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News from PWHR ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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Dear PWHR community,
As we begin 2026, we are energized by the growing momentum across Canada to advance women’s health through research, policy, and collective action.
We urge you to learn more about Bill S-243, which proposes a National Framework for Women’s Health, and to consider writing your senator before January 20 to support this important piece of legislation to advance women's health in Canada.
We’re also pleased to share updates that reflect the breadth of PWHR’s work, from continuing our 2025–2026 Research Seminar Series spotlighting excellence in women’s health research, to co-convening Vitally Important: Canada’s National Women’s Health Summit, a first-of-its-kind gathering bringing together researchers, clinicians, innovators, advocates, and women with lived experience. Together, these efforts highlight our shared commitment to elevating women's health research and advancing evidence-informed, inclusive approaches that improve health outcomes for women and gender-diverse people.
Also, please take a moment to review our refreshed 2026-2029 PWHR Strategic Framework, which will guide our collective action over the next three years.
Thank you for being part of this growing community and for your continued leadership in shaping the future of women’s health in Canada.
With warm regards,
Tamil Kendall, PhD
Director, Partnership for Women's Health Research Canada
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Building a Stronger Future for Women's Health in Canada: PWHR Supports Bill S-243
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PWHR welcomes the introduction of Bill S-243 in the Senate of Canada, a proposed step toward establishing a National Framework for Women’s Health. The bill reflects years of advocacy calling for coordinated, equity-informed action to address long-standing gaps in women’s health research, policy, and care.
Bill S-243 would guide the development of a national framework to improve coordination across health systems and research, strengthen data and evidence on women’s health, and support more equitable access to care that reflects the diverse experiences of women across Canada.
PWHR is proud to support this work alongside partners including Women’s Health Collective Canada, Women’s Health Coalition Canada, and Femtech Canada, and many others as national momentum continues to build.
What’s next? Bill S-243 will move through the Senate in the coming weeks. Canadians are encouraged to contact Senators in their province by January 20 and let their Senators and Members of Parliament know that advancing women’s health matters. Learn how by visiting Building a Stronger Future for Women’s Health in Canada.
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Join Us for Novel Perspectives on Sex and Gender in Psoriatic Arthritis
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We’re excited to continue the 2025–2026 PWHR Research Seminar Series, featuring recipients of the PWHR Mid-Career Excellence in Women’s Health Research Award.
This third seminar, Sex Matters: Novel Perspectives on Sex and Gender in Psoriatic Arthritis, will feature: - Dr. Lihi Eder, Women’s College Hospital Research Institute
College Hospital Research Institute and Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. As Director of the Psoriatic Arthritis Program at Women’s College Hospital and Co-Director of the Cardio-Rheumatology Program at the University of Toronto, her work has shaped global standards in psoriatic arthritis research, with a strong focus on sex and gender differences in disease outcomes. Her leadership continues to advance clinical care, imaging, and gender-responsive rheumatology.
EVENT DETAILS: - Time: March 4, 2026
- Date:
9:00-10:00 AM PT
10:00-11:00 AM MT
12:00-1:00 PM ET
1:00-2:00 PM AT - Location: Online via Zoom
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This is Vitally Important — Tickets Now On Sale for National Women's Health Summit
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For too long, women’s health has been underprioritized. The result? Women spend more of their lives in poor health, experience delayed diagnoses, and navigate care systems that were never built with them in mind.
That ends here — because women’s health is vital.
Vitally Important: National Women’s Health Summit brings together leading researchers, clinicians, innovators, and advocates from across the country for two days of conversation, collaboration, and action. This is where we begin rewriting the story — together. Join us on March 24–25, 2026 at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON).
More than a gathering, this is a vital call to action. We invite media, partners, and the public to be part of the conversation and join our movement to change the future of women’s health in Canada and beyond. Because women’s health is vital.
Presented by Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™, Vitally Important will bring together distinguished health research and innovation leaders like:
- Dr. Lori Brotto (UBC Sexual Health Laboratory and Women’s Health Research Institute)
- Rachel Bartholomew (Founder & CEO, Hyivy Health; Founder, FemTech Canada)
- Dr. Gillian Einstein (Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Chair in Women’s Brain Health and Aging at the University of Toronto)
- Dr. Marie-Renée B-Lajoie (Partner, McKinsey & Company; emergency physician)
- Dr. Kyle Bukowski (Medical Director, Hologic Canada; OB-GYN), among others, for two days of discussion, knowledge sharing, networking and collaboration.
Co-hosted by Women’s Health Collective Canada (WHCC), Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), Partnership for Women’s Health Research Canada (PWHR), and the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition (PCWHC), this first-of-its-kind national event will convene researchers, clinicians, advocates, and women with lived experience. Limited quantity available – secure your spot for the inaugural summit on women’s health today. Early-bird pricing available until January 23, 2026.
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Introducing PWHR's 2026 - 2029 Strategic Framework
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We’re pleased to share our Strategic Framework for 2026–2029, a roadmap guiding our collective efforts to strengthen women’s health research across Canada.
The framework builds on our vision of better health for all women, transgender, and non-binary people through research equity, excellence, and inclusion and outlines concrete actions to advance this mission. It also recognizes that dedicated investment in women’s health research can transform lives, close longstanding health gaps, and bring significant social and economic benefits to individuals, families, and communities. It highlights that, despite policies promoting inclusion in research, women’s health research has historically been underfunded and underprioritized in Canada.
The framework reflects our commitment to enable knowledge creation and mobilization to benefit health across the lifespan, while centring diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of research and collaboration.
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