To help increase women’s retention in opioid addictions treatment – known as opioid agonist treatment (OAT) – Kristen Morin’s research investigates the connection between women’s retention in OAT and the gender of their treating physician. While women comprise about 45 per cent of OAT patients, studies show that women tend to drop out of treatment at higher rates than men, as well as experience more significant health consequences from drug use.

By analyzing Ontario’s health administrative databases to measure and study the health system interactions of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), Morin aims to help inform clinical guidelines and policies for OAT patients in Ontario, as well as provinces across the country that are affected by the opioid crisis.

Kristen Morin is a postdoctoral researcher at NOSM University where she studies how to improve services and experiences for clients requiring mental health and addictions services, with a specific focus on treatment seeking individuals with OUD and concurrent mental health challenges. Prior to joining NOSM, Morin held positions in health-care planning and program evaluation. She has an interdisciplinary background in public health, epidemiology and health service planning for marginalized populations in northern Ontario.

By working to better understand disparities in the global treatment and survival rates of women diagnosed with young-onset breast cancer, Victoria Sopik’s research is exploring external factors that could help identify predictors of survival outcomes. Presently, women diagnosed with young-onset breast cancer have a relatively poor prognosis and existing studies have been too small in scope to offer a comprehensive investigation on the factors affecting survival.

Through the creation of a large multi-center database, as well as detailed clinical and follow-up data on women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40, Sopik is examining external factors, including access to care, race and ethnicity, stage at diagnosis, tumour characteristics, effectiveness of treatments and access to treatments. These factors will help Sopik identify key predictors of survival outcomes among young-onset breast cancer patients in Canada and around the world.

Sopik’s research program is currently working with nine participating countries, including Canada, Poland, Sweden, Iceland, Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Chile and Iran. She aims to further expand the program to 20 countries, particularly countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

Victoria Sopik is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto. She also received her PhD from the University of Toronto, where she sought to resolve the inconsistencies underlying current approaches to breast cancer research, screening and treatment. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, Sopik attended Queen’s University, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

To help improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain injury among women who identify as survivors of intimidate partner violence (IPV), Danielle Toccalino’s research explores the health-care related needs and experiences of IPV survivors with brain injury and mental health concerns. It is estimated that up to 75 per cent of women IVP survivors are suspected of sustaining a brain injury, yet brain injuries are often overlooked among IPV survivors or misdiagnosed as a mental health concern.

In the first study of its kind in Canada, Toccalino is collaborating with a network of community partners, stakeholders and survivors from communities across Canada to conduct her research. In doing so, she aims to address the critical gap in understanding the impact of IPV-related brain injury and mental health concerns on the health-care needs of survivors. The research will also help provide key insights into how to adapt health services and policy to address existing gaps in health-care services.

Danielle Toccalino is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto in the Acquired Brain Injury Research Lab. Her larger research program explores the intersections of IPV, traumatic brain injury and mental health or substance use as it relates to access to, and use of, health-care and community services.

With an aim to increase women’s recruitment and retention as first responders, Kelly Gregory’s research explores the unique occupational, physical and mental health challenges facing the experiences of women working as paramedics, police officers and firefighters in Ontario.

Through observation and interviews with stakeholders in the field, as well as consulting existing policies, procedures and protocols, Gregory is investigating the structural and organizational factors within the professional settings of women employed as police officers, firefighters and paramedics.

As the first study of its kind in Canada, the results of Gregory’s research will help support women currently working in these fields by informing equity, diversity and inclusion policies and practices. This work will help advance recruitment efforts and help support women’s wellbeing and the sustainability of their work in these critical fields.

Kelly Gregory will be a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health in September 2022, where she will pursue a PhD in social and behavioural health sciences, specializing in women’s health.

By identifying oral contraception pills (OCPs) that provide the best cardiovascular outcomes for women in Canada, Jennifer Williams’s research is examining the effects of OCPs on early risk factors for cardiovascular disease. While OCPs are the most common prescription for women aged 15 to 44 in Canada, minimal research exists on the effects of OCPs on cardiovascular health.

Williams will use ultrasound technology and artery response to stimulate indicators of cardiovascular disease, such as stiffness of arteries and markers found in blood, to help identify the short- and long-term effects of hormonal OCPs on women’s cardiovascular health.

Jennifer Williams is a doctoral candidate in the Vascular Dynamics Lab at McMaster University where she is completing a PhD in kinesiology. She previously completed an undergraduate degree in health studies and a master’s degree in kinesiology at Queen’s University. Jennifer is an advocate for women’s health and the inclusion of women in basic and clinical research.

To help develop a better understanding of what places pregnant individuals at risk of developing or experiencing heightened anxiety during pregnancy and within 12 months postpartum, Melissa Furtado’s research is identifying safe and effective preventative methods and treatment options that could ensure the long-term health and safety of the mother and child.

Furtado and her colleagues identified that individuals who experience intolerance of uncertainty — the fear of engaging in uncertain situations — are at an increased risk of postpartum anxiety and have developed a tool to aid in the early detection of anxiety symptoms during, and after, pregnancy. Furtado will explore if pregnant individuals who are intolerant of uncertainty will react positively to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programs as a form of treatment.

Currently, existing research has only looked at the effect of CBT programs on non-pregnant individuals. Furtado’s research would be the first to determine if a low-risk, focused treatment during pregnancy could prevent the development of postpartum anxiety.

Melissa Furtado is a doctoral student at McMaster University where she is pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. She has been actively engaged in women’s health research over the last several years, previously completing a master’s of science in neuroscience studying the psychosocial and biological risk factors of postpartum anxiety.

By revealing new therapeutic vulnerabilities in BRCA-1 mutant breast cancer – one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer – Anisha Hundal’s research is exploring the role of a cell’s nuclear envelop in repairing damaged DNA.

Using preliminary data gathered by Hundal and her team, she will investigate the potential dependence of cancer cells, particularly BRCA-1 mutant breast cancer cells, on the nuclear envelope to combat accumulating DNA damage events.

Anish Hundal is a graduate student in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Toronto where she studies cancer and women’s health. She also obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Through analysis of data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Jahin Ali Khan is working to identify the risk of psychosis among migrant women by examining the relationship between language and psychosis among migrant women in Ontario.

Khan and her colleagues are calculating the risk of psychosis based on external factors, such as migration, country of origin, marital status at arrival and highest level of education between migrant women and men. The results of her research will help identify the sex-based risk factors for psychosis among migrant women, which can then be used to inform psychosis screening and public mental health interventions.

Jahin Ali Khan is a graduate student in the epidemiology program at Western University. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto where she studied neuroscience and English.