Nova ScotiaThe IWK Foundation is calling on the federal government to create a national chair who will focus on women’s health. Survey on women’s health garnered 27,000 responses in the MaritimesCarolyn Ray · CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The IWK Foundation supports the IWK Health Centre, a women’s and children’s hospital that serves the Maritimes. (Robert Short/CBC)The IWK Foundation is calling on the federal government to create a national chair who will focus on women’s health. Jennifer Gillivan, the president and CEO of the foundation, says there hasn’t been a national strategy that focuses on women since 1999, and Canada is falling far behind internationally. “This is both a moral opportunity but also a smart economic opportunity for Canada,” she said. “Women cannot be ignored any longer.”The foundation supports the IWK Hospital in Halifax, which treats women and children in the Maritimes. Earlier this year, the foundation conducted a survey targeting women in the region to get a sense of what they think of their health care. They expected 2,000 responses but received 27,000.”The system has been created with the assumption that the male is the standard norm and the female is atypical,” Gillivan said. “It’s not. We’re just a different human with different needs.”Jennifer Gillivan is the president and CEO of the IWK Foundation. (Submitted by IWK Foundation)The foundation released an initial report on the responses in early October, and released new national recommendations in a second report this week that was produced with Deloitte. In it, the foundation is calling for the creation of a national women’s health chair, a renewed national strategy and a 10-year investment into the issue. Gillivan said just seven per cent of health research in Canada focuses on women. “I could go on for hours with the stats,” she said. “Seventy-five per cent of all adverse drug reactions are experienced by women. We are two times more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease.”She said it’s important to realize that women’s health isn’t just about reproductive issues. “It’s brain health, it’s cancer, it’s heart disease.” The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, a branch of the federal government, told CBC News it has invested more than $320 million in new research projects related to women’s health over the last five years.It pointed to a National Women’s Health Research Initiative that launched four years ago, which is promoting research into women’s health. Gillivan said the current system doesn’t go far enough, and the proof is in the responses they received from women who are desperate for more support. She said a strategy could bring together researchers, medical experts, politicians and the tech sector.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORCarolyn Ray is a videojournalist who has reported out of three provinces and two territories, and is now based in Halifax. You can reach her at Carolyn.Ray@cbc.ca
Canada needs women’s health chair, says IWK Foundation
