Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

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Women's health

Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are investigating promising new approaches to improve women’s health. Our work spans the full spectrum of research from basic science to clinical research to implementation.

Research News

	ELEVATE seed grants help researchers at The Ottawa Hospital launch new ideas and collaborations March 3, 2025 - The grants, worth a total of $198,000, will advance research on muscle disease, stroke, ovarian cancer and scleroderma.
	Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded 16 CIHR grants worth more than $8 million February 3, 2025 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are leading 16 new projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through the most recent operating grant competition.
	Breast cancer rates rising among Canadian women in their 20s, 30s and 40s April 26, 2024 - Researchers highlight need for immediate shift in public health policy as early detection is key to reducing breast cancer death and complications.
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	Researchers develop “field guide” to 22 ovarian cancer mouse models February 14, 2024 - Researchers use mouse models of ovarian cancer to better understand the disease and develop new treatments. However, it can be difficult to know which model is best for a particular experiment.
	New scientist profile: Dr. David Cook surveys cellular diversity in ovarian cancer to find better treatments January 26, 2024 - “In addition to helping patients with ovarian cancer, I’m fascinated by the science of this disease, and how much we still have to learn."
	Breast cancer screening before age 50 linked with better survival August 4, 2023 - Canadian provinces and territories that allowed women 40-49 to self-refer for organized breast cancer screening programs with annual mammograms had better survival and lower breast cancer mortality rates compared with those that did not, according to
	Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cannabis use during pregnancy almost doubled since legalization May 23, 2023 - The number of pregnancies that required treatment for cannabis use in the emergency department (ED) or during a hospitalization in Ontario increased by 82% (from 11 to 20 per 100,000 pregnancies) following legalization.
	50 ways to repair an ovary? Study suggests multiple pathways can create stem-like ovarian cells August 17, 2021 - Approximately every 28 days, hundreds of cells die and disintegrate on the ovary’s surface as an egg breaks through and begins its journey. Ovaries have become masters at repairing this damage, but exactly how they do this remains a mystery.
	Canadian study finds fewer breast cancers diagnosed between screens when women with dense breasts are offered more frequent mammograms July 20, 2021 - A new study published in the Canadian Association of Radiologists’ Journal shows that Canadian jurisdictions that offer more frequent mammograms to women with dense breasts had fewer cancers diagnosed between screens.
	1 in 4 survey respondents who gave birth at The Ottawa Hospital during the 2020 spring lockdown experienced abusive behaviour from their partners before, during or after pregnancy June 15, 2021 - Survey results from 216 people who gave birth at The Ottawa Hospital between March and June 2020 showed that 52 (24 percent) experienced controlling or abusive behaviour from their partners during their perinatal period (one year pre-pregnancy, durin
	Fewer domestic violence and sexual assault survivors presented for care in Ottawa EDs during the 2020 spring lockdown February 4, 2021 - The Ottawa Hospital saw a decrease in emergency department admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence in the early days of COVID-19, according to a study published in BMC Medicine.
	Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on women December 30, 2020 - Dr. Innie Chen is leading research to understand the impact of COVID-19 on women, thanks to seed funding through The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
	The Ottawa Hospital awarded six CIHR grants worth $2.6 million September 7, 2020 - Could a common diabetes drug help prevent ovarian cancer? Can a tailored screening program help prevent eye disease in immigrants? Is sepsis different in females versus males, and if so, can this help us develop better treatments? These are just a fe
	Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and babies June 25, 2020 - Very little is known about how COVID-19 affects pregnant women and their babies. Drs. Darine El-Chaâr, Marc-André Langlois and their team plan to address this knowledge gap through several large studies. Dr Langlois’s team will be responsib
	Feature grant: researchers investigate why women on hemodialysis are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease June 5, 2019 - Drs. Dylan Burger and Marcel Ruzicka were awarded $48,000 to find out why women on hemodialysis seem to be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
	Experimental contraceptive could give women the power to prevent pregnancy and STIs November 30, 2018 - While condoms are the gold standard for preventing pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), there is a need around the world for solutions that can be used independently by women. New research led by Dr. Nongnuj Tanphaichitr brings a pot
	High dose folic acid does not prevent preeclampsia in high-risk women September 12, 2018 - Taking high doses of folic acid throughout pregnancy does not prevent preeclampsia in high-risk women, according to a large international clinical trial published in The BMJ. This refutes the findings of previous observational studies and is expected
	New blood sugar monitoring a game-changer for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes October 24, 2017 - Fifteen women at The Ottawa Hospital took part in an international clinical trial that could change the way mothers with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels. Mothers with this condition have a higher risk of having children with health c
	Research sheds light on how testosterone regulates female reproduction April 7, 2017 - Androgens such as testosterone are best known for promoting the development of the male reproductive system, as well as muscles and body hair. Androgens are also present in women and play a role in female reproduction and infertility, but the exact m
	“Invaluable” study confirms blood thinners don’t prevent recurrent pregnancy complications October 18, 2016 - Two years ago, Dr. Marc Rodger thought he had settled the debate about the use of blood thinners in pregnant women at high risk of developing blood clots. His trial of 292 women in five countries – the largest of its kind – definitely showed that t
	Putrescine water doubles fertility in aging females June 24, 2015 - New research led by Dr. Johné Liu shows that drinking water supplemented with putrescine can turn back the biological clock in aging female mice and help them have more babies. Putrescine is a naturally occurring small compound produced in many tissu
	Grant valued at almost $1 million awarded for research into fetus and placenta health September 17, 2014 - Dr. Jay Baltz has been awarded a five-year grant valued at $936,703 by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study how the care and handling of a woman`s eggs prior to them being fertilized and placed in a uterus can impact the health

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Bissell, Mary Beth MSc, MD, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (CR)	Breast cancer, Cancer, COVID-19, Population health, Women's health	Clinical research
Black, Amanda MD, MPH, FRCSC	Associate Scientist (ACR)	Pregnancy, Women's health	Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Health promotion, Surveys, Systematic reviews
Chen, Innie MD, MPH, FRCSC	Scientist (ACR)	Health equity, Population health, Pregnancy, Women's health	Clinical research, Epidemiology, Health research methods, Patient engagement, Quality Improvement, Systematic reviews
El-Chaar, Darine MD, FRCSC, Msc	Scientist (ICD)	Autoimmune disease, COVID-19, Diabetes, Infectious disease, Inflammatory bowel syndrome, Maternal and fetal health, Newborn and child health, Population health, Pregnancy, Women's health	Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Health research methods, Health services research, Public health, Qualitative methods, Quality Improvement, Systematic reviews
Gaudet, Laura MD, MSc	Affiliate Investigator (ACR)	Newborn and child health, Pregnancy, Women's health	Clinical research
Kendzerska, Tetyana MD, PhD	Associate Scientist (ICD)	Aging, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Heart disease, Lung disease, Population health, Women's health	Biostatistics, Clinical research, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Health research methods, Health services research, Systematic reviews
Liu, Johné PhD	Senior Scientist (ICD)	Aging, Cancer, Infertility, Maternal and fetal health, Pregnancy, Women's health	Basic research, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Disease models, Drug development, Translational research
Rodger, Marc MD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (ACR)	Pregnancy, Thrombosis / thromboembolism, Women's health	Clinical decision rules, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Systematic reviews
Seely, Jean MDCM, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (CR)	Breast cancer, Cancer, Health equity, Population health, Women's health	Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Health technology, Imaging, Patient engagement, Public health, Quality Improvement, Surgery
Tanphaichitr, Nongnuj PhD	Senior Scientist Emeritus (ICD)	HIV, Infectious disease, Infertility, Men's health, Sexually transmitted infections, Women's health	Basic research, Drug development, Imaging, Lipidomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics
Vanderhyden, Barbara PhD	Senior Scientist (CR)	Cancer, Infertility, Ovarian cancer, Women's health	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Immunotherapy, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research, Viral therapy
Walker, Mark MD, FRCPC, MSc, MScHCM	Senior Scientist (ACR)	Global health, Health equity, Infertility, Maternal and fetal health, Newborn and child health, Population health, Pregnancy, Women's health	Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cluster randomized trials, Cohort studies, Epidemiology, Health economics, Health promotion, Health research methods, Health services research, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Pragmatic trials, Prevention, Public health, Quality Improvement, Rapid reviews, Risk assessment, Surveys, Systematic reviews

Related Resources

The Ottawa Hospital's Shirley E. Greenberg Women’s Health Centre