Centre of Excellence for Women's Health

07/30/2026

Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. In Canada, 90% of human trafficking cases are domestic. Individuals with FASD and those who use alcohol during pregnancy are at a higher risk due to the multifaceted nature of the disability, overlapping risk factors, and stigma.

Service providers can support individuals by learning more about human trafficking and by offering FASD-informed and strengths-based substance use and sexual health education.

At the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, we continue to collaborate with service providers, researchers, and policymakers to improve what is known about the linkages between FASD, human trafficking, and alcohol use in pregnancy – so that prevention and intervention approaches can be identified and adopted.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/hUFMgHr

Find support: https://buff.ly/b9yJPeb

07/20/2026

This summer, we are excited to launch the pilot of Liberation, a virtual social support group for to***co reduction specifically designed for women facing social inequities.

Implemented in partnership with women’s resource centres across Canada, this program offers women-centred pathways to reducing to***co use and sustaining a smoke-free life. Participants will connect, share and receive information, enhance confidence and motivation through practical skills and strategies, and contribute to collective advocacy for women’s liberation from to***co.

To learn more, including opportunities to partner with us to scale up the program in 2027, visit: https://buff.ly/8XGNZ13

07/16/2026

*New Blog Post*

This month we've released two blogs featuring the work from the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership, an interprovincial/territorial alliance to advance evidence-based policy development and service design on FASD prevention, diagnosis, and intervention. The first blog highlights awareness raising activities. The second blog highlights programs and services offered in the member jurisdictions.

Find both blogs on the Girls, Women, Alcohol and Pregnancy Blog: https://buff.ly/DRc3hWZ

06/26/2026

Migraine affects up to 30% of adult women, compared with nearly 8% of adult men. Women also experience migraine attacks more frequently, for longer periods, and with greater impact, according to this study exploring the gender- and sex-related factors of migraine: https://buff.ly/Zxw40p5

This Migraine Awareness Month, we highlight the importance of understanding how and why chronic pain conditions, including migraine, affect women in disproportionate and distinct ways. Increased awareness can help advance more equitable research, treatment, and support for those living with chronic pain.

Learn more about our work on women’s chronic pain at https://buff.ly/GQJLCGr

06/16/2026

Pride Month is about celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community and its history, and about advocating for equal rights. Equity in research is an important part of advancing this goal.

In examining data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2009–2014) for our research on substance use by women, we noticed that binge drinking, illicit drug use, and cannabis use were significantly higher among le***an and bisexual women compared with heterosexual women. Advocating for equity in health research can help us uncover health disparities such as these and take pride in addressing them!

06/08/2026

We attended an Incubator Meeting in Winnipeg last week, organized by the DrPeter Centre and focused on advancing action and raising visibility on the needs of women facing violence, HIV, poverty, homelessness and substance use challenges.

The gathering provided a valuable opportunity to learn of the impressive work by Winnipeg’s North End Women's Centre (NEWC). Pictured is our Director, Dr. Nancy Poole, with representatives of the Dr. Peter Centre, the NEWC, and EuroNPUD Public (Portugal).

05/25/2026

How can policy environments make the prevention of FASD possible?

Our latest article, Preventing alcohol use during pregnancy is a policy problem, not a personal failure, explores this question in depth.

Written by CEWH Director Dr. Nancy Poole and Research Associate Lindsay Wolfson, the piece highlights why supportive policy—not individual blame—is key to reducing alcohol use during pregnancy.

Read the full article on Healthy Debate:

The solution to fetal alcohol syndrome prevention is not simply to tell women not to drink, assuming they either don’t know enough or don’t care enough.

05/13/2026

Recently, during GBA+ Awareness Week the leadership of former Senator Nancy Ruth who, along with the former Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, established audits across the federal government to measure the impact and use of GBA+ across departments. This important step gave us a much-needed accountability mechanism, and sometimes shone a light on how little GBA+ was being used.

Learn more about the ongoing impact of this initiative here: https://buff.ly/jixTr9M
Find out how this approach continues to guide our work in women’s health at: https://buff.ly/FK4IfSt

05/12/2026

Our Director, Dr. Nancy Poole, is excited to teach the online course "Responding to Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Use" for the JIBC on June 12, 2026

She’ll explore how to better support individuals navigating recovery from both intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use (SU), including mention of the lessons from CEWH's Strong Women project.

For more info about the course content and to register: https://buff.ly/kAeGwgT
Learn more about the Strong Women project: https://buff.ly/lIGkf65

05/10/2026

This Mother’s Day, we’re looking ahead to the forthcoming book “Mothers, Mothering and Climate Change,” edited by Carolina Toscano and Sarah Marie Wiebe.

Bringing together the voices of feminist theorists, researchers, and activists across diverse fields, the book explores the intricate convergences and tensions between climate change, mothering, community care, and intergenerational justice.

Learn more here: https://buff.ly/FCN2i99