Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance recognized as country’s cardiovascular health hub for women

August 24, 2023

Pan-Canadian network of cardiovascular health experts and advocates among ten virtual hubs receiving significant investment from Government of Canada

The Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA), which is powered by the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre (CWHHC) at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), is one of ten virtual hubs receiving a significant investment from the federal government to fuel important research aimed at improving the health of Canadian women.

The CWHHA will receive $840,000 over four years through the National Women’s Health Research Initiative for the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition – Hubs, a joint venture of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s Institute of Gender and Health, and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE).

The project will be spearheaded by Kerri-Anne Mullen, PhD, a scientist and director of the CWHHC and Prevention and Wellness Centre at the UOHI. The investigative team includes more than 50 leaders in women’s cardiovascular health, including people with lived experience, from coast to coast.

The pan-Canadian initiative aims to ensure people in Canada with lived and living experience navigating women's health care have access to gender-sensitive, culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing, evidence-based and high-quality health care that reflects and respects the intersection of their unique biological, social, and cultural identities.

More specifically, funding will enable the CWHHA cardiovascular health hub to leverage existing infrastructure to:

  1. Implement new and scale existing evidence-based strategies to improve awareness, prevention, detection, and management of cardiovascular disease in women;
  2. Maximize research impact by developing a new research arm of the CWHHA;
  3. Build capacity for the next generation of health researchers by enhancing education, training, and mentorship opportunities;
  4. Engage underserved populations to identify gaps and opportunities for future research and innovative interventions in women’s cardiovascular health.  

For details about the National Women’s Health Research Initiative for the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition – Hubs, read the official news release.

To coordinate an interview with a spokesperson of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre or its National Alliance (CWHHA), please liaise with the contact below.

Media contact:
 

Leigh B. Morris

Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
lmorris@ottawaheart.ca