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In this issue:

1. Webinar - Creating Climate Change for the Medical Workplace: Lessons on physician work-life balance from around the world
2. New issue of Network magazine!
3. Children and Environmental Exposures in Canada - Do our kids need protection from carcinogens?
4. How Do We Make Health Promotion Good for Women?
5. New resource - Our Common Ground: Cultivating Women's Health Through Community Based Research
6. Women and Water in Canada: The Significance of Privatization and Commercialization Trends for Women’s Health
7. A Primer on Entitlements and Health Services for First Nations and Métis Women in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
8. No Celebration for HIV-Positive Women on International Women's Day
9. From Stilettos to Moccasins
10. UNIFEM Ending Violence against Women and Girls Virtual Knowledge Centre
11. Call to Action on Maternal and Child Health at the G8
12. New WHO study: Working with individuals, families and communities to improve maternal and newborn health

1. Webinar - Creating Climate Change for the Medical Workplace: Lessons on physician work-life balance from around the world

Thurs. April 29, 2010, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern (9:30-10:30 a.m. Pacific) The current reality of Canadian physician demographics will require men and women to collaborate to optimize clinical care through innovative ways of organizing clinical work and academic responsibilities. Presenters will look at international data in context with what we have learned in Canada to ensure healthy medical workplaces, to improve gender equity in the ranks and within leadership, and to build family-friendly workplaces within our institutions. This webinar is presented by The Canadian Women’s Health Network in collaboration with the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. It is free of charge and open to the public. Please email info@cwhn.ca for registration information. For more details about the webinar, please visit our website.

2. New issue of Network magazine!

Check out the CWHN website for all new articles from Network magazine. Find out about Canada's Chemical Management Plan and why it matters for women, read the questions being asked about taking antidepressants in pregnancy, learn more about reproductive cancer support services, find recommended resources from our library, and much more.

3. Children and Environmental Exposures in Canada - Do our kids need protection from carcinogens?

Important contemporary research points to evidence that toxic exposure to the developing fetus and to children can lead to cancer and other ailments. Breast Cancer Action Montreal (BCAM) with the support of more than 20 local, national and international organizations, will welcome Dr.Irena Buka, director and co-founder of the Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) at Misericordia Hospital, University of Alberta to speak on this issue in the 6th annual Lanie Melamed Memorial Lecture, on Thursday, April 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Emanuel, 4100 Sherbrooke W. (corner Wood Ave.) (English with simultaneous French translation). It is free of charge and everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Janice Melanson at: 514-483-1846, 514-560-4717, or email: jmelanson@bcam.qc.ca

4. How Do We Make Health Promotion Good for Women?

Health promotion activities have traditionally focussed on individual lifestyle choices. However, this approach often fails to take into account the social conditions within which women live their day to day lives and that affect their ability to participate in health promoting activities. The British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health invites you to this CIHR Café Scientifique to discuss how addressing social determinants like gender, poverty, and housing can improve women's opportunities for healthy living. Thursday, April 8, 2010, 7:00 to 9:00pm at Juliet's Café, 1905 Cornwall Avenue, Vancouver. To download the flyer, please go to: www.bccewh.bc.ca/news-events/default.htm For more information or to RSVP, please email mdussault@cw.bc.ca

5. New resource - Our Common Ground: Cultivating Women's Health Through Community Based Research

The Women’s Health Research Network is proud to offer four primers focused on key areas and innovative approaches in girls' and women's health and gender and health research. These documents have circulated around the globe, and have been downloaded over 2000 times to date! The latest WHRN Primer - Our Common Ground: Cultivating Women's Health Through Community Based Research is now available! Download the free PDF here.

6. Women and Water in Canada: The Significance of Privatization and Commercialization Trends for Women’s Health

March 22 was World Water Day, and to mark this day Council of Canadians chapters and allies organized activities across the country to promote water as a public resource and a human right. At the same time, this report was submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

7. A Primer on Entitlements and Health Services for First Nations and Métis Women in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

LUNCH N LEARN – Winnipeg, Wed. April 21, 12-1 p.m., Concourse Level, 155 Carlton Street, Bring a brown bag lunch. Coffee and a healthy snack provided. The Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council (Status of Women) welcomes Kathy Bent, a Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence Research Associate and University of Manitoba instructor who authored Athabasca University’s on-line course on Aboriginal women’s health and wellness. For Bent`s doctoral work, she is exploring the factors that contribute to the conception of Aboriginal people’s identities and self-esteem from an Aboriginal and multi-disciplinary perspective. Bent is an Anishnaabe woman and member of Black River First Nation. RSVP to 945-6281.

8. No Celebration for HIV-Positive Women on International Women's Day

Women across the globe had little to celebrate this International Women's Day in relation to HIV/AIDS, following recent devastating reports demonstrating the brutal impact of HIV/AIDS and poverty on women worldwide. The World Health Organization's 2009 report entitled Women and Health: Today's evidence for tomorrow's agenda showed that, globally, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. WHO states that "within countries, the health of girls and women is critically affected by social and economic factors, such as access to education, household wealth. Such differences are not confined to developing countries but are found in the developed world." Read the press release here.

9. From Stilettos to Moccasins

This powerful new music video is the culmination of a unique project that gave voice to Aboriginal women healing from drug abuse/addictions and problems with the law, together with those who are helping them on their journey. The video is part of a community-based research project conducted jointly by the University of Saskatchewan, the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation, and CCSA. See it on YouTube. For more information on this research, visit this site.

10. UNIFEM Ending Violence against Women and Girls Virtual Knowledge Centre

To assist countries and practitioners, UNIFEM is launching a global virtual knowledge centre on how to address violence against women and girls. This is a one-stop centre to support practitioners around the world in effective design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes that aim to end violence against women and girls. The web-based site brings together lessons learned to date and recommended practices gleaned from initiatives large and small, whether originating from the women's movement, civil society organizations, governments, the UN System or other actors. While capturing the leading experiences from all regions of the world, its primary intended audience is in developing countries and other resource-poor settings. The centre is available in English, Spanish and French here.

11. Call to Action on Maternal and Child Health at the G8

Action Canada for Population and Development has issued this Call to Action for international colleagues to inform them of recent events in Canada. On June 25-26, 2010, leaders from some of the world’s most powerful countries will gather in Huntsville, Canada, for their 36th annual G8 Summit. The G8 meeting will be followed by a meeting of G20 leaders in Toronto, Canada (June 26-27, 2010). Earlier this year, on January 26th, 2010, the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper, announced his intention to make maternal and child health a development priority for the upcoming G8 Summit. He said that “Canada will champion a major initiative to improve the health of women and children in the world’s poorest regions.” Read the Call to Action here.

12. New WHO study: Working with individuals, families and communities to improve maternal and newborn health

The purpose of this document is to establish a common vision and approach, as well as to identify the role of the WHO Making Pregnancy Safer initiative, for working with women, men, families and communities to improve maternal and newborn health. Part 1 of the document defines the concepts, values and guiding principles. Part 2 presents strategies, settings, and priority areas for intervention. Part 3 proposes an implementation process; and, finally, Part 4 considers the role and functions of WHO. View the document here.

About Brigit's Notes

Brigit's Notes e-bulletin is published monthly by the Canadian Women's Health Network (www.cwhn.ca) as a free service to individuals and organizations interested in women's health.

This month's issue of Brigit's Notes is going out to 3,745 subscribers.
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Prepared by:
Alex Merrill
Canadian Women's Health Network