The Women Staying Healthy Project
Hosts a CIHR Café Scientifique
On October 26th, 2009, Dr. George Tasca of the Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders and Dr. Andrée Gruslin of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and New Born Care at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and University of Ottawa hosted a successful Café Scientifique entitled: “A Fine Balance, Women Staying Healthy in a Culture of Plenty”.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) sponsored the evening as part of their Café Scientifique program of informal public lectures and discussions designed to bring scientific research to the community. The Café was held in support of the Women Staying Healthy project, a research program on women’s health, mental health and obesity, funded by CIHR and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation.
This stimulating evening of conversations about women’s health was well attended, with 60 guests joining moderators, Dr. George Tasca and Dr. Kerri Ritchie at La Favorita restaurant in Ottawa. The focus of discussion was the challenge of finding a balance between individual metabolism, abundant food, and social pressure, and how this balancing act affects the health and mental health of women. The invited expert speakers were Dr. Alfonso Abizaid, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Carleton University, who spoke about biological pressures on women’s eating and weight; Dr. Gretchen Conrad, a psychologist at TOH, who spoke about social pressures to be thin and eating disordered behaviours among girls and women; and Dr. Elaine Jolly, Director of the Women’s Health Centre at TOH, who spoke about medical issues associated with obesity across the lifespan. The evening was co-sponsored by the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and New Born Care, and the community partner was The Diva Foundation.
Click here to view photos of the evening.
Click to view videos of the speakers:
Dr. Alfonso Abizaid; Dr. Gretchen Conrad; Dr. Elaine Jolly.
Or click to view the videos on YouTube
To find out more about the Women Staying Healthy project and to get involved, click here, email wsh@toh.on.ca, or call 613-737-8059.