Women's Health Research Institute

02/08/2026

In celebration of Sexual Health Week, the Women’s Health Research Institute and the Sexual Health and Genito-Pelvic Pain Knowledge Empowerment Hub (SHAPE) are teaming up to increase awareness about the importance of s*xual health and wellbeing.

The SHAPE Hub is a pan-Canadian knowledge mobilization hub led by Dr. Lori Brotto that brings together researchers, patient partners, clinicians, trainees, and NGO partners to help close the gap in s*xual health and pain research through equitable, evidence-based methods that are grounded in lived experience.

We’re so excited to share resources, features, and evidence-based information with you over this coming week.

What are you interested in learning about? Tell us in the comments!

*xualhealthweek *xeducation *xualwellness

02/07/2026

Our upcoming BC Women’s Research Rounds will feature Dr. Jessica McAlpine, a surgeon-scientist at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer.

She has been appointed the Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Chair in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer, Vancouver Canada. She is co-Division Head of Gynaecologic Oncology, Tumor Bank Director, and part of the OVCARE and GCI research teams at UBC. Her research focuses on molecular subtypes of endometrial, ovarian and vulvar cancers, and prevention of ovarian cancers.

Dr. McAlpine will discuss “Adding Precision to Endometrial Cancer Research and Clinical Care”

When: Friday, February 20 | 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Location: Zoom

We look forward to seeing you there! Click here for more details: https://whri.org/news-events/bc-womens-hospital-virtual-research-rounds/

02/07/2026

Join WHRI and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute for our upcoming CW Research Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, February 18, from 12–1 pm, featuring Cynthia Lu, Sahel Mirrazavi, Rebecca Courtemanche, and Nicole Prestley, who will present “Building More Language-Inclusive Research Practices”.

Across our research community, teams are finding creative and meaningful ways to make studies more accessible for participants with limited English proficiency. In this session, C&W research teams will share real-world experiences—what they’re doing, what they’ve learned, and how these approaches are helping them engage and support a more diverse range of participants.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to strengthen your current recruitment practices, you’ll leave with practical tips, tools, and strategies you can apply to make your research more inclusive and community-responsive.

All are welcome—come learn, connect, and be inspired by what’s possible when we design research accessible for everyone.

More information: https://whri.org/news-events/whri-lunch-learn-series/

02/06/2026

Yesterday, the Women’s Health Research Institute was thrilled to welcome Dr. Susan Davis, an endocrinologist and global leader in women’s hormonal health, for a special visit. She met with Dr. Lori Brotto, Executive Director of the WHRI, and Dr. Kerstin Gustafson, Medical Director of the Menopause + Midlife Health Program at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. 🎉

Dr. Davis is an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Principal Research Fellow and Director of the Women’s Health Research Program at Monash University. An internationally recognized leader in menopause research, her time at the WHRI underscored the importance of global collaboration in advancing women’s health research and care for women across the lifespan.

Follow Dr. Davis to explore her evidence based videos and learn more about her research in women’s health: https://www.instagram.com/professorsusandavis/

02/06/2026

We are excited to welcome Haley Foladare to the Women’s Health Research Institute as our new Digital Health Research Manager! 🥳🙌

Haley’s work sits at the intersection of health, data, and artificial intelligence, with a strong focus on ethics, equity, and participatory research. She is passionate about critically examining how digital tools are designed and used in healthcare, and how they can better reflect the needs and values of diverse communities. Haley looks forward to continuing work toward more inclusive and just health systems.

In her new role, Haley will support the facilitation of WHRI digital health research projects, identify priorities to enhance digital health research initiatives for the institute and collaborate with partners to promote integrated, equitable, and safe digital health innovation across the province.

Please join us in welcoming Haley to the WHRI team and connect with her directly: https://whri.org/about-us/staff-directory/

02/03/2026

February 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the observance of Black History Month in Canada. Black History Month is a time to celebrate, honour, and recognize Black scholars and researchers, while actively listening to and amplifying the lived experiences of Black communities. This year’s theme, “Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations,” invites reflection on the contributions of Black Canadians and the work that lies ahead.

As part of WHRI’s commitment to equity, we are committed to dismantling systemic racism and fostering culturally safe environments within health research and care by centering Black voices, knowledge, and leadership. This month, we encourage reflection on your positionality through an intersectional lens, drawing on Kimberlé Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, as illustrated by Sylvia Duckworth’s Wheel of Power/Privilege.

As a research institute dedicated to improving the health of women and gender-diverse people, we have a responsibility to apply these principles in practice by recognizing the intersecting identities of those we engage in research, and the communities ultimately impacted by research-informed policy.

Throughout the month of February, we will be spotlighting Black WHRI researchers and learning about their research advancing women’s health, and their work to pave the way for future Black research trainees.

Slide 4 citation: Sylvia Duckworth Wheel of Power/Privilege.

To continue your learning this month, visit our website: https://whri.org/february-is-black-history-month/

01/29/2026

As we close out Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and in collaboration with the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, we spoke with members of the Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer team about how their research is advancing cervical cancer prevention, screening, and clinical care.

In the final segment of our Pathways to Prevention series we asked Amy Booth, Research Project Manager, to look ahead and share which areas of cervical cancer research she is interested in exploring in 2026. She shares how 2025 marked the continued implementation of HPV primary screening for cervical cancer across British Columbia, alongside expanded access to at home self-screening. These important changes, she notes, were significantly informed by research led by the Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer team.

This month, and beyond, we encourage you to help raise awareness about cervical cancer prevention.

Interested in learning more? Visit the links below:

🌍 Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer: https://www.globalhpvcontrol.org/our-vision

📘 HPV vaccination in BC: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-library/health-features/get-hpv-vaccine

📘 Cervix & cervical cancer self-screening in BC: https://www.bccancer.bc.ca/screening/cervix

01/28/2026

Registration is now open for the eleventh annual Women’s Health Research Symposium!

Join us on Friday, March 6th, 2026, in-person at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre on the UBC campus or virtually via live-stream.

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Women’s Health Research Institute. To celebrate this milestone, the Symposium will feature a special session with a panel discussion reflecting on the current state of women’s health research, bringing together key people from across WHRI’s history.

The 2026 Symposium theme, “From Science to Solutions: Building Bridges from Discovery Science to Women’s Health”, highlights the work of local investigators who are driving research excellence in the discovery, basic, and life sciences within women’s health or by including biological s*x as a variable in their work, which will improve women’s health in the long term.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Cheryl Wellington as our Keynote speaker and Dr. Ariane van der Straten as our Spotlight speaker.

Calling all trainees: Submissions are now open for the Trainee Poster Session, and trainees are also invited to participate in the One Minute Thesis (1MT) Session.

Learn more and register today: https://whri.org/eleventh-annual-womens-health-research-symposium-all-you-need-to-know/

01/27/2026

01/26/2026

As we continue to observe Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and in collaboration with the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, we’re sharing the next installment of our Pathways to Prevention series where we spoke with members of the Global Control of HPV Related Diseases and Cancer team about how their research is advancing cervical cancer prevention, screening, and clinical care.

In this segment, Grace McCloskey, Research Assistant, highlights how the team’s quadrivalent HPV vaccine evaluation study directly informed British Columbia’s updated HPV vaccine schedules, helping strengthen HPV protection and prevention. This research also provides important evidence supporting one-dose HPV vaccination strategies, further advancing cervical cancer prevention efforts.

This month, and beyond, we encourage you to help raise awareness about cervical cancer prevention.

Interested in learning more? Visit the links below:

🌍 Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer: https://www.globalhpvcontrol.org/our-vision

📘 HPV vaccination in BC: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-library/health-features/get-hpv-vaccine

📘 Cervix & cervical cancer self-screening in BC: https://www.bccancer.bc.ca/screening/cervix

01/23/2026

Join us for a free online webinar hosted by BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, with support from BC Women’s Health Foundation and Women’s Health Research Institute. Presented by Pacific Blue Cross.

Join Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine specialist Dr. Ali Zentner and learn about:

▪️ Why we gain weight
▪️ What is the impact of menopause on weight and vice versa
▪️ How can we manage midlife weight gain

Date: Tuesday, January 27th
Time: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. PDT
Location: Online webinar

Register at: https://bit.ly/BCWHjan27

01/23/2026

In recognition of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and in collaboration with the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative we spoke with members of the Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer team about how their research is advancing cervical cancer prevention, screening, and clinical care.

In part two of our Pathways to Prevention series we asked Hallie Dau, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, to look ahead and share which areas of cervical cancer research she is interested in exploring in 2026. She shares her research focused on understanding the social and economic impacts of cervical cancer on women and children in Uganda.

This month, and beyond, we encourage you to help raise awareness about cervical cancer prevention.

Interested in learning more? Visit the links below:

🌍 Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Cancer: https://www.globalhpvcontrol.org/our-vision

📘 HPV vaccination in BC: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-library/health-features/get-hpv-vaccine

📘 Cervix & cervical cancer self-screening in BC: https://www.bccancer.bc.ca/screening/cervix