It’s time for Answers
And that means investing in research that finally puts women at the centre
The health of half our population has been treated as an afterthought for far too long - with women excluded from clinical trials until 1997 and still just receiving 6% of government health research funding. Most of that funding goes to women’s cancers and fertility, leaving major gaps in understanding how women experience all health conditions – from heart disease and stroke to chronic pain and depression.
At Sinai Health, we’re helping women get the answers they deserve.
Here, our scientists and clinicians are leading research that tackles the real issues women face across every stage of life. But with women spending more of their lives in poor health with varying degrees of disability – we need to do more, faster. Join us to close the gaps in women’s health research. Together, we can accelerate breakthroughs in menopause, cardiology, mental health, sexual medicine, pelvic health and beyond – transforming care for generations of women to come.
We need a future where women are no longer invisible
Symptoms that are ignored or dismissed. One misdiagnosis after another. Misunderstandings of how women experience disease. All are the consequences of the historic lack of research into women’s health.
From hormones to metabolism, from physiology down to the cells – women’s bodies are different. Those differences shape how diseases develop and how treatments work. Yet, they’ve been overlooked and understudied throughout time.
#1
leading cause of premature death in women is heart disease and stroke
2X
the likelihood of depression in women versus men
70%
of women will experience genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)
And yet – most clinical heart and stroke research has focused on men. Fewer than 1% of funded mental health grants have specifically studied women. And research into GSM – a spectrum of symptoms that includes vaginal dryness, urinary urgency and poor sexual function – remains limited.
Together, let’s find the answers
Research is not just about advancing knowledge - it’s about improving lives. Every discovery brings us closer to better, more equitable care for women.
Get InvolvedSinai Health is helping women get the answers they deserve
Sinai Health is one of the only academic centres in the world to make women’s health a key strategic priority. We invest in research specifically aimed at improving women’s health and understanding sex-based differences in disease, aging and long-term outcomes. From our world-class researchers at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) to our clinicians bridging discovery and patient care day after day, Sinai Health is at the forefront of advancing the future of women’s health.
Why are women more likely to die than men in the year following a heart attack?
Dr. Susanna Mak is pioneering heart studies at Sinai Health’s cutting-edge Mecklinger-Posluns Cardiac Catheterization Research Lab to explain why women may have worse quality of life and outcomes with heart disease, exploring tailored diagnostic testing and treatments that can improve women’s recovery and survival.
How can we best care for the one in seven women who experience chronic pelvic pain?
Dr. Nucelio Lemos is currently the only gynaecologist in Canada specializing in neuropelveology – an emerging medical field focusing on diagnosing and treating pelvic nerve pain – and has been instrumental in developing innovative techniques for managing pelvic pain and dysfunction.
Why do one in three women still develop long-term chronic pain after breast cancer surgery?
Dr. James Khan is leading an international trial to fill gaps in understanding how to better manage pain following breast cancer surgery – a growing issue as survivorship improves – with lidocaine infusion, a widely available and inexpensive treatment that could change the standard of care in breast cancer management.
These are just a handful of the urgent questions our researchers are tackling – yet they represent only the beginning of what’s needed to close the gaps in women’s health. Together, we can continue to answer the questions left open by historical and systemic gaps in women’s health research. Your support ensures our ongoing efforts to strengthen research infrastructure, develop new research programs, recruit top talent and plan for future leadership.
Building on the success of the Weston and O’Born Centre for Mature Women’s Health
In 2022, we launched a $50-million campaign to establish the Weston and O’Born Centre for Mature Women’s Health, which will be the most comprehensive Centre of its kind in the world dedicated to addressing the inequities that exist in care and research related to women’s health.
Our vision to drive a transformative shift in the way health care is delivered to women throughout their lives was made a reality through donor support. Your support also made it possible to welcome Dr. Paula Rochon as the Centre’s inaugural Director of Research. As a renowned geriatrician and health equity expert, Dr. Rochon brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to her work, as well as a deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers. Alongside Dr. Wendy Wolfman, the Centre’s visionary inaugural Director, and Sinai Health’s leading clinicians and researchers, we are advancing a bold new vision for mature women’s health.
"We want a world where research is created and used to recognize and address the unique health and well-being needs of women across their lifecourse."
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Sources
Yakerson A. (2019). Women in clinical trials: a review of policy development and health equity in the Canadian context. Int J Equity Health, 18 (56).
Stranges TN, et al. (2023). Are we moving the dial? Canadian health research funding trends for women's health, 2S/LGBTQ + health, sex, or gender considerations. Biology of Sex Differences, 14 (1).
Ellingrud K, et al. Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies. (2024). McKinsey & Company.
BC Women’s Health Foundation. (2020). The research divide. Partnership for Women’s Health Research.
Zucker I. (2020). Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women. Biol Sex Differ, 11 (32).
Heart & Stroke. Women’s risk factors. (https://www.heartandstroke.ca/women/womens-risk-factors ; last accessed July, 2025).
Gravelsins LL, et al. (2025). Women’s health research funding in Canada across 13 years suggests low funding levels with a narrow focus. medRxiv; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.14.25325826.
Cuccu I, et al. (2024). Update on Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A scoping review of a tailored treatment-based approach. Life, 14 (11).