National Women’s Health Research Initiative: Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition – Coordinating Centre – Application

Aboriginal Peoples

Governance and Public Policy

Social Justice

Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery

Deadlines

Academic Unit: inquire with unit

Memorial Deadline: Monday 23rd, October 2023

External Deadline: Thursday 26th, October 2023

Description

Inequities persist in Canada’s health system, from research to care. Women are more likely to die of preventable illnesses and bear a higher burden of chronic illnesses. Significant health inequities and barriers to care also are experienced by Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis), Black people, racialized people, sexually and gender diverse people, immigrants, people living with disabilities, and people of different socioeconomic positions and geographical locations¹. We need to strengthen research and knowledge mobilization with a sex, gender, and intersectional lens to enhance health outcomes, eliminate gaps in access to care, and improve the quality of women’s healthcare across Canada.

As a result, the National Women’s Health Research Initiative (NWHRI), a joint initiative between CIHR and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), was announced as part of the 2021 federal budget to advance a coordinated research program that addresses under-researched and high-priority areas of women’s health and to ensure new evidence improves women’s, girls’, and gender-diverse people’s care and health outcomes. The initiative aims to ensure that all people in Canada navigating the health system, have access to gender-sensitive, culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing, evidence-based, high-quality healthcare across their life course that reflects and respects the intersection of their unique biological, social, and cultural identities.

The NWHRI is composed of two funding streams: The Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition (herein called the Coalition) and the Innovation Fund.

The Coalition, comprised of hubs and an overarching Coordinating Centre, aims to maximize the visibility and impact of women’s health research and practice in Canada, committing to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous Rights. The funding opportunity for the hubs was launched in 2022 and it is expected that the successfully funded hubs will be announced in July 2023. The current funding opportunity is accepting applications for the Coordinating Centre.

Note: Applying for hubs’ funding does not preclude applying for the Coordinating Centre funding, nor is there a requirement to be a hub grantee to apply to the current funding opportunity.

The Coordinating Centre (current funding opportunity)

The Coordinating Centre, together with the hubs, will work to mobilize new and existing knowledge in women’s health into effective, gender-sensitive, and culturally appropriate women’s health services across Canada. The specific roles and responsibilities of the Coordinating Centre were informed by discussions at the Ideas Fair and Learning Circle. The Coordinating Centre is expected to collaborate with each hub, as well as across the hubs, to develop a symbiotic approach to identifying and implementing solutions to pan-Canadian challenges in women’s health. This approach will be based on the governance plan that will be developed by the Coordinating Centre in collaboration with the hubs once the successful Coordinating Centre is in place.

Consistent with the leadership approach required for the hubs, the Coordinating Centre requires tripartite leadership, including a non-governmental community organization, an independent researcher, and a healthcare provider, each from different organizations, all in the area of women’s health. Additionally, it is encouraged that the Coordinating Centre’s leadership build a diverse team that brings together the expertise and experiences of other non-governmental community organizations, healthcare providers, researchers (including early career researchers), and trainees, as well as Indigenous Peoples, and/or patients and people with lived experience in women’s health, as appropriate. Given the importance of ensuring women drive and inform the research supported through the NWHRI, it is encouraged that women and gender-diverse people lead and/or are meaningfully engaged in the leadership of the Coordinating Centre, as well as its activities. See Eligibility for more details on Coordinating Centre composition.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): This funding opportunity values activities that reflect the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), consistent with CIHR’s position on EDI available in the Tri Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Coordinating Centre is required to ensure that there is equitable access for all researchers – including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples – to opportunities available within the Coalition.

Applicants are required to outline the EDI-informed considerations that apply to the application. This could include ensuring the research team environment is supportive of diversity, considering equity in roles and decision-making on the research team, applying equity in training activities, and addressing any systemic barriers effectively and swiftly (see the Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research for guidance and examples of systemic barriers).

Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis + (SGBA+): CIHR encourages the applicant team to consider sex and gender through an intersectional lens where appropriate. A member of the tripartite leadership team is expected to complete one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules (see How to Apply).

Role and Contributions of Applicant Partners: CIHR recognizes that a broad range of partners may be relevant to this opportunity and it is expected that applicant(s) describe the role of all applicant partners and how/if they will contribute to the proposed Coordinating Center activities. Any consideration of risk and/or conflict of interest should also be explained, as appropriate.

See ResearchNet for more information.

Funding Sources

Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)