About Us

The Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) was created in 1993 as a voluntary national organization to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world by collecting, producing, distributing and sharing knowledge, ideas, education, information, resources, strategies and inspirations.

We are a far-reaching web of researchers and activists, mothers, daughters, caregivers, and family members, people working in community clinics and on hospital floors, at the university, in provincial and federal health ministries, and in women’s organizations, all dedicated to bettering women’s health and equality.

We are guided by a woman-centred vision of health and wellness and believe that in order to improve the health status of women we must address social and economic conditions such as education, housing, environment and gender which all impact on health.

We recognize and respect the diverse needs and realities of women’s lives, and take an active stance to prevent discrimination based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability, language and geographic region.

We function in English and French, and endeavor to provide access to materials in other languages and alternative formats.

The Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN):

Establishes a visible national presence for women’s health in Canada.
Works to change inequitable health policies and practices.
Provides easy access to reliable health information, resources and research.
Produces user-friendly materials and resources.
Promotes and develops links to information and action networks.
Acts as a knowledge broker between and among researchers, clinicians, decision-makers, women and the public.
Contributes women’s voices and expertise to health research, planning and policy.
Acts as a forum for critical debate on women’s health research and policy issues.
Monitors emerging issues and trends affecting women’s health.
Encourages community-based participatory research.
Serves as a vital information link between women and Canada’s health system.

Vision Statement of the Canadian Women's Health Network

The Canadian Women's Health Network is a Network of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions concerned with women's health. The CWHN recognizes the importance of information sharing, education and advocacy for women's health and equality. We work to build and strengthen the women's health movement in Canada and throughout the world.

Health is a human right that, because of poverty, politics and dwindling resources for health and social services, eludes many women. Guided by a woman-centred, holistic vision of women's health, the CWHN recognizes and respects the diverse realities of women's lives and takes an active stance in ending discrimination based on gender, region, race, age, language, religion, sexual orientation or ability.

We function in English and French, and recognize the need to produce materials in other languages and alternative formats.

The Canadian Women's Health Network and the Centres of Excellence

Health Canada's Women’s Health Contribution Program strengthens policy-focused research on women's health in Canada by providing unique opportunities for collaboration among community-based women's health groups, service providers and academic researchers.

The CWHN works with the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health to further promote communication, information sharing and interaction among all interested groups and individuals.

Research Bulletin
Updates: Spring 1999 | Fall 1999
Synopsis of Promoting Women's Health: Making Inroads into Canadian Health Policy, Professor Diana Majury's report for the Gender and Health Unit about The Centres of Excellence.

Canada-U.S.A. Women's Health Forum

National Women's Health Information Center - a project of the U.S. Public Health Services Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Our Programs and Activities

WWW.CWHN.CA
Our website is one of Canada’s top bilingual sites for women’s health information with over four million hits per year. It is updated regularly to give you easy access to valuable information and resources on women’s health, including breaking news, feature articles, an on-line database and links to other useful sites.

Publications:
Network / Le Réseau
Our bilingual magazine is the Canadian front-runner for the latest on health issues that affect women, as well as topical debates, national and international health news and reliable resources. Available in print and electronic formats. Subscribe by filling out our infoform. If you'd like to contribute or want to suggest a topic we should cover, please contact the Editor.

Brigit's Notes
Our free monthly bilingual e-mail bulletin keeps you up-to-date on hot issues related to women’s health.

Women’s Health Information Centre:
Our comprehensive and always-expanding bilingual collection of women’s health publications and resources from across Canada and the world is catalogued on our website. This gives you – free of charge – access to some 10,000 documents, reviews, projects and organizations covering a wide range of information on women's health and women’s lives. Aiding searches in the database is CWHN’s unique bilingual and Canadian women’s health thesaurus. A list of over 4000 key words and terms allows quick and easy access to topics related to women's health.

E-mail Discussion List:
CDN-WOMEN is a moderated discussion list that joins together and strengthens links among organizations, individuals and groups across Canada involved in women’s health

Community Outreach and Networking:
Our network is a trusted source of women’s health information for individuals, organizations, the media, policy makers and key health planning groups across Canada. We participate in regional and national conferences, consultations, events and workshops and distribute credible women’s health information materials. We also help people come together for action on women’s health by supporting and building networks, coalitions, and joint projects.

Media Relations:
Our comprehensive bilingual communications, media and public relations program has resulted in the CWHN being an important choice for journalists seeking information on women’s health issues in Canada.

Partnership with the Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis, Health Canada:
The Women’s Health Contribution Program of the Gender Health Unit, Health Canada supports the work of the CWHN, the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health, several Working Groups and other initiatives. The CWHN plays a key role in the Program, communicating the research findings and policy recommendations of the Centres and Working Groups in timely and innovative ways.

By-Laws and Annual Reports

CWHN's By-Laws, September 2007

Annual Report, 2009-2010
Annual Report, 2008-2009 (PDF: 408.75 KB)
Annual Report, 2007-2008 (PDF: 412.82 KB)
Annual Report, 2006-2007 (PDF: 1020KB/16p)
Annual Report, 2005-2006 (PDF: 466KB/20p)
Annual Report, 2004-2005 (PDF: 292KB/20p)
Annual Report, 2003-2004 (PDF: 1.6MB/12p)
Annual Report, 2002-2003 (PDF: 790KB/12p)
Annual Report, 2001-2002(PDF: 550KB/12p)
Centres of Excellence for Women's Health, Update 1999
Centres of Excellence for Women's Health,Update 1997
Discussion Paper in Response to the Strength of Links
Update 1995 on the Strength of Links.
The Strength of Links: Building the Canadian Women's Health Network
Report on the Canadian-wide Consultation Meeting held in Winnipeg, Manitoba May 21-24, 1993 and including a 1994 Network Update.

The CWHN Expert Review and Advisory Committee

This committee’s mandate is to ensure the quality of the resources that the CWHN adds to its collection on the website and in Network magazine. The CWHN follows a rigorous quality assurance process for each identified resource.

The members of the CWHN’s Expert Review and Advisory Committee come from all over Canada. The strength and wealth of knowledge of this committee is attributable to the members’ vast breadth of expertise.

Lydya Assayag
Executive Director
Réseau québécois d'action pour la santé des femmes
Montreal, QC

Robin Barnett
Consultant
Vancouver, BC

Merryl Bear
Executive Director
National Eating Disorders Information Centre
Toronto, ON

Madeline Boscoe
Executive Director
Reach Community Health Centre
Vancouver, BC

Barbara Bourrier-LaCroix
Collections Librarian
Winnipeg Public Library
Winnipeg, MB

Susan Chatwood
Executive Director
Arctic Research Centre
Yellowknife, NWT

Linda Cornwell
Program and Communications Manager
Women's Health in Women's Hands
Toronto, ON

Anne Rochon Ford
Co-Director
National Network on Environments and Women’s Health
Toronto, ON

Shari Graydon
Author and Media Literacy Advocate
Kingston, ON

Abby Lippman
Professor, Dep’t of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health
Faculty of Medicine
McGill University
Montreal, QC

Karin Lofstrom
Executive Director
Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity
Ottawa, ON

Farah N. Mawani
Senior Policy and Research Analyst
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Toronto, ON

Lynn Meadows
Professor
Departments of Family Medicine and Community Health Sciences
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB

Shree Mulay
Associate Dean and Professor
Faculty of Medicine
Memorial University
St. John’s, NL

Martha Muzychka
Principal
ABC Praxis Communications
St. John's, NL

Ellen Reynolds
Women’s health researcher
Victoria, BC

Carol Scurfield, MD
Women's Health Clinic
Winnipeg, MB

Vyta Senikas, MD
Associate Executive Vice-President
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
Ottawa, ON

Individuals named on this list are not responsible for the content of the Canadian Women's Health Network web site. This is a list of contributing experts to the Canadian Women's Health Network.

GET INVOLVED!

Become a member.
Make a donation so we can continue to make our voices heard.
Support our initiatives to improve health policy and practices.
Let us know about your issues and your advocacy activities.
Use us as a gateway for information on women's health.
Make sure your women’s health research and resources are in our on-line databases.
Send us information about yourself and your group or organization.
Contribute your ideas or stories to Network magazine.
Send us copies of any new resources and publications you know about.
Put us on your mailing list.
Add a link to CWHN on your website.
Reach out and exchange information on our new national women's health email discussion list CDN-WOMEN.
Subscribe to Brigit's Notes.
We invite you to become a member of the Board of Directors, see application (5MB Rich Text Format file)

Contact Information

The Canadian Women's Health Network
Suite 203, 419 Graham Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3C 0M3
Telephone: (204) 942-5500
Fax: (204) 989-2355
e-mail: cwhn@cwhn.ca
Toll free: 1-888-818-9172

For media inquires and interviews, please contact:
Director of Communications
Tel: (204) 942-5500 ext. 20
E-mail: news@cwhn.ca