The Women’s Health Research Foundation of Canada Inc., (WHRFC) has had a successful 2024-2025 year that included bringing back its signature in-person fundraising event, Dance For Your Health. After a four-year hiatus due to COVID, our loyal donors and new supporters gathered at Charisma of India Restaurant on May 9, 2024 to celebrate an evening of Bollywood Fusion Style in support of raising funds for scholarships focused on health research for women and gender-diverse people. Our Board President Dr. Sheri Fandrey opened the program with an acknowledgment of the state of women’s health research and how our scholarships contribute to this space, while Ainsley MacPhail from CTV Morning Live emceed throughout the evening. Dr. Lynn Scruby, WHRFC board member, introduced and moderated our award winner’s 3-minute presentations. Past scholarship recipients Oludolapo Balogun, Mimi Brown, Daniel Gussakovsky, and Liz Harvey impressed the crowd with presentations of their research. Our featured dances included an energetic performance by the Bollywood Siblings, as well as a captivating belly dance from Kevla. Both performances engaged the audience, with Bollywood Siblings leading the crowd through a dance routine and Kevla incorporating audience members in her performance. Guests had an opportunity to take home one of the various door prizes, silent auction items, raffle prizes, or the 50/50 winnings.

Public awareness of WHRFC expanded during this fiscal year thanks to segments about WHRFC on CTV Morning Live, as well as becoming a participating charity in Manitoba’s One Great Lottery. One of the One Great Lottery Grand Prize winners chose WHRFC as their charity to support, winning $2,618 in the February 2025 draw.

Thanks to our generous donors and supporters, our signature fundraising event, Target Mail Campaign, and One Great Lottery earnings, we raised a combined $17,900 this fiscal year in support of women’s health research.

WHRFC provided six Scholarships to full-time graduate students, all researching women’s health projects in diverse units at the University of Manitoba.

• Gabrielle Fontaine is a PhD Student in Physics and Astronomy. Project Title: “Design and Evaluation of an AI-enabled Microwave-based Portable Breast Cancer Screening Device for Low-Income and Remote Communities”.
• Courtney Marshall is a PhD Student in Immunology. Project Title: “Sex as a Biological Variable in the modulation of airway inflammation by Innate Defence Regulator (IDR) peptides”.
• Leah McDonnell is a PhD Student in Peace and Conflict Studies. Project Title: “A Way Home: Understanding the impact of human trafficking on Inuit women in Manitoba”.
• Shayna Pierce is a PhD Student in Psychology. Project Title: “Recognizing and Responding to Birth Trauma: The Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Brief Online Training Intervention for Canadian Healthcare Providers”.
• Sara Crooks is an MSc Student in Biochemistry and Medical Genetics. Project Title: “Determining the mechanism of action of L-Rham-induced cell killing in tubo-ovarian, high-grade serous carcinoma”.
• Samantha Kirby is an MSc Student in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Project Title: “Genetic regulation of the vaginal proteome and its impact on HIV susceptibility”.

The WHRFC continued its support as a Special Award sponsor at the Manitoba Schools Science Symposium (MSSS) in April 2024, providing three awards across the grade levels, all to commend and encourage young scientists in Manitoba whose projects related to women’s health. A monetary award was provided for projects entitled “Calcium Counts: An Essential Mineral for Bone Health” in the Elementary category (Grades 4-6), “The Impact of Social media on Academic Performance and Mental Health Among Middle School Students” in the Junior category (Grades 7-8), and “Loss of SKP2 Induces Chromosome Instability in Tubo-Ovarian Contexts” in the Senior category (Grades 11-12).

Courtney Marshall, a PhD student in the Department of Immunology at the University of Manitoba, was the WHRFC poster award winner at the June 2024 Manitoba Student Health Research Forum which showcases graduate student and postdoc health research. Courtney’s abstract title was “Differential modulation of airway inflammation by Innate Defence Regulator Peptide IDR-1002”.

For The Year Ended March 31, 2024

The Women’s Health Research Foundation of Canada Inc., (WHRFC) has had an
exciting year with efforts focused on board expansion and onboarding, fundraising
opportunities, and increased social media presence. While no in-person fundraiser
occurred, planning started for WHRFC’s first in-person fundraiser since 2020 and
COVID-19 lockdowns. Our LinkedIn, Facebook, and X social media accounts were
reactivated, collectively reaching over 2,100 impressions from 30 distinct posts.

Consistent with last year, fundraising efforts resulted in raising $6,000 thanks to the
generosity of donors and WHRFC’s loyal Target Mail respondents.

WHRFC provided four Scholarships to full-time graduate students, all researching
women’s health projects in diverse units at the University of Manitoba.
• Lara Penner-Goeke is a PhD Student in Psychology. Project Title: “Informant
Agreement of Symptoms in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders”.
• AmyAnne Smith is a PhD Student in Social Work. Project Title: “The Impacts of
Trial Delay on Sexual Assault Survivors”.
• Sara Crooks is an MSc Student in Biochemistry and Medical Genetics. Project
Title: “Determining the mechanism of action of L-Rham-induced cell killing in high
grade serous ovarian cancer”.
• Madison Hardman is an MA Student in Psychology. Project Title: “Exploring the
Mental Health Journeys of Women on Probation and Parole in Canada:
Symptoms and Psychological Service Utilization”.

The WHRFC continued its support as a Special Award sponsor at the Manitoba Schools
Science Symposium (MSSS), awarding four projects to young scientists that presented
their research to industry experts and scientists. The project entitled “Measuring Solid and
Liquid” was awarded in the Junior Category. Two projects in the Intermediate category
were awarded, entitled “The Effects of Subliminal Messaging on Human Behavioural
Performance” and “Grandma Remedies”. The final award was provided in the Senior
category to the project entitled “The Role of Glucose in Controlling Transcriptional
Regulators in Fibroblast Activation”.

Alekhya Lavu, a PhD student in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba,
was the WHRFC poster award winner at the June 2023 Manitoba Student Health
Research Forum where WHFRC maintained its Silver Sponsorship in support of
showcasing graduate student and postdoc health research. Alekhya’s abstract title was
“Gabapentin Use During Pregnancy and Adverse Neonatal Birth Outcomes:
A Population-Based Cohort Study”.

Visit www.whrfcinc.com to learn about WHRFC’s ongoing efforts and upcoming events.

Women make up more than half of the population in Canada. Health issues faced by women and gender-diverse people lack the financial support and additional research that improves care and health outcomes. The Women’s Health Research Foundation of Canada Inc. (WHRFC) is hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness and fund scholarships to support women’s health research that gives attention to the analysis of studies by gender and diversity.

After a four-year hiatus, WHRFC is excited to bring back its seventh Dance For Your Health fundraiser – Bollywood Fusion style. Hosted by TV personality Ainsley McPhail, the fundraising dinner helps to support scholarships focused on health research for women and gender-diverse people. The event will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at Charisma of India restaurant in Winnipeg (83 Sherbrook Street).  Participants will enjoy a performance and dance lesson by a local Bollywood Fusion dance group, as well as greetings from previous scholarship winners.

“We are long past the days when “women’s health” was expected to mean simply “reproductive health,” says WHRFC president Sheri Fandrey. “It is critical to better understand how sex and gender can affect both specific diseases and overall health in women and gender-diverse people.”

Since 1992, the WHRFC has been awarding a scholarship to full-time graduate students at the University of Manitoba who demonstrate academic excellence and whose research concentration is in the area of women’s health. To date, over 50 scholarships have been awarded. This year, the fundraising goal is to endow a third full-time graduate student scholarship.

“These awards help to fill funding gaps in women’s health research and encourage students to develop a career in this much needed field,” says Fandrey. “By supporting our fundraising efforts, you can help to ensure that women’s health is no longer under-studied, under-diagnosed, and under-treated.”