The WHRFC Annual Report for 2018 was approved at the June 18 , 2018 Annual General Meeting.

The Women’s Health Research Foundation of Canada Inc., (WHRFC), has had another very successful year. A healthy activity fundraiser, Dance For Your Health 2018 (DFYH 2018) was held at Charisma of India Restaurant on Monday March 12, 2018 focussed on Bollywood Dancing and Charisma’s wonderful East Indian Buffet. Chrissy Troy of 103.1 Virgin Radio brought her lively sense of fun to the evening as MC. Our President Dr. Lynn Scruby welcomed everyone and moderated our award winner’s 3 minute presentations. Our 2017 full-time graduate student scholarship winners Dhiwya Attawar and Chloe Shindruk plus part-time graduate scholarship winner Olasumbo Ojo impressed everyone with their presentations of their research projects. The Bollywood Siblings demonstrated this urban form of Indian dancing and led a workshop for 100 guests to try some Bollywood moves. “Asra”  wowed us with her bellydancing and audience participation. Roshni and Pascal added there Bollywood interpretations to the evening. Over a dozen guests took home door or raffle prizes. DFYH 2018 together with our Target Mail Campaign and Corporate Campaign brought in over $14,000 to support women’s health research.

Dhiwya Attawar, a PhD student in the Department of Community Health Sciences won a 2017 WHRFC scholarship for full-time graduate students doing women’s health research at the University of Manitoba. Her research focusses on “The Community Health Worker in Maternal, Newborn, Child Health Interventions in Rural South India: Tracing Equity at the Health System-Community Interface” and her Supervisor is Dr. James Blanchard. Chloe Shindruk, a MN student in Nursing, won a full-time graduate student scholarship for her project “Expert Nursing Care: Perinatal Palliative Care during Labor, Delivery, and the Immediate Postpartum Period. Her Supervisors are Dr Genevieve Thompson and Dr. Susan McClement Co-Supervisor. Olasumbo Ojo, an MSc student in Pharmacy won the part-time graduate student scholarship for her project “Management of Osteoporosis in Women: Evaluating Screening (Bone Mineral Density Test) and Treatment Practices”. Her Supervisors are Dr. Shawn Bugden and Dr. Jamie Falk (Co-Supervisor).

The annual Manitoba School Science Symposium (MSSS) was held in the last weekend in April at the University of Manitoba. The WHRFC provided awards at three of the four grade levels, all to commend and encourage young scientists in Manitoba whose projects related to women’s health.

A WHRFC award for the best women’s health research project was presented by our Past-President Dr. Silvia Alessi-Severini at the Canadian National Medical Student Research Symposium, a national poster competition held annually by the Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. The 2017 winner was Lacey Haddon, a PhD student at the University of Alberta. Her research topic was “Eliminating the Luminal Grey Zone: Using a Novel Estrogen Receptor DNA-Binding Signature to Describe Luminal A Breast Cancer”.

Please check out our web site for current and future activities of the WHRFC www.whrfcinc.com.

The CIHR National Research Poster Competition was held on Wednesday June 13, 2018 in the Brodie Centre at the University of Manitoba as part of the Canadian Student Health Research Forum. At the CIHR Poster Awards Ceremony held on Thursday June 14, 2018, the WHRFC gave a Silver Award for the best Women’s Health Research to Shirley Giroux a PhD student from the University of Northern BC. Her Abstract title was “Resilience in teacher/mothers : Parsing the intersections of family, work and wellness.

Well done Shirley !

The WHRFC gave awards for three of the four levels at the MSSS 2018 (not grade 9-10).  The judging was held on Saturday April 28, 2018, and the awards were given on Sunday April 29, 2018.

2018 WHRFC Judges for the MSSS.  Many Thanks !

The Women’s Health Research Foundation of Canada Inc (WHRFC), dedicated to improving women’s health through research, education and raising awareness, held its fourth successful Dance For Your Health (DFYH) fundraising gala for the second time at the Charisma of India Restaurant on Monday March 12, 2018.

Charisma, renovated both inside and outside this year provided a wonderful setting for the excitement to come. Chrissy Troy from 103.1 Virgin Radio started the event with her warm enthusiasm. President Dr. Lynn Scruby introduced the Foundation and welcomed everyone to join in the evening of fun and fitness. Dhiwya Attawar and Chloe Shindruk last years full-time student WHRFC Scholarship winners plus Olasumbo Ojo our part-time student award winner, all doing research on women’s health at the University of Manitoba reminded us of why we need to raise funds for women’s health research. Dhiwya, a PhD student in Community Health Sciences, her supervisor  Dr. James Blanchard, told us about her project “Maternal Well-being and Equity in the Global South”. Chloe, an MN student in Nursing, her supervisors Dr. Genevieve Thompson and Dr. Susan McClement, spoke about her project “Expert Nursing Care: Perinatal Palliative Care during Labour, Delivery and the Postpartum Period”. Ojo, an MSc student in Pharmacy, her supervisors Dr. Shawn Bugden and Dr. Jamie Falk, spoke about “The Management of Osteoporosis in Women: Evaluating Screening (Bone Mineral Density Test) and Treatment Practices”.  The always delicious multicourse East Indian buffet was enjoyed by all, accompanied by wine Sponsored by Manitoba Liquor Mart. After dinner the Bollywood Siblings, Aman and Harman Kaur plus their brother Bavneet Singh entertained with a classical Indian dance number. Roshni and Payal plus Roshni’s new husband Harman Sandhu put on a mesmerizing Bollywood performance. Asra swirled onto the dance floor with her exotic and interactive Bellydance. The Bollywood Siblings returned to the dance floor with a lively Bollywood dance followed by a workshop were guests had the opportunity to learn and try out some Bollywood moves !

The funds raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and raffles combined with our corporate campaign and our annual target mail campaign, helped to raise over $14,000 in 2017-2018 to fund the Foundation’s activities, specifically the endowment of a second annual scholarship for the best research project on women’s health by a full-time graduate student at the University of Manitoba (www.whrfcinc.com). Many thanks to all our supporters !