Women and Children's Health Research Institute

'We need to be proactive, not reactive': Wildfire smoke from N.W.T. blankets northern Alberta Northern Alberta and the province's capital have been blanketed by wildfire smoke largely coming from fires in Fort Providence.

Wildfire smoke from NWT fires has blanketed northern Alberta, and even when the air quality index looks “better,” the health risks remain.

WCHRI member Anne Hicks warns that repeated smoke exposure can harm lungs, heart and long-term health.
edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...

New hope for Duchenne muscular dystrophy💙
Our team identified DG9, a peptide that boosts delivery of exon-skipping therapy to the heart — a key unmet need in DMD. This approach restored cardiac & skeletal muscle function in mice. www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/... @wchriuofa.bsky.social

Opinion: 'New approach' to COVID shots puts Albertans at risk This “New Approach” is either a massive failure to plan or an actual plan to fail.

WCHRI member Tehseen Ladha and other infectious disease experts say the province’s new approach to COVID-19 vaccination puts Albertans at greater risk.

Read more:

edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

Psychology graduate student explores link between social media and youth mental health through WCHRI support – WCHRI From understanding self-perceptions to advancing disease treatments, WCHRI's graduate students are shaping the future of women's and children's health research.

🎉 Congratulations to our graduate student Umme Sabrina Haque on receiving the prestigious WCHRI Graduate Studentship!
Her work in medical genetics is helping advance therapies for neuromuscular disorders that affect children.
@wchriuofa.bsky.social www.wchri.org/our-impact/s...

Galectin-3 regulates erythropoiesis and enhances the immunoregulatory properties of CD71+ erythroid cells across developmental stages The Editors have selected this article as a highlight of the issue.

June #TopRead from @ualberta.bsky.social and @wchriuofa.bsky.social found distinct gene expression profiles in CD71+ erythroid cells at various developmental stages, suggesting a critical role for Gal-3 in modulating erythropoiesis and enhancing immunoregulation. Read more: ow.ly/L8uv50WiiFm.

🎉 Meet the winners of the 2025 @pwhrcanada.bsky.social Mid-Career Excellence in Women’s Health Research Award:

🔬 Dr. Fairbrother (Women’s Health Research Institute)
🧭 Dr. Montesanti (WCHRI)
💡 Dr. Eder (Women's College Hospital)
💬 Dr. Rosen (IWK Health)

➡️ Learn more: bit.ly/PWHRaward

When standard genetic tests failed, the Translational Genomics Hub (TGH) stepped in to solve a rare, complex case.

Read more about the TGH’s @stollerykids.bsky.social -supported research:
ar.wchri.org/unlocking-ge...
#WCHRIAR2025

Work with Maskwacîs men’s support group highlights the power of community-led research and Cree ways of knowing.

Read more about trainee Adam Purificati-Fuñe and his @stollerykids.bsky.social -supported research:
ar.wchri.org/deadly-dads-...
#WCHRIAR2025

Bo Cao, WCHRI member, is using machine learning to predict future opioid overdose cases. A new computational model could support earlier outreach and inform data-driven public health planning.

www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/...

Researcher Andrea Haqq oversees the Edmonton sites of an international study of mothers with diabetes and their children that aims to improve health outcomes for both.

Read more the @stollerykids.bsky.social -funded research:
ar.wchri.org/building-hea...
#WCHRIAR2025

WCHRI member Maria Ioannou delves into the unexplored world of lipid droplets and their potential to improve outcomes for infants with brain damage.

Read more about Ioannou’s @stollerykids.bsky.social -supported research:
ar.wchri.org/the-fatty-fr...
#WCHRIAR2025

Lighting the Way | 2024-2025 Annual Report Research not only saves lives, it ignites hope. While true transformation requires both patience and vision, each breakthrough brings us closer to our goal.

Research not only saves lives, it ignites hope. Through continual innovation, WCHRI researchers are illuminating the path toward a healthier future for women and children.

We are lighting the way!

Read more in our 2024-2025 annual report:

ar.wchri.org/

#WCHRIAR2025

read the important and amazing work done by WCHRI!! #WCHRIAR2025

So great to read about the research being done by my fellow @wchriuofa.bsky.social members in the 2024-2025 annual report, Lighting the Way! #WCHRIAR2025

WCHRI members are doing amazing things and I can honestly say WCHRI fosters one of the best environments to do perinatal research in the world. Check out what they did this year!

Lighting the Way | 2024-2025 Annual Report Research not only saves lives, it ignites hope. While true transformation requires both patience and vision, each breakthrough brings us closer to our goal.

Research not only saves lives, it ignites hope. Through continual innovation, WCHRI researchers are illuminating the path toward a healthier future for women and children.

We are lighting the way!

Read more in our 2024-2025 annual report:

ar.wchri.org/

#WCHRIAR2025

Lighting the Way | 2024-2025 Annual Report Research not only saves lives, it ignites hope. While true transformation requires both patience and vision, each breakthrough brings us closer to our goal.

One of the major partners supporting our world-class reserachers in the Department fo Cell Biology
@ualberta.bsky.social
is the Women's Children's Health Reserach Institute
@wchriuofa.bsky.social
See how in their 2024-2025 annual report. #WCHRIAR2025
ar.wchri.org

New research: Women with asthma, particularly active asthma, are at higher risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, & C-section. These findings highlight the need for improved asthma monitoring & management during pregnancy. @wchriuofa.bsky.social

Read here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

UCalgary experts investigate effects of climate change on child health, and possible solutions Transdisciplinary project one of six research programs announced by One Child Every Child initiative

Dr. Padma Kaul will lead a #OneChildEveryChild program exploring how clinical, genetic, socio-economic, & behavioral factors impact neonatal & early childhood outcomes following pregnancy complications. @wchriuofa.bsky.social

Read more about the OCEC initiative ⬇️

www.ucalgary.ca/news/ucalgar...

Overdose deaths are declining across North America, following trends in Alberta & BC.

WCHRI member Elaine Hyshka (@ehyshka.bsky.social) continues to advocate for evidence-based public health approaches.

www.thestar.com/news/gta/ove...

After an epic year of wildfires, Canada's air isn't as clean as it used to be | CBC News A new report finds that last year's unprecedented wildfire season made Canada's air quality up to three times worse than the World Health Organization's recommended safe levels. As climate change sets...

WCHRI member Anne Hicks reminds us that poor air quality has lasting impacts on kids’ lung health — and the cleaner the air, the healthier the child.

Read more on @cbcnews-rss.bsky.social:
www.cbc.ca/news/climate...

Contraception access = health, autonomy & opportunity. Yet, too many Albertans face barriers. The #ShiningTheLight report by the Alberta Women's Health Foundation reveals key gaps & solutions.

Read the report: www.albertawomenshealthfoundation.org/our-impact/s...

U of A’s strong subjects make gains in latest QS rankings The University of Alberta has 18 subjects ranked in the Top 100 and four in the Top 20 globally, according to the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Congrats to @ualbertanursing.bsky.social and Dean Shannon Scott for ranking 14th worldwide in the QS subject rankings.

A testament to the faculty’s excellence in training top nurses and addressing healthcare gaps.

Read more: www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...

Five years later, COVID-19 continues to leave its mark on Albertans | CBC News Five years after the province identified its first COVID-19 case, experts are urging Albertans not to forget about those still struggling with its devastating impacts.

Repeated infections raise the risk of long COVID, and now that testing is less accessible, it’s getting tougher to confirm a diagnosis, says WCHRI member Grace Lam.

Read more: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Nursing program sees surge in rural placements and enrolment The Faculty of Nursing is making strides to address the shortage of rural nurses by recruiting and retaining rural and Indigenous students, supporting them while at school and giving them more hands-o...

WCHRI member Shannon Scott is leading @ualbertanursing.bsky.social efforts to boost Indigenous enrollment and hands-on training in rural areas, creating a pipeline of nurses for underserved communities.

Read more: www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...

Study confirms safety of high-intensity resistance training during pregnancy New research challenges existing guidelines that discourage high-intensity resistance exercise during pregnancy, providing evidence that it can be well tolerated by both the mother and fetus.

WCHRI member Margie Davenport confirmed that high-intensity resistance training is safe during pregnancy. Their findings could lead to updated guidelines for expectant moms.

Read more about the Alberta Women's Health Foundation-funded research:
www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...

Alberta declares March as Women's Health Research Month – WCHRI Landmark declaration comes as AWHF’s inaugural Luminaries Luncheon raises more than $500K for vital research.

Alberta declares March as #WomensHealthResearchMonth!

Alberta Women's Health Foundation raised over $500K at the first-ever Luminaries Luncheon to support vital women's health research by WCHRI members.

Read more:
www.wchri.org/our-impact/s...

Traditional diet shows promise for modern gut health By mimicking a traditional, non-industrialized diet, researchers have shown it's possible to restore damage to the gut and improve health.

WCHRI members Carla Prado, Catherine Field and Andrea Haqq found that restoring the gut microbiome may help reduce diabetes and heart disease risks.

Read more about the Alberta Women's Health Foundation-funded research:
www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...

New imaging test could improve how we diagnose and treat lung cancer Researchers have developed a new molecular imaging test that combines an antibody therapy with a radioactive isotope to improve diagnosis and monitoring of lung cancer.

Afsaneh Lavasanifar and Frank Wuest, WCHRI members, have created a method that uses an antibody and radioactive isotope to track tumors more precisely and monitor treatment effectiveness.

Read more: www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...

Gene therapy shows promise for treating rare muscle disease A U of A research team has taken the first step toward proving its innovative gene therapy can successfully treat a rare genetic condition called dysferlinopathy that impairs the body’s ability to rep...

Toshifumi Yokota, WCHRI member, and a team have developed a molecule that bypasses genetic mutations to restore a crucial muscle-repairing protein. This could be life-changing for those with muscular dystrophy.

Read about @stollerykids.bsky.social-funded research:
www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/202...