Substance use disorders are not unique to women – yet many parts of it are. From barriers to access, prevalence, and most importantly, risk, the way women experience substance use disorder is unique and requires a shift in how we approach treatment. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Jennifer Wyman of Women’s College Hospital to discuss the unique impacts of substance use disorders on women, and how that can inform and change the care they receive.  

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women, with one in eight women being diagnosed in their lifetime. Having a mutation in the BRCA gene increases this likelihood to 45% to 85%, along with a 10% to 46% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Kelly Metcalfe and Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos of Women’s College Research Institute at Women’s College Hospital to discuss the importance of research into prevention, treatment, and after-care for women’s genetic cancers.  

Stigma and discrimination in the context of healthcare are a central driver of morbidity and mortality for women – especially when it comes to reproductive care. Too many topics surrounding a women’s body and health are taboo – and with that comes important, and often lethal, implications for the health of our communities and the women in them. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Amanda Selk of Women’s College Hospital to speak about the importance of care, education, and accessibility in vulvovaginal health. 

One in five Canadians experience chronic pain, but our healthcare system’s current approach to pain management is highly fragmented – leading patients to have to see multiple specialists in different locations and face lengthy wait lists, culminating into poor outcomes for patients and healthcare system costs of more than $6 billion each year. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Céleste Corkery and Dr. Tania Di Renna of Women’s College Hospital’s Toronto Academic Pain Management Insititute to discuss chronic pain and pain management, specifically as experienced by women. 

For years, women experiencing heart attacks were turned away from emergency rooms in Canada for not presenting with the typical symptoms associated with the disease. What research knew, but many physicians didn’t, was that the symptoms of heart attacks in women vary greatly from those in men. And this gap in knowledge left an often-fatal mark on how women access healthcare in Canada. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by WCH’s Debbie Childerhose on part two of this two-part episode on cardiac health for women. 

For years, women experiencing heart attacks were turned away from emergency rooms in Canada for not presenting with the typical symptoms associated with the disease. What research knew, but many physicians didn’t, was that the symptoms of heart attacks in women vary greatly from those in men. And this gap in knowledge left an often-fatal mark on how women access healthcare in Canada. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Debbie Childerhose and Dr. Paula Harvey of Women’s College Hospital to discuss the importance of cardiac health for women.  This is part 1 of a 2-part episode. Part 2 to be released on April 3rd, 2023.

While there has been a noticeable shift in how mental illness is addressed and treated, women, and their unique predispositions, are often still left out of the conversation. In fact, up to 20% of Canadian women will suffer from a maternal mental illness in their lifetime. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Simone Vigod of Women’s College Hospital Department of Psychiatry to speak on how women are disproportionately and uniquely affected by mental health, and how they are being systemically let down in terms of care and support.

Women make up 51% of the population, yet only 28% of scientists are women, and only 8% of Canada’s national funding goes to women’s health research – leading to a large and often dangerous gap in healthcare system, policies, and practices. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Rulan Parekh, VP Academics, Women's College Hospital and Dr. Cindy Maxwell, VP Medical Affairs and System Transformation, Women’s College Hospital to discuss the gender bias in healthcare, how it can lead to barriers in accessing necessary and life-saving health services, and what we can do to overcome them. Follow us at Women's College Hospital Foundation or visit our website at womenscollegehospitalfoundation.com

70% of patients that present with what physicians refer to as “medically unexplained symptoms” are women – yet let than 8% of Canada’s national funding is directed to women’s health research. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Heather McPherson, President and CEO, Women's College Hospital, and Dr. Aisha Lofters of Women’s College Hospital in this two-part episode to discuss the need for gender and race-specific research in healthcare and the steps we can take to close the gap in making healthcare accessible and equitable for all. Follow us at Women's College Hospital Foundation or visit our website at womenscollegehospitalfoundation.com

Mind the Health Gap, brought to you by Women’s College Hospital Foundation, offers in-depth conversations surrounding the gaps in Canada’s healthcare system and their dangerous consequences, featuring physicians and prominent leaders from Women’s College Hospital.