With warm regards, 

Tamil Kendall, PhD 

Director, Partnership for Women's Health Research Canada  

Share information about the Can-RISE Study with your networks! 

PWHR's newest initiative, Researching Information, Support, and Equity During the Menopause Transition in Canada (Can-RISE) Study is recruiting! Help us understand the real-life impact of perimenopause and menopause across Canada.

We invite you to take our survey or share it with someone in the menopausal transition (perimenopause/menopause). 

It only takes 20-30 minutes to help make perimenopause and menopause care better for all Canadians.

Congratulations to Dr. Gillian Hanley, Women's Health Research Institute’s New Executive Director

The Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) is pleased to announce that Dr. Gillian Hanley has been appointed Executive Director of the WHRI commencing May 1, 2026 until April 30, 2031.  

Dr. Hanley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the UBC and a Canada Research Chair in Population-Based Gynecologic and Perinatal Outcomes. Drawing on her training in economics, health services research, and epidemiology, Dr. Hanley’s current research is focused on improving women’s health through population-based data, with particular emphasis on ovarian cancer prevention, gynecologic cancer survivorship, and perinatal mental health.  

As Executive Director, Dr. Hanley will oversee WHRI operations, including research programs, funding and compliance, staff and resource management, and strategic planning, while ensuring alignment with UBC, PHSA, and Health Authority priorities. 

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hanley to the PWHR Executive Committee.  

U of A Provost Verna Yiu chats with Sandra Davidge and Meghan Riddell about the 20th anniversary of WCHRI

Verna Yiu, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at the University of Alberta talks with Sandra Davidge and Meghan Riddell about the 20th anniversary of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI), which is the only research institute in Canada dedicated to the entire spectrum of women’s and children’s health, including the pivotal perinatal period. Sandra Davidge, is the executive director of WCHRI and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, and Meghan Riddell is an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and WCHRI member.

Davidge details some of the institute’s core principles: facilitating research through grant programs, maintaining various platforms including large clinical research teams and a data coordinating centre, supporting trainees, advocating for women’s and children’s health, as well as communicating and translating the findings of WCHRI members to the public. Riddell reflects on her own journey with WCHRI, from being one of the first awardees of a WCHRI graduate studentship to running a research lab where many of the students she mentors receive WCHRI support as she once did.

Largest gift in University of Alberta’s history continues historic partnership transforming women’s and children’s health

The Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI), a partnership between the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Alberta Women’s Health Foundation and Alberta Health Services, has received a landmark $93.5 million commitment over the next 10 years - the largest gift in the U of A’s history.

Sharlene Rutherford, president and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and Alberta Women’s Health Foundation, has witnessed the partnership generate powerful results far beyond the province, and is proud to support a $23.5-million commitment over the next 10 years.

“The gap in women’s health is a national concern, but we can be the generation that closes it,” Rutherford says, sharing a striking statistic: Only seven per cent of health research in Canada is specific to women’s conditions and diseases. 

WCHRI executive director Sandra Davidge says the renewed partnership reflects the organizations’ goals of bringing research-driven change to patients. “It reinforces that children and women’s health is not a niche interest but a top-tier academic and clinical priority,” Davidge says.

Save the date for the WHRI 2026 Summer Scholar Series!

This year’s theme, ‘Building Bridges in Research: Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Expanding Your Network’, highlights the importance of cross-disciplinary partnerships. 

This three-part hybrid series will explore the value of interdisciplinary collaboration within research and offer practical strategies for expanding your professional network.

EVENT DETAILS:

July 8 Speaker: Dr. Brittany Bingham

July 29 Speaker: Dr. Kalysha Closson

Specific topics TBD. 


All researchers, research trainees, and members of the community or partner organizations are welcome to attend and take part in this summer learning opportunity.

Save the date and keep an eye out for registration details.