INVISIBLE TO
INVINCIBLE
Fall Impact Report 2022
2022 FALL IMPACT REPORT
Our 2022 Fall Impact Report, INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE, highlights a handful of ways that your investments are amplifying the voices of women, bridging the gender gap in women’s health research, and helping to fund vital equipment and upgrades at the province’s dedicated women’s hospital.
MEET THE COVER
DANIELA PALOMBO
“There are many health topics unique to women and that are deserving of more attention from funders, researchers and society at large.”
Daniela Palombo is an Assistant Professor at the UBC Department of Psychology and a Researcher through the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI).
Daniela recognized that women’s health topics span many important areas but historically are often overlooked, so it was important to incorporate into her research.
LETTER FROM
CEO + BOARD CHAIR
I couldn’t be more excited to have joined BC Women’s Health Foundation this year as the President and CEO. While I knew I was joining an incredible community transforming women’s health, I have been blown away by the life-changing work happening at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre and the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI).
YOUR IMPACT
0
contributed by donors
0
individual donors, foundations, and corporate donors
0
projects funded
IMPACT STORIES
REIMAGINING REALITIES FOR SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE
How the collaboration between BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre’s Sexual Assault Service and the Ending Violence Association of BC aims to create more accessible care.
“MY BODY WAS FAILING, NO ONE KNEW WHY”
How one program at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre is uncovering the answers to some of the world’s most debilitating + mysterious diseases.
NAVIGATING INFERTILITY
How one Catalyst Grant winner plans to improve care for women experiencing infertility.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO ENSURE ALL WOMEN, AT ALL LIFE STAGES, HAVE ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY HEALTHCARE, WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW THEY NEED IT.
VIEW OUR PAST IMPACT REPORTS
LETTER FROM CEO + BOARD CHAIR
I couldn’t be more excited to have joined BC
Women’s Health Foundation this year as the
President and CEO. While I knew I was joining an
incredible community transforming women’s health,
I have been blown away by the life-changing work
happening at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre
and the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI).
It was my first tour of the NICU that showed me that
BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre was leading
the way for neonatal care across the province and
beyond. As I walked around, seeing the equipment
that many of you supported, I met healthcare leaders
who had developed protocols for bringing moms,
babies, and their family together in one room. This
changed how care was delivered in the NICU as
these protocols were adopted provincially.
It didn’t take much time for me to learn that BC Women’s
Hospital + Health Centre is always leading the way for
improved care for women. The new Leslie, Lauri + Jill
Diamond Surgical Suites, funded by the Diamond
Family, made way for innovative surgical procedures
for women that use sedation instead of anesthetics. The
new space helped increase capacity and during the
pandemic, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre was
able to keep waitlists short and ensure women received
the care they needed in a timely manner.
The Women’s Health Research Institute, which is
comprised of more than 450 researchers across the
province, focuses on advancing women’s health by
tackling real health issues women face. This year’s
Illuminations Luncheon successfully raised funds to
help support the WHRI’s ground-breaking Catalyst
Grants, which provides seed money to researchers to
investigate topics in women’s health. For the past two
years, we have received a total of 45 applications to
Catalyst Grants for research topics in women’s health
and only 12 were funded.
While we are grateful to be able to fund some of these
thanks to your support, many topics that are never
researched still need funding to be explored. To me,
this speaks to why we are all here: There is much
work to be done to ensure women’s health is top of
mind for everyone. As we move forward together, we
will continue to fund projects that ensure equity and
ensure BC Women’s Hospital + Health Care Centre
has the resources they need to continue leading
and improving care for women, newborns, and their
families across the province.
The BC Women’s Health Foundation team is beyond
grateful for your continued support.
Thank you!
