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As a physiotherapist and a woman living with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Holly Ewanyshyn has witnessed significant disparities in women’s healthcare. After 20 years of conversations with other health care providers, patients, and loved ones, she recognizes that the ability to access effective healthcare is decreased just by simply being female.
Women often face poorer health outcomes than men due to missed diagnoses, overlooked symptoms and treatments that are not properly tailored to them. They are diagnosed later, misdiagnosed more often, and experience more severe side effects of treatments. Conditions like anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disorders are more common and severe in women, and complications from diseases like diabetic heart disease are greater. These issues are even worse for women from marginalized communities. Greater consideration of women in health research and methodologies that study sex and gender, with a focus on intersectionality, will improve health outcomes for women, men, and gender-diverse individuals.
Holly believes a more equitable health care future for women is necessary and possible. This award aims to assist the medical community to better understand how sex and/or gender affects women’s health and ultimately help women live longer, healthier lives.
Your support will help fund an annual award for a trainee dedicated to researching disease pathogenesis in women or female models of disease, encouraging graduate students pursuing research at UBC in women’s health and better integration of sex and gender analysis toward achieving women’s health equity. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Medicine, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Olivia Peters
Associate Director
Faculty of Medicine
