Events

Day of Excellence in Academics

Women’s College Hospital’s Day of Excellence in Academics celebrates achievements in research, innovation, quality improvement, practice, collaboration, teaching and mentorship. As an organization focused on healthcare innovation and system solutions, WCH is implementing a Learning Health System. This approach requires integrating research, key learnings, feedback and quality improvement into everyday processes to provide high-quality patient care.

2023 Day of Excellence in Academics

The second Day of Excellence in Academics at Women’s College Hospital (WCH) took place on Thursday, May 11, 2023. It was remarkable to witness the incredible work being done at WCH, and to celebrate colleagues across the hospital and gain a greater understanding of how interprofessional teams are working together to help shape the future of healthcare.

Leading up to the Day of Excellence in Academics, WCH hosted its first-ever poster gallery, showcasing the wide breadth of work at WCH – covering research, education scholarship and quality improvement. Academics received 55 poster submissions – doubling the tally from last year’s event.

Ruderman Lecture on Leadership and Innovation

The day kicked off with the Jim Ruderman Lecture on Leadership and Innovation. The lecture is held annually in honor of Dr. Ruderman (1950-2015), a much-loved and respected leader who served as Chief of Staff (2006-2013) and Family Physician in Chief (1992-2014) during his career at Women’s College Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Ruderman was a valued faculty member (1981-2015) with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

This year’s lecture was delivered by Dr. Antoine Boivin and Vincent Dumez, who co-lead the Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public (CEPPP) at the Université de Montréal. Their talk titled “Caring and Transforming Health Together: Mobilizing Everyone’s Knowledge Across Trajectories of Lives” preceeded a thoughtful panel and audience discussion.

Watch this year’s lecture

Interprofessional Poster Presentations

Creativity and innovation are evident throughout WCH – and supporting a thriving and collaborative learning health system requires the systematic integration of innovative programs with rigorous evaluation and evidence to provide high-quality patient-centered care.

This was demonstrated through the five innovative interprofessional posters selected for oral presentations. These presentations further positioned WCH as an academic leader, system innovator and advocate for health equity!

Watch this year’s oral presentations and awards ceremony

Congratulations to our presenters:

• “Evaluation of a virtual ‘no-touch’ abortion program implemented in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic” presented by Maya Biderman
• “Developing a curriculum to address the needs of transgender and gender diverse survivors of intimate partner violence: A learning needs assessment survey of Ontario health and social service providers” presented by Emma Kelly
• “Referral Management Modernization at Women’s College Hospital: Pilot Results Informing Hospital-Wide Transformation” presented by Lynn Carter and Debi Singer
• “Long-term gynecological outcomes and vaginal care practices among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty” presented by Jason Hallarn
• “‘Check Your Vulva’ – A Patient Education and Virtual Vulva Care Pilot Project” presented by Praniya Elangainesan

While the top five were selected for an oral presentation, all submitted posters and infographics are available for virtual viewing. We encourage you to check them out and see the incredible work being done by your colleagues at WCH! 

Awards Ceremony

The Day of Excellence in Academics culminated with a presentation of awards. Awards were given in the following categories: Research, Education, Professional Practice and Quality Improvement. In addition, the Jessie Young Scholarship and Jean Davey Honorary Fund recipients were announced, as well as the the Best Poster award (“Long-term gynecological outcomes and vaginal care practices among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty” presented by Jason Hallarn) and the first-ever People’s Choice Award Poster (“‘Check Your Vulva’ – A Patient Education and Virtual Vulva Care Pilot Project”). Congratulations to all award recipients!

Women of Gairdner 2023

Women’s College Hospital, in partnership with the Gairdner Foundation, are hosting the second annual Women of Gairdner event during Gairdner Science Week. Through panel discussion, storytelling and interactive dialogue, Canada Gairdner Award laureates Drs. Gelareh Zadeh, Bonnie L. Bassler and Lynne E. Maquat will share insights into their unique career paths, research, and the challenges they have faced, as well as the need for greater equity and inclusion within the health sciences fields.

High school students are invited to attend the discussion and will have the opportunity to take part in educational activities and a networking event where they will broaden their understanding of science and knowledge systems, build their networking skills, and connect with scientists, researchers, and other students.

This event is not open for registration. Contact sharon.tan@wchospital.ca for more details.

Logistics

Date: October 25, 2023

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Today, four in five people in Canada live in urban areas. Urbanization and densification are only expected to increase in the coming years. We know that our built environment – the homes we live in, the transit systems we use, our community spaces and the services available to us – all affect our physical and mental health. Yet, discussions linking our quality of health and our city landscapes are lacking.

On November 8, 2023, Women’s College Hospital is hosting its first in a series of annual public events supported this year by Canadian Institutes for Health Research. This year’s theme, Healthy Cities, Healthy People will bring together a diverse group of presenters and attendees for a lively program of engaging talks and sessions discussing how we can make cities better places to live.

By sharing research evidence and engaging with a broad audience, Healthy Cities, Healthy People aims to advance collaboration and education on urban health.

Logistics

Date & Time: November 8, 2023 | 3.00pm – 6.00 pm.

Location: Women’s College Hospital – auditorium and pink cube

Event Format: Two 60-minute speaker sessions with audience Q&A and one interactive/networking session

Ticketing: Both in-person and virtual tickets can be reserved

Cost: Free

Speakers