On February 7, 2025, scientists and health professionals from across the city and beyond came together for a celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the MaRS Discovery District, titled Moving the needle: Women and women’s health at the forefront of science 2025. The event, brought to life with the support of organizations from across the Toronto Academic Science Health Network (TAHSN), saw students, trainees and professionals gather to recognize and celebrate excellence by women in science and to look forward to building a future where more women and girls face fewer barriers in pursuing careers in STEM.
The morning session, Pathways to Discovery, offered attendees a unique opportunity to explore the diverse career journeys of women professionals across the TAHSN network and beyond.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Rulan Parekh, Vice President, Academics, WCH, drew on the rich history of collaboration between women in science and medicine in Toronto, going back to the first ever scientific research meeting of women physicians hosted by Women’s College Hospital in 1938.
“The history speaks for itself,” notes Dr. Parekh. “Women’s contributions to science have expanded beyond the walls of research and medicine, shaping the field in diverse and impactful ways.”
Further remarks followed from Heather McPherson, President and CEO, WCH and Dr. Lisa Richardson, Strategic Lead, Indigenous Health, WCH.
Dr. Sheena Josselyn, Senior Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), delivered the plenary session, an engaging presentation titled, Memory & Engrams: The Eras Tour. Her talk explored her research career on human memory, offering valuable insights on how the brain encodes, stores and uses information.
Next, the Living Library networking session took place, led by Ibukun Abejirinde, scientist at Trillium Health Partners, which provided a unique opportunity for open and engaging conversations among the attendees of all career levels. Also known as a “human library,” this format fostered semi-structured discussions, allowing participants to learn from others’ experiences and stories.
Each table featured two “living books”– a junior and senior scientist – alongside a mix of students and professionals acting as “readers.” To spark meaningful dialogue, participants were given prompts to help guide their conversations.
“The Living Library session was my favourite part of the event! It was a unique opportunity to listen to the stories of professionals in the science field. It felt very personable to ask questions and engage with one another.” – Attendee, Moving the needle: Women and women’s health at the forefront of science 2025
Rounding out the morning session, a panel discussion featuring scientists from top research institutes in Toronto and beyond took place. The panel was moderated by Dr. Jaideep Bains, Senior Scientist and Director, Krembil Research Institute and Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education.
The panel offered an inspiring glimpse into the many pathways in science, highlighting the challenges, breakthroughs and lessons that have shaped each of their careers. Attendees actively engaged with the panelists during the audience Q&A and topics included mentorship and imposter syndrome.
Dr. Jaideep Bains, Senior Scientist and Director, Krembil Research Institute
Dr. Lisa Robinson, Dean, Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions, University of Toronto
Dr. Nicole Woods, Senior Scientist and Director, The Institute for Education Research (TIER)
Shiz Aoki, Co-Founder and CEO, BioRender
Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras, Director, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and Vice President, Research Sinai Health
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Scientific Director, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education
Organized by UHN Women, a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon ran alongside the morning session, with 12 student volunteers working to develop Wikipedia pages for women scientists within TAHSN. This initiative aimed to increase visibility and recognition for women in science, ensuring their achievements and contributions are more accessible to the public. By the end of the Edit-a-Thon, 16 new scientist profiles had been created, helping to bridge the gap in representation. This included Dr. Joanne Kostopoulos and Dr. Ambreen Sayani from Women’s College Hospital, as well as other distinguished scientists within TAHSN – Dr. Susan Fox, Dr. Samantha Wells, Dr. Catherine Streuker, Dr. Daisy Singla, Dr. Tatyana Mollayeva, Dr. Lena Serghides, Dr. Janet Smylie, Dr. Amna Husain, Dr. Azadeh Kushki, Dr. Claudia dos Santos, Dr. Gabriela Ghisi, Dr. Beate Sander, Dr. Patricia O’Campo, and Dr. Andrea Tricco.
“The event was very authentic and inspirational! The speakers were relatable, kind and so generous with their knowledge and experiences, despite their incredible accomplishments, and I thought the content covered a good spectrum of scientific information and professional development. I appreciated that the event was accessible for students and professionals at different stages of their careers to come together. I hope the event will happen again next year!” – Attendee, Moving the needle: Women and women’s health at the forefront of science 2025
Pathways to Discovery would not have been possible without the input and support of fellow TAHSN network members – Sinai Health, Baycrest, Holland Bloorview, The Hospital for Sick Children, University Health Network, Unity Health Toronto, CAMH, Scarborough Health Network, Trillium Health Partners, Humber River Health, North York General, and Michael Garron Hospital.
“At Women’s College Hospital, our mission is to transform healthcare for women and gender-diverse people, delivering better outcomes, access and patient experience through equitable and connected care, learning and discovery,” says Heather McPherson, “Among the ways we seek to achieve this is through partnership. As demonstrated through the collaborations with our TAHSN partners, when we look beyond our walls for opportunities to come together, we find ways to work as a cohesive unit, striving towards a more integrated system.”
The afternoon session, Trajectory to Translation, was organized by Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute, PRiME at University of Toronto, and MaRS.
Dr. Liisa Galea, senior scientist at CAMH opened the afternoon with her presentation, Women’s Brain Health: Overlooked and Overgeneralized. Dr. Galea then moderated a series of rapid fire presentations featuring Alana Ogata, CELLECT Laboratories, Brian Cox, and Maman Biomedical.
Next, Dr. Nicole J Look Hong, a surgical oncologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, delivered a presentation titled Let’s meet MOLLI®: Lessons learned through collaborative surgical innovation.
The afternoon concluded with another round of rapid fire presentations, moderated by Dr. Denise Belsham, professor at the University of Toronto. This segment highlighted innovative work from Hyivy Health, Rachel Harding, Women’s Global Health Innovations, Mino Care, and COSM Medical.
See more photos from the event below:
