We are a team from across Canada who are deeply passionate about women’s health.
Together we are comprised of 57 academics and 21 collaborators spanning 8 provinces and 1 territory
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Co-Lead
Dr. Amy Metcalfe is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She is also the Maternal and Child Health Program Director at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Metcalfe is a perinatal epidemiologist whose research focuses on examining how different exposures and experiences during pregnancy can impact long-term women’s and children’s health. Underlying this program of research is a focus on validation of existing data sources for use in research and application of novel statistical methods to answer clinically relevant questions.
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Co-Lead
Erin Brennand is a Gynecologist and specialist in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery. Also an Associate Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Community Health Sciences, her work spans the disciplines of Epidemiology & Health Services Research as they relate to the female reproductive tract including pelvic floor disorders, uterine conditions and surgery on the gentio-urinary tract. Methodologies include quantitative work utilizing clinical trials, prospective cohorts, and administrative data, as well as qualitative approaches to gather rich narrative data. Research is informed by feminist epistemologies - questioning what is considered “good” science, the relevance of research produced for women, and the importance of lived experience in the creation of research questions.
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Co-Lead
Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout is a psychiatrist clinician-scientist and an Associate Professor at McMaster University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. He is the Albert Einstein/Irving Zucker Chair in Neuroscience, Canada Research Chair in the Perinatal Programming of Mental Disorders, and a Member of the Royal Society of Canada. His research and clinical interests lie in the development and testing of scalable psychotherapeutic interventions for perinatal mental health problems in mothers and birthing parents. His work focuses on task shifting the delivery of these treatments to increase access to evidence-based therapies for postpartum depression and anxiety, as well as the potential of these treatments to improve offspring neurodevelopment.
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Co-Lead
Dr. Jennifer Gordon is a Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Regina, and director of the Women’s Mental Health Research Unit. Currently a Tier II Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Research Chair in the Biopsychosocial Determinants of Women’s Mental Health, Dr. Gordon is dedicated to advancing the identification, prevention, and treatment of mental health conditions uniquely affecting women. Dr. Gordon is published as first author in some of the world’s top mental health journals, including JAMA Psychiatry and the American Journal of Psychiatry and her research is well-funded by CIHR, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation and the Saskatchewan Center for Patient-Oriented Research. As a Clinical Psychologist, she maintains a small private practice focusing on treating postpartum depression and distress related to infertility.
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Project Manager
Vanessa is the Program Manager for GROWW and is very excited to be a part of advancing Women's Health research in Canada. She is also a High School Biology Teacher, a Triathlon Coach, and a mother of two young children. Vanessa has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology and a Bachelor of Education. Most recently her interests have led her to course work in Biostatistics and Nutrition. When not working or learning, you will find Vanessa riding her beloved bike, running, swimming, racing triathlons, or in the mountains hiking, skiing, and going on adventures with her family.
