Do hormonal contraceptives influence brain health in women+?
Hormonal contraceptives (HC) are used by 850M girls, women and people with uteri—all reflected in the term women+—, and 16% of people (5-49y) in Canada. In addition to being contraceptives, HCs are prescribed off-label to treat many other conditions. Few studies have examined effects of these hormones on the brain, however recent work suggests they can increase risk for mood disorders during adolescence and alter brain activation patterns. Yet, how HC use may influence long-term brain health is not known.
Understanding brain health, especially through an equity lens, is critical. Women+ experience different brain health symptoms as a result of their unique experience of stress, which is impacted by age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Stress outcomes affect disease risk, which is also influenced by HCs. Collaborations between academics and research users is vital to understand the unique ways that women+’s lives impact their brain health. This conference explored how HCs influence women+’s brain health by bringing together researchers, clinicians, community partners, trainees, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and identify new research priorities that fill knowledge gaps and address patient experiences.
In this virtual conference series, we hosted bi-weekly events including two keynote talks, four symposia, trainee mentor sessions, guest workshops and a roundtable discussion where attendees co-created a blueprint for future research on hormonal contraceptives.
This virtual conference series dug into unique aspects of hormonal contraceptives and the examined effects of these hormones on the brain. It engaged researchers, clinicians, community partners, trainees, and policymakers to share research and develop strategies to spotlight the need for consideration of female-specific factors to improve women+’s brain health. The overall objective of this conference was to bring attention to the brain health issues that women+ face and encourage the medical, scientific and commercial communities to address them.
Conference Program
Date |
Event |
Speakers |
| Wednesday
October 5th, 2022 10AM – 11:15AM PDT |
Session 1
Keynote Talk with Dr. Elizabeth Hampson Opening conference remarks (10 minutes) Program overview (10 minutes) Keynote Talk: Dr. Elizabeth Hampson
Q&A (15 minutes) |
Moderator: Dr. Liisa Galea, Lead Women’s Health Research Cluster
Keynote speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Hampson, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario Program Overview: Jesse Lacasse, PhD candidate, Concordia University |
| Wednesday
October 19th, 2022 10AM – 11 AM PDT |
Session 2
Trainee-Mentor Networking Session with Dr. Lori Brotto
|
Moderator: Bonnie Lee, University of British Columbia
Mentor: Dr. Lori Brotto, University of British Columbia |
| Wednesday
October 26th, 2022 10AM – 11:45AM PDT |
Session 3
Symposium 1: Imaging the Brain on Hormonal Contraceptives
Q&A (20-25 minutes) |
Moderator: Dr. Nafissa Ismail, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
Dr. Nafissa Ismail, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario Dr. Caitlin Taylor, University of California (SB), Santa Barbara, California, USA. Dr. Michael L. Lipton, Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA. |
| Thursday
November 10th, 2022 10AM – 11AM PST |
Session 4
Indigenous Women’s Health Session: Marisa Blake from Native Women’s Association of Canada
|
Moderator: Stephanie George, McMaster Univsersity
Marisa Blake, Native Women’s Association of Canada |
| Wednesday
November 23rd, 2022 10AM – 12:30PM PST |
Session 5
Trainee Symposium Trainee Poster Session: 10AM-11AM
Young Investigator Data Blitz: 11AM – 12:30PM
|
Moderator: Katherine Moore, Women’s Health Research Cluster
Young Investigator Data Blitz speakers: Jesse Lacasse, PhD candidate, Concordia University Jennifer Williams, PhD candidate, McMaster University Margot Morssinkhof, PhD student, Universiteit Amsterdam/ OLVG Hospital Laura Gravelsins, PhD candidate, University of Toronto Rachel Gilfarb, PhD candidate, Ohio State University |
| Wednesday
November 30th, 2022 10AM – 11:45AM PST |
Session 6
Symposium 2: Hormonal Contraceptives Effects on Mental Health
Q&A (20-25 minutes) |
Moderator: Dr. Frances Chen, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
Dr. Bronwyn Graham, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Dr. Frances Chen, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. Dr. Natalie Tronson, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
| Friday
December 9th, 2022 10AM -11 AM PST |
Session 7
Trainee-Mentor Networking Session with Dr. Angela Kaida
|
Moderators: Bonnie Lee, University of British Columbia & Dr. Sonja Senthanar, University of British Columbia
Mentor: Dr. Angela Kaida, Simon Fraser University |
| Tuesday
January 17th, 2023 10AM – 11AM PST |
Session 8
Workshop: Gender and Hormonal Contraceptives
|
Moderator: Jennifer Williams, McMaster University
Dr. Robert-Paul Juster, University of Montreal Dr. Adriene Beltz, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Thursday
January 26th, 2023 10AM – 11:45AM PST |
Session 9
Symposium 3: Hormonal Contraceptives and Risks for Women’s Health
Q&A (20-25 minutes) |
Moderator: Maureen MacDonald, McMaster University
Dr. Ami Pravinkant Raval, University of Miami, Florida, USA Dr. Kelly Klump, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Dr. Sofia Ahmed, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. |
| Wednesday
February 1st, 2023 10AM – 11PM PST |
Session 10
Trainee-Mentor Networking Session with Dr. Liisa Galea
|
Moderators: Bonnie Lee, University of British Columbia & Dr. Hashim Islam, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Mentor: Dr. Liisa Galea, University of British Columbia |
| Thursday
February 9th, 2023 11AM – 12PM PST |
Session 11
Workshop on Brain Imaging Studies |
Moderator: Alexandra Ycaza Herrera, University of Southern California
Dr. Nicole Petersen, University of California (Irvine), Irvine, California, USA. Dr. Caitlin Taylor, University of California (SB), Santa Barbara, California, USA. |
| Thursday
February 23rd, 2023 10AM – 11AM PST |
Session 12
Workshop on Animal Models |
Moderator: Jesse Lacasse, PhD candidate, Concordia University
Jesse Lacasse, PhD candidate, Concordia University Dr. Natalie Tronson, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
| Wednesday
March 1st, 2023 10AM – 11AM PST |
Session 13
Trainee-Mentor Networking Session with Harlan Pruden
|
Moderators: Bonnie Lee, University of British Columbia & Parisa Alaei, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Mentor: Harlan Pruden, BC Centre for Disease Control |
| Wednesday
March 8th, 2023 10AM – 11AM PST |
Session 14
Discussion with Dr. Sarah E. Hill, author of “This is Your Brain on Birth Control” |
Moderator: Bonnie Lee, University of British Columbia
Dr. Sarah E. Hill, Texas Christian University, Texas, USA. |
| Thursday,
March 23rd, 2023 10AM – 11:45AM PDT |
Session 15
Symposium 4: Hormonal Contraceptives and Cognition
Q&A (20-25 minutes) |
Moderator: Dr. Gillian Eintstein, University of Toronto
Dr. Adriene Beltz, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Dr. Birgit Derntl, University of Tübingen, Germany Dr. Marie-France Marin, University of Quebec, University of Montreal |
| Thursday
March 30th, 2023 10AM – 12PM PDT |
Session 16
Round Table Discussion
Trainee poster award ceremony and closing remarks from Dr. Liisa Galea (15 minutes) |
Planning Committee
- Dr. Liisa Galea
- Dr. Sofia Ahmed
- Dr. Frances Chen
- Dr. Gillian Einstein
- Elizabeth Hampson
- Nafissa Ismail
- Jesse Lacasse
- Dr. Maureen MacDonald
- Jennifer Williams
- Katherine Moore
- Bonnie Lee
Partners and Sponsors
This conference was made possible by support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Elsevier Publishing company and the University of British Columbia Work Learn program. The Trainee Mentor Sessions were brought to you through our partnership with the Institute of Gender and Health Trainee Network. We are deeply grateful for the support of these organizations and everyone who donates to the Women’s Health Research Cluster.
Newsletter Signup
Keep up to date with the Women’s Health Research Cluster
