Our Programs Overview
With the generous support of individual donors and our corporate partners, the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health helps makes possible major initiatives in women’s health research and education. In addition, this support helps fund programs to train healthcare professionals in low-resource countries, ensuring local women have access to a safe and healthy pregnancy.
- Research Programs
- OB/GYN University Resident Researcher Award
- ALVA Foundation Grant in Neonatal and Newborn Health
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Grant
- Menopauseandu Research Grant
- CFWH General Research Grant
- Cannell Lectureship
- Health Promotion
- SOGC - International Women's Health Program
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Every day, new research is changing the way we understand health and medicine. Occasionally, it even leads to life-saving new treatments, vaccines and cures that revolutionize the way we view disease. Our mission is to save lives and to improve the health of women. We do this by promoting research that will translate directly into improvements in the reproductive health of Canadians.
-
OB/GYN University Resident Researcher Award
This annual award is presented to one resident researcher in obstetrics and gynaecology at each of Canada’s university teaching hospitals, recognizing outstanding and timely contributions to women’s health research.
-
ALVA Foundation Grant in Neonatal and Newborn Health
The Alva Foundation has established the Alva Foundation Award in Neonatal and Newborn Health at the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health for an initial three year period beginning in 2008.
The object of the Alva Foundation Award in Neonatal and Newborn Health is to advance evidence-based research in paediatric neonatology and maternal fetal medicine. Grants may be awarded in a variety of areas related to maternal and newborn health such as:Pre-natal genetic screening
Breastfeeding
Use of supplements and vitamins during pregnancy
Gestational diabetes and the fetus
Prevention of premature labour
Prevention of birth defects (e.g., spina bifida)
Substance abuse in pregnancy
Adolescent gynaecology
Maternal lifestyles and newborn health. -
Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Grant
Description coming soon
-
Menopauseandu Research Grant
The Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health and the Society of Obstetrician’s and Gynacologist’s Menopauseandu.ca health promotion initiative are pleased to announce the inaugural Menopause Education and Awareness Research Grant for Canadian medical students studying in the field of gynaecology and obstetrics. This grant supports the mandate of the Menopause Education and Awareness program to provide accurate, research-based information to women across Canada to help them live full and healthy lives during menopause. The goal of the research grant will be to encourage interest in the research of women’s health issues as they pertain to the diagnosis and treatment of menopause.
-
CFWH General Research Grant
The benefits, both short and long-term, of research into health are well recognized. Since the early 1900s, women's longevity in North America has doubled from 39 years to 81 years as a result of, among other things, advances made through health research. Only with the continued support of institutions and individuals interested in women's health research will further advancements be made.
CANNELL LECTURESHIP
Presented as part of the Annual Clinical Meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the Cannell Lecture invites a distinguished speaker to provide insight and expertise in critical issues related to women’s health.
HEALTH PROMOTION
Programs that nurture women’s health literacy empowers women to be partners in their health choices and care.
See the L’Oreal Fashion Week Ad
Journalism Award for Excellence in Women's Health Reporting
Recognizing Canadian journalists for exceptional coverage in women’s reproductive health issues.
SOGC INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH PROGRAM
SOGC's mission is to promote excellene in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology and to advocate the health of women through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, outreach and education.
Since 1998, the SOGC has been active on the international level. The Society is committed to promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights globally with a focus on safe motherhood and newborn health. It is our goal to ensure that every woman has the right to survive pregnancy and childbirth and has access to the care she needs to deliver a healthy baby through a safe pregnancy and childbirth.
DUCHESNAY ENDOWMENT FUND
As a Canadian research-based pharmaceutical company, Duchesnay is dedicated exclusively to the health and well-being of the pregnant woman and her unborn child. The vision of Duchesnay's founders to improve the quality of life of pregnant and nursing women while reducing the number of birth defects and impact on their newborns defines our unique purpose.
The Duchesnay Fund at the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health helps support electives in international health for Ob/Gyn residents. This fund promotes knowledge and interest in international women’s health issues among Canadian obstetricians and gynaecologists.
Back to the top
DR. ANDRÉ LALONDE PERMANENT ENDOWMENT FUND
The Dr. André Lalonde Permanent Endowment Fund will promote knowledge of and interest in international women’s health issues among Canadian obstetricians and gynaecologists.
This will initially be accomplished through an annual guest lectureship at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada’s Annual Clinical Meeting by way of a presentation by an expert physician from a low resource country. The award will cover travel expenses plus a stipend to be set annually by the Advisory Committee.
Additional purposes could include an annual fellowship for a mid-career professional obstetrician or gynaecologist from Canada to participate in a work program in a low resource country.
Other purposes shall be as determined from time to time by the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee.
Back to the top
THE SOCIETY OF GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS OF CANADA - INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of Canada International Health Program
The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of Canada (GOC) is a national specialty society that was incorporated in 1980. Gynecologic oncology is both a subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology and is a surgical oncology specialty. Physicians in this specialty primarily care for patients with ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer. It is a specialty that spans all facets of oncology including cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. In Canada gynecologic oncology medical care is primarily provided by physicians who are associated with regional cancer centres and universities in all the provinces. GOC is the national organization that brings all these doctors from across Canada together two to three times a year to present research as well as develop clinical guidelines for patient care.
GOC is now over 25 years old. Two years ago it bid and won the opportunity to host the International Gynecologic Oncology Society meeting in 2012 in Vancouver. This is a very large meeting (3000 participants) that will bring gyn oncologists from around the world together in Canada. As part of the process to present our bid for this meeting GOC reviewed its vision and added international health to one of its goals. There are already are several GOC members who participate in international health programs and through centralization of an international health program, we believe that we will be able to be more effective in providing assistance to low resources areas in the world.
As a start to this program, we are offering electives for individuals from low resource countries to attend both the SOGC and GOC annual general meetings and to attach 2 -4 weeks in an observer role at one of our gyn oncology centres in Canada. We are providing a $5,000.00 scholarship to successful candidates which will cover transportation, and living expenses for their time in Canada. The first successful candidate is Dr. Elkahan Orango Omenge from Kenya who works at Moi University in Eldoret. He is spending four weeks in Toronto at Princess Margaret Hospital and he will attend the SOGC and GOC annual meetings this year in Calgary. In his country, women’s health care is severely disadvantaged both in obstetrics and gynecology. His group is making an effort to develop a regional cervix cancer screening program because cervix cancer is a huge problem particularly in 30-50 year old women. We have tailored his observer program so that he will learn as much as possible about the clinical areas that are most important to him and his country.
A second aspect to our international health program has been to link with gynecologists from Central America regarding opportunities to work with them on developing a more comprehensive approach to preventing cervical cancer in their countries. As in Africa cervix cancer is a very big problem for women in Central America and GOC is considering a focused program in this region to go along with our observer programs which will be open to all regions in the world.
SOGC and the Canadian Foundation of Women’s Health already have experience with international health and the opportunity to link with them is very valuable for GOC as we develop our program. Our ultimate goal for 2012 is to bring 20 individuals from low resource countries to the IGCS meeting in Vancouver.
We thank TD Waterhouse for their generous donation which will enable us to bring more individuals to Canada for training.
Back to the top
