Date & Time: May 13, 12:00–1:30 p.m. EDT
Join the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition as well as trainees and early-career investigators across our network for a two-part program focused on mentorship, career development and collaboration.
The session will kick off with a panel discussion exploring key challenges faced by trainees and early-career researchers, along with successful and innovative approaches to mentorship and career advancement. The program will then transition into a virtual networking session, where participants can reflect on panel insights, share their own work and connect with peers, established researchers and leaders in the field. Organized around shared research interests and areas of expertise, this interactive segment is designed to foster community, encourage peer support and spark new cross-hub collaborations in women’s health research.
The PCWHC is launching KEystone Conversations, a new series of informal knowledge exchange sessions designed to connect researchers across shared areas of work in women’s health. Bringing together members of the PCWHC, NWHRI innovation grantees and other partners, these conversations will create space to exchange insights, explore common challenges and spark collaboration. Guided by participant facilitators, each session will foster open dialogue, peer learning and new opportunities for partnership in a relaxed, interactive format.
Learn more and register for our first session on June 17 at 12 p.m. EDT: Challenging stigma in women’s health and empowering patients.
Understanding the role of chronic chlamydial infection in ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women, with only modest improvements in survival rates over recent decades. Understanding the contribution of key risk factors and their underlying oncogenic mechanisms is essential. Dr. Jun Wang and her team are investigating how chronic or repeated Chlamydia infections may accelerate ovarian cancer development decades later. The overarching goal of this project is to elucidate the long-term impacts of Chlamydia infection on ovarian cancer pathogenesis, providing mechanistic insights that may inform prevention, early detection, and therapeutic strategies.
Promising new treatment for women experiencing pain during sexual intercourses
Too many women silently endure pain during sexual intercourse. Provoked vestibulodynia, pain triggered by pressure or attempted vaginal penetration, is the leading cause of this condition. Despite its high prevalence, effective and evidence-based treatment options remain limited. Dr. Mélanie Morin and her team are proposing a promising new approach. Indeed, their recent study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of dry needling (DN). The DN treatment involved the insertion of fine needles into tight muscles implicated in provoked vestibulodynia, with the aim of releasing tension and reducing associated pain. More specifically, 46 participants were randomly assigned to two groups to receive six weekly sessions of either real or sham DN.
The results are encouraging: the treatment was well tolerated, deemed acceptable by all participants. Women who received the real treatment reported a significant reduction in pain during sexual intercourse compared to the sham group. These findings pave the way for a large-scale multicenter clinical trial, an essential step to investigate the effectiveness of this approach and, ultimately, provide a concrete option for women seeking relief. To learn more about this study, to participate or to contact the research team, you can click here (in French only).
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Published:
May 11, 2026
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