Women and Children's Health Research Institute

07/30/2026

Chronic pelvic pain affects 1 in 4 women—yet so many are forced to suffer in silence.

For too long, educational and medical tools have been built without the input of the people who actually use them. Dr. Erin Kelly and her team are changing that by centring care around lived experience.

When we listen to women, we empower them to advocate for their own bodies and transform the future of healthcare.

Read the full Alberta Women's Health Foundation- funded story in the WCHRI Impact Report at the link in our bio.

07/28/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum on his appointment as institute director of WCHRI, effective January 1, 2027!

As a developmental pediatrician and clinician-scientist, Dr. Zwaigenbaum is internationally recognized for his work advancing the assessment, diagnosis and care of autistic children, and has been WCHRI’s associate director since 2024. As director, he will continue to build on WCHRI's strong foundation of interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together researchers, clinicians, trainees, health-system partners and community members to accelerate discoveries that improve the health of women, children and families.

We are so grateful to Dr. Sandra Davidge for her outstanding leadership over the past 15 years. Under her direction, WCHRI has grown into one of Canada's leading women's and children's health research institutes and expanded its network to more than 400 members across 13 University of Alberta faculties.

We’re proud of our 20-year history and excited for the future with Dr. Zwaigenbaum at the helm.

Read more:
https://www.wchri.org/our-impact/stories/wchri-welcomes-dr-lonnie-zwaigenbaum-as-director/

07/24/2026

A cancer diagnosis should not define a woman’s future. 🔬

In 2023, thousands of Alberta women were diagnosed with cancers requiring new approaches to prevention, screening, treatment, and survivorship.

Through research, innovation, and precision medicine, Alberta has an opportunity to lead the next generation of women’s cancer care, advancing earlier detection, personalized treatments, and better outcomes.

Cancer Prevention, Screening, and Care is one of six opportunities driving Alberta's vision for the future of women's health.

🔗 Discover the opportunity: https://www.albertawomenshealthfoundation.org/our-impact/ab-womens-health-opportunity

Women and Children's Health Research Institute McKinsey & Company Alberta Health Services Organon Women's Health Collective Canada

07/21/2026

07/21/2026

What if the future of Alberta starts with women's health? 🤔

Introducing "The Alberta Women's Health Opportunity." From heart health and menopause to pelvic health and Indigenous women's health, women have faced critical gaps in care for far too long. Investing in women's health isn't just an investment in better care, it's an investment in a more prosperous province. 🤍

When women's health moves forward, we all move forward.

🔗Explore the publication: https://www.albertawomenshealthfoundation.org/our-impact/ab-womens-health-opportunity

Women and Children's Health Research Institute Women's Health Collective Canada Alberta Health Services McKinsey & Company Organon

07/08/2026

“Teenagers don’t magically develop self-management skills. Their brains are still developing,” says Dr. Andrew Mackie, pediatric cardiologist.

Through a series of studies, Mackie and his team demonstrated that structured, nurse-led education significantly improves adolescents’ understanding of their complex heart conditions and eases their transition from pediatric to adult care.

Read more about Mackie’s Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation-funded research here:
https://ar.wchri.org/supporting-the-next-generation-of-heart-patients/

07/03/2026

“Ultimately, a human is not a mouse,” says Dr. Anastassia Voronova. Her work in the WCHRI Stem Cell Core, alongside Dr. Sandeep Gupta, uses organoids derived from human stem cells for testing, rather than traditional animal models.

The goal is to help researchers better understand diseases and conditions — including those affecting children and women.

Read more about their research funded by Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation in the WCHRI impact report:
https://ar.wchri.org/tiny-models-big-impact/

07/03/2026

WCHRI Research Day is back on November 4!

Join us for a full day of groundbreaking research with keynote speaker Dr. Manu Vatish. Registration and abstract submissions are now open: https://wchrird.ca/

06/29/2026

Urogynecologist Dr. Erin Kelly’s research is grounded in accounts of women who describe long delays, confusion, and dismissal around chronic pelvic pain. Her work at the Dale Sheard Centre for Solutions in Women's Health focuses on making pelvic health care more responsive to their lived experiences.

Read more about Kelly’s Alberta Women's Health Foundation-funded work here:
https://ar.wchri.org/the-science-of-listening/