Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition Newsletter: December 2025

Virtual Grand Rounds: Watch the recordings 

Every month, the Pan Canadian Women’s Health Coalition (PCWHC) features experts from different research hubs who share insights and updates on their work, the questions they’re grappling with and the challenges they’re navigating. These interactive sessions invite researchers, CanWaCH members and other partners to ask questions, exchange ideas and explore new opportunities for collaboration in women’s health.

Watch the recordings from our first three Grand Rounds featuring the:

• Alliance Against Violence and Adversity (AVA)
• Sexual Health and Genito Pelvic Pain Knowledge Empowerment (SHAPE) 
• Healthy Pregnancy Hub

Our next Grand Round will be in January and will spotlight the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA). Follow our social media for updates!

Save the Date! Women’s health leaders to unite for Vitally Important: Canada’s National Women’s Health Summit

On March 24 and 25, 2026, leaders from across the country will convene in Toronto for the first national summit on the state and future of women’s health in Canada. Presented by Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™, Vitally Important: Canada’s National Women’s Health Summit is a first-of-its-kind national gathering bringing together the people and ideas driving change, and working to close the health gap once and for all.

Co-hosted by Women’s Health Collective Canada (WHCC), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition (PCWHC), and the Partnership for Women’s Health Research Canada (PWHR), the event brings together experts, advocates, community leaders and women with lived experience to tackle the issues that most affect women’s health — from prevention and diagnosis to care delivery and innovation — through panels, talks and collaborative sessions that highlight the science, stories and solutions driving progress.

Registration will open soon at vitallyimportant.ca. 

New funding opportunity: The CIHR Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research

The CIHR Advancing 2S/LGBTQI+ Health Through Research competition is now open for applications. The overall purpose of this funding opportunity is to advance, strengthen and enhance inter-disciplinary, high-impact and community-engaged health research that addresses the health priorities of 2S/LGBTQI+ individuals and communities in Canada. 

• Information Session: December 11, 2025
• Registration Deadline: February 11, 2026
• Application Deadline: March 19, 2026

CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award 2025

The REDI 2025 program offers research funding to support underrepresented trainees including postdoctoral researchers, clinicians and PhD-holding research associates in developing research independence and advancing academic careers in Canada. The program helps early-career researchers secure their first independent faculty positions and succeed in health-related research.

Funding Streams:

• Stream A: For trainees who self-identify as Black (any gender), racialized women or racialized gender-diverse people.
• Stream B: For trainees who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis scholars (any gender).

Deadline: 2026-06-26

Hub highlights

• Watch: The Alliance against Violence and Adversity regularly hosts expert-led discussions on gender-based violence, health equity, trauma-informed practices and more. Researchers, practitioners and community voices share insights, spark dialogue and inspire change. Register for upcoming webinars and watch the recordings here.
• Learn: Join the WCHC Hub for The Dr. Mona Research Learning sessions. This series brings together scholars, trainees and career researchers of all stages to learn more about academia, advocacy and the research process. Led by Dr. Mona Loutfy, Co-PI of the WCHC Hub, these sessions offer a safe and encouraging space to grow your skills in research. With the final sessions of the year approaching, the WCHC team hopes to welcome more interested academics!
  • Upcoming Session: December 12th – Research Ethics. To sign up for this and future sessions, contact Hub Coordinator Amy at [email protected]. Watch previous sessions here. 
• Read: Everyone experiencing pregnancy loss deserves respectful, compassionate care,  yet this is too often not the reality. A study from the Birth Place Lab explores the gaps and inequities in Canadian perinatal care through the voices of those most impacted. Rooted in community priorities and a commitment to cultural safety, this research sheds light on where our health care systems must do better.
  • Read the full publication: Inequities in Care During Pregnancy Loss: Empirical Insights From Experiences With Canadian Perinatal Care
• Share: The GEM Hub is connecting with community-based organizations across Canada. The Hub seeks to explore partnerships with organizations whose priorities align, whether through project participation, sharing insights or identifying areas of collaboration. For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected] 
• Apply: Are you a master’s, PhD, or postdoc researcher eager to make an impact through community-engaged partnerships? The Triadic Mentorship Program, created by the Alliance against Violence and Adversity (AVA), connects you with an academic mentor and a community partner mentor to work alongside you as a scholar. Together, the triad supports your research and career development, helping you build an Individualized Development Plan, meet monthly and strengthen your skills in community-driven, interdisciplinary work focused on women, girls and gender-diverse people impacted by or at risk of violence and adversity. Apply to the Triadic Mentorship Program here

Have news, events or stories to share? 

Submit your Hub updates or activities by the 15th of each month to be featured in our newsletter! Submissions can be made through our intake form or by contacting Deborah Dahan, Manager of Evidence in Action. You can also add events to our calendar at any time.

Let us know what your Hub is up to — we would love to highlight your work!

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Please invite all members of your Hub, community partners or others who may be interested, to sign up for this newsletter here and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and BlueSky.