For International Women’s Day this year, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) is embracing equity in the hospital and our community and is challenging our staff and community to share the ways in which they #EmbraceEquity at work or in their personal lives. WCH has a long history of championing women’s health and health equity, and over the years we have helped to expand what women’s health looks like to include all intersections of womanhood, including transgender women and non-binary or gender nonconforming people.
Even today, Black and Indigenous women still face barriers to care and are often excluded from healthcare research and education. Black women are more likely to experience severe or fatal outcomes with cancer, childbirth and heart events. Trans women and non-binary individuals also face an additional bias from stigma and lack of understanding, research and acceptance, causing them to avoid seeking healthcare which can have fatal consequences.
WCH continues to make great strides in providing access to healthcare for trans women, Black women, Indigenous women, and all people of colour, and this year, we’re taking the time to recognize and celebrate the work being done by #TeamWCH to not only provide improved access to care, but to advance research into women’s health, trans health and to close the gaps that still exist for historically marginalized communities.
To celebrate the ways WCH and our community have and continue to champion equitable healthcare and how #TeamWCH is working to build a more equitable future, we asked our staff and community what their vision for a gender equal future was. Together, we built five WCH constellations from the incredible visions you all shared.
Thank you to La Prep at WCH, Bridor, and Reunion Coffee Roasters for their generous donation of coffee and treats!
For International Women’s Day (IWD), we asked some of our staff what their vision for a gender equal future is and how they’re helping to build that future.
Meet Dr. Alexandra Millman!
Dr. Alexi Millman works as a urologist on our Transition-Related Surgery (TRS) program, helping to provide life-saving gender affirming care for transgendered patients. Dr. Millman’s vision for a gender equal future is one where every person can express themselves freely and where our pursuits are not questioned based on gender. She’s helping to build this future both at work in a traditionally male-dominated field and at home with her family.
Read more about Dr. Millman and what she’s celebrating for IWD!
Meet Patricia Rabel-Jeudy!
Patricia is a project manager with the Peter Gilgan Centre for Women’s Cancers, where she prioritizes patient experiences and access to healthcare through community events like Best Health for Black Women. For IWD, Patricia is celebrating the women in her life as well as the women who paved the way for women’s rights and continue to do so.
Read more about her vision for a gender equal future and how she’s helping to build it!
For International Women’s Day, we asked #TeamWCH and our community what their visions were for a gender equal future. From free expression regardless of gender, to equitable access to care, to changing how we value women’s time and labour, our staff and community are envisioning an incredible future free of gender bias where we all #EmbraceEquity.
See some of the visions from the WCH community below.
WCH’s Office of Equity’s Suzanne Charles Watson, Director, Anti-racism, Equity and Social Accountability, has put together an International Women’s Day Resource toolkit for WCH staff and teams. The toolkit includes educational materials on gender gaps, sex and gender, gender equity and women and gender in the post-COVID context.
The toolkit also lists reading materials, films and educational videos, TED talks, documentaries and podcasts about gender and women’s issues.
WCH Archives: Recognizing Dr. Emma Leila Skinner Gorden
This International Women’s Day, the Miss Margaret Robins Archives of Women’s College Hospital (WCH) is highlighting the accomplishments of one of WCH’s founders – Dr. Emma Leila Skinner Gordon. Dr. Skinner Gordan was not only instrumental in establishing Women’s College Hospital, but she leaves behind a legacy of championing women in healthcare and working to expand access for women to medical schools and training.
Sex & Gender: What makes a woman a woman?
WCH has a history of championing women’s rights and access to healthcare at all intersections, and this includes trans women and non-binary people. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re pulling back the curtain on sex, gender, what the difference is and how we can better understand the experience of womanhood across the gender spectrum.