Six of Canada's leading health researchers met recently to discuss research priorities after they were recently awarded research chairs in New Perspectives in Gender, Sex and Health by CIHR's Institute of Gender and Health (IGH). The researchers are Dr. Sonia Lupien (University of Montreal), Dr. Marlene Moretti (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Olena Hankivsky (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Maureen Heaman (University of Manitoba), Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (University of Lethbridge), and Dr. Lynn McIntyre (University of Calgary).

"The chairs have already made significant progress in their respective fields to increase the profile of gender and sex in health research," said Dr. Joy Johnson, Scientific Director of the Institute of Gender and Health.

"The chairs translate cutting-edge research into tools that can directly improve the health of Canadians, such as Dr. Lupien's research on the long terms effects of stress on brain function and mental health. Her evidence-based DeStress for Success Program focuses on educating children and teenagers on stress and its impact on learning and memory." Dr. Lupien has introduced the program into high schools and operates a website for public education.

"Dr. Moretti's research into effective interventions to reduce risk and promote the health and well-being of adolescent girls and boys," said Dr. Johnson. Dr. Moretti is the principal investigator behind Connect©, a program for caregivers of troubled teens that is based on her research on effective parenting and reducing violent or anti-social behaviour.

"Dr. Kovalchuk's work on secondary tumours in cancer patients was inspired by her experience as a high school student in the Ukraine in 1986, while living only 600 kilometres from Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history," said Dr. Johnson. Dr. Kovalchuk's research examines how radiation induces secondary tumours in cancer patients, the different effects radiation has on women and men, and what can be done to protect the children of radiation-exposed parents from contracting cancer.

Many of the researchers address the significant effect that socio-economic inequality has on the health Canadians. "Food insecurity is a major health concern domestically and internationally. Dr. McIntyre's work focuses on women and children, the most frequent victims of food insecurity both in Canada and in other countries," said Dr. Johnson. "Dr. Heaman examines access to prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes. Examples of her recent work include studies on inadequate prenatal care among inner-city women in the Winnipeg community and on characteristics and birth outcomes among Canadian Aboriginal women."

Health policy research is an area of growing importance as it becomes increasingly apparent that health policy needs to take gender and sex into consideration. "Dr. Hankivsky studies the implications gender has on health policy. Her work contributes to developing policy tools and interventions to improve health services and programs for Canadians, particularly vulnerable and marginalized populations," said Dr. Johnson.

IGH created the research chair program to expand and strengthen research capacity relevant to gender (socio-cultural experiences) and sex (biological factors) and health in Canada. IGH expects that this program will lead to increased national capacity for excellent research and knowledge translation relevant to the health of women and men, girls and boys.

The research chair program is intended for health researchers who have developed a reputation for excellence in research, and to support outstanding research programmes that enhance the health of Canadians.

Key objectives of the research chair program are to foster formal linkages with knowledge translation stakeholders to support the timely and effective application of research into policies, programs and practice in health related sectors; to support Canadian universities to develop programs in gender and sex research; to stimulate innovative approaches in gender, sex and health research and knowledge translation; and to train and mentor the next generation of gender, sex and health researchers.

Dr. Marlene Moretti (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Maureen Heaman (University of Manitoba), Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (University of Lethbridge), Dr. Lynn McIntyre (University of Calgary), Dr. Olena Hankivsky (Simon Fraser University), and Dr. Sonia Lupien (University of Montreal).