Resources

Course offering at Simon Fraser University

"Exploring Social Locations" is a new, innovative, and interactive approach to learning about gender, women's health, and health policy in Canada. The course will explore analytical and constructive aspects of theory, practice, and policy from critical, feminist, and anti-racist perspectives. Each section of the course will be facilitated by leading provincial, national, and international scholars, activists, community-based researchers and policy makers.

"Exploring Social Locations" is open to community-based and academic health researchers, activists, students, and policy analysts across the province of British Columbia.   The course will be offered to members of the community through Continuing Studies at SFU or by permission of the instructor. It will also be accessible via video-conference to selected locations in the province.

For more information, contact Rodney Hunt: rhunt@sfu.ca

This course is co-sponsored by the Institute for Critical Studies in Gender and Health (SFU) and the Women's Health Research Network www.whrn.ca.

http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/health/courses/hlth302-303.htm

The ACQUIRE Project is pleased to announce the publication of Family Planning-Integrated HIV Services: A Framework for Integrating Family Planning and Antiretroviral Therapy Services. This document was developed for two main purposes: a) to stimulate critical thinking regarding programmatic gaps related to the reproductive health needs of women and couples living with HIV and b) to assist community and facility-based HIV care and treatment providers and supervisors in tailoring services to reflect the family planning needs of the users and communities they serve. Based on demand from the field, this document was developed to look systematically at service delivery consideration to achieve integration. The ACQUIRE Project has field-tested portions of this document among program colleagues interested in integration in Bolivia, Ghana, and Uganda.
To read the document, please go to http://www.acquireprojectorg/fileadmin/user_upload/ACQUIRE/Publications/FP-HIV-Integration_framework_final.pdf

Nancy Poole and Lorraine Greaves, Editors

Women's and girls; substance use is now recognized as an important health, economic and social issue in Canada. However, most books about alcohol and other drug use do not address the unique needs and circumstances of this population.

Highs & Lows draws on the latest theory and research to offer strategies for improving practice and developing policy to support women with substance use problems. This unique book includes contributions from nearly 100 experts on women's substance use, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, clinical therapists, health promoters, academics, alternative health care providers, women's health advocates- and women who have been affected by substance use.

More information about highs & Lows is available at www.camh.net.

INSTRAW's (United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women) objective in launching this section is to open a space for the analysis of the interrelationship between gender, governance and women's political participation. These pages are intended to be an introduction to this theme, as well as a source of updated information and a space for the exchange of experiences for researchers, activists, policy makers and professionals.

The section offers a brief background and analytical framework on the theme and a glossary, fact-sheet, annotated bibliography, directory of organizations and other resources, as well as a brief description of INSTRAW's activities related to the theme.

INSTRAW considers that integrating a gender perspective into governance and the current decentralization processes is fundamental for obtaining an equitable and inclusive human sustainable development. At the same time, it is necessary to have a greater and transformative presence of women in decision-making positions along with a strong women's and feminist movement that favour the recognition of women's rights, their empowerment and the exercise of their full citizenship. http://tinyurl.com/9o8fj .

USAID Women's Legal Rights Initiative

The USAID Women's Legal Rights Initiative (WLR) is excited to announce the availability of the program final report, Practical Guide and Methods to Advance Women's Legal Rights.

The report describes WLR's methods, tools, and successes in four key result areas:

1. Improving legislation to protect women's legal rights,

2. Enhancing justice sector capacity to interpret and enforce women's legal rights,

3. Strengthening civil society's capacity to advocate for legal protections for women, and

4. Increasing public awareness of women's legal rights.

The report includes references to USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) where the reader can access WLR documents that were produced in the course of program implementation. These documents have been published on the DEC for use by others who wish to duplicate or adapt WLR's approach to the advancement of women's legal rights.

The report may be downloaded from the USAID Office of Women in Development website.

'Gender equality, work and health', a new review published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), documents the relationship between gender inequality and health and safety problems. It reviews gender issues in research, policies and programmes on work and health, and highlights some specific issues for women, including the types of jobs they do, as well as their need to reconcile the demands of work and family.

Gender equality, work and health: A review of the evidence WHO, 2006 . Full report [pdf]

ALBERTA CENTRE FOR ACTIVE LIVING

Dr. Larry Frank, an expert in sustainable transportation from the University of British Columbia , spoke at the Alberta Centre for Active Living's Physical Activity Forum 2007 on "Promoting Health Through Community Design." Dr. Frank's presentation was followed by a panel discussion between Dr. Frank and several key professionals, including experts in physical activity,urban and transportation planning, land use and environmental design.

Videos of Dr. Frank's presentation and the panel discussion are now available. Depending on your Internet connection, you can download versions for high speed or dial-up connections.

The Alberta Centre for Active Living is affiliated with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta and Supported by the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation and the Alberta Government.

Videos of Presentations Now Available

This special issue of New Solutions, initiated at the 4th international congress on Women, Work and Health in Delhi, describes researcher-worker collaboration to gain recognition for the constraints and requirements of women's jobs in construction, education, factory work, agriculture, health care, the sex trade and communications. Examples come from five continents and show a wide range of collaborative arrangements and degrees of success.
Abstracts can be viewed on the Baywood Publishing Company's web site.

PharmedOut

For those interested in the training of ghostwriters for pharma, PharmedOut's latest video, "The Art of Medical Writing," featuring Susanna Dodgson, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Writing at the University of Sciences of Philadelphia , is available at: http://pharmedout.org. It's ten minutes long.

Health Canada

Although the number of people affected with colorectal cancer (CRC) is declining, it is still the second most common form of cancer in men and the third most common form of cancer in women. In 2007, an estimated 20,800 Canadians will be diagnosed with CRC and 8,700 will die of it. On average, 400 Canadians will be diagnosed with CRC and 167 will die of CRC every week. Regular screening can diagnose the disease at an early stage when it is more treatable, therefore reducing mortality.

The It's Your Health article on Screening for Colorectal Cancer has been updated with new information and is now available.