-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/

12/08/2025

We’ve made it to the end! The final topic in this year’s Misinformation Monday series is compassion — something that should be at the heart of every effort to address mis- and disinformation.

Not everyone who shares misinformation is acting out of malice. While some misinformation is intentionally created to create mistrust, most of what we encounter is well-intentioned, if misguided.

So how can we respond with care?

1. Assume good intent (until proven otherwise)
2. Lead with curiosity
3. Set limits for yourself

Earlier this month, the Provincial Health Services Authority - PHSA hosted its second annual Together Against Misinformation event — a collaboration between PHSA, WHRI, the BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Cancer, and the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. Around 140 staff, clinicians, and researchers from across the province joined the conversation.

If you missed the event, you can catch up through our full Misinformation Monday: https://whri.org/misinformation-monday-compassion/)

12/05/2025

Join us in celebrating the impact of you, our WHRI community, from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, captured in our 2024-2025 Annual Report. Our Annual Report highlights the people, partnerships, and programming that make our community thrive.

This year’s report recognizes the impact and growth across our strategic goals—showcasing our events, media highlights, and organizational achievements—all contributing to our mission to create new knowledge and evidence-based solutions that advance the health and health care of women.

Thank you for being an essential part of the Women’s Health Research Institute.

Read the full Annual Report: https://whri.org/about-us/reports/ -reports

12/05/2025

The WHRI is very pleased to congratulate Dr. Sandesh Shivananda as the recipient of the inaugural 2025 Women’s Health Research Institute Leveling Up: Women’s and Newborn Health Research Grant.

This competition was funded thanks to the dedicated support of the BC Women's Health Foundation. This grant competition is intended to fund the next phase in the research discovery pipeline and provides support for a previously pilot-tested women’s and/or newborn’s health.

Dr. Shivananda will receive one award of $100,000 for a two-year period. Read more on Dr. Shivananda's impactful research: https://whri.org/announcing-the-2025-womens-health-research-institute-leveling-up-womens-and-newborn-health-research-action-grant-recipient/

12/05/2025

Congratulations to the seven recipients of the 2025 Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grants. This competition was funded thanks to the dedicated support of the BC Women’s Health Foundation. One of the seven awards is related to funding provided to the BC Women’s Health Foundation made possible by the family of Dr. Sue Harris and will support a research project a focused on women’s health (cis and trans inclusive) within the discipline of family practice.

From left to right: Dr. Abiola Adeniyi, Dr. Elisabeth McClymont, Dr. Fatemeh Khorami, Dr. Karen Pike, Dr. Katherine M. Seligman, Dr. Jeffrey Man Hay Wong and Dr. Laura Schummers.

Read the full announcement for the full list of funded projects and teams: https://whri.org/announcing-the-2025-womens-health-research-institute-catalyst-grant-recipients/

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