from the June 1, 2010 issue of Connect

Advancing Women’s Health Through Research

On the morning of May 10, nearly 100 students, researchers and academics gathered to honour graduate student research focused on advancing women’s health and improving women’s lives. The annual Graduate Student Research Day — now in its ninth year – is an opportunity for master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students to present the work they’ve done throughout the year.

“It’s the first time we’ve hosted this event at Women’s College Hospital,” said Marilyn Emery, President and CEO, as she welcomed the crowd. “We are honoured to have the opportunity to celebrate this new generation of scientists who will further explore and discover the complexities of women’s health.”

Students presented their research in three categories: health conditions with unique implications for women; social issues that have important impacts on women’s health and well-being; and health system innovations with the potential to improve outcomes for women and their families.

During lunch, students showcased their individual research through poster displays giving them an opportunity to network with colleagues and mentors.

In her keynote address, Dr. Rebecca Cook, Chair in International Human Rights Law at the faculty of law, University of Toronto, talked about the barriers to women’s access to health services. She focused on five barriers identified by the Commission on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a UN committee, including:

• information access – availability of information on health services and how to obtain it
• transparent access – clarity surrounding legal conditions of how these services are obtained
• evidence-based access – delivery of services based on scientific evidence
• economic access – affordable or subsidized ways of obtaining services
• dignified access – human treatment in receiving health-care services

“Failure to remove these barriers is a form of discrimination against women,” said Dr. Cook. “Like stereotypes, they need to be identified in order to be dismantled.”

Dr. Cook also congratulated the students on their hard work.  “Research is a critical foundation of change,” she stated. “And the Women’s College Research Institute has provided research that has been instrumental in exposing faulty practices, which has helped create new and effective ones based on empirical evidence.”

Student awards for outstanding oral presentations were given to Andrea Conroy and Joanne Crawford, and outstanding poster awards were given to Jane Cho and Amy Finch.

To learn more about Graduate Student Research Day 2010, please click here.