Sinai Health Foundation Spotlights Critical Questions in Women's Health
New campaign calls for urgent action to close gaps in women's health care that become even more prevalent in menopause and beyond
TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - When it comes to women's health, too many questions have remained unanswered, particularly during and after menopause. Sinai Health is committed to changing that. In advance of World Menopause Day on October 18, Sinai Health Foundation has launched their 'Questions' campaign to address the gender gap in health research and raise funds to uncover life-changing answers for women at every stage of life.
Featuring the tagline 'It's Time For Answers', the campaign highlights how the lack of answers around women's health have resulted in significant knowledge and medical care gaps, which only get wider as women age. Despite these substantial gaps, women's health research only receives six per cent of federal funding.
"Women are continuously underrepresented or overlooked in research, leading to misdiagnoses, ignored symptoms and gaps in their treatment and care, especially as they age," said Dr. Paula Rochon,Director of Research of the Weston and O'Born Centre for Mature Women's Health. "At Sinai Health, we're committed to investing in research that addresses the unique health challenges that women face, helping them get answers that are long overdue."
These gaps can have devastating consequences, leaving women vulnerable to risks related to conditions like heart disease, stroke and cognitive decline - all because we haven't studied the differences in how women experience disease. Women's pain is routinely underinvestigated and undertreated, being 10 per cent less likely than men to have their pain level assessed when they arrive at the hospital. Women are diagnosed later than men for more than 700 diseases. And they are 36 per cent more likely to suffer serious or fatal reactions to approved medicines than men. This is only further amplified as they age, with women being more likely to be prescribed multiple medications than men.
"Advances have been made in women's health over the last decade, but there is still work to be done to close the research gap, particularly when it comes to menopause and aging," said Dr. Wendy Wolfman, Director of the Centre. "With the Weston and O'Born Centre for Mature Women's Health, Sinai Health is making mature women's health a priority, because women deserve to thrive at every stage of their life."
Sinai Health is one of the only academic centres in the world to make menopause and mature women's health a strategic priority, and the Weston and O'Born Centre for Mature Women's Health at Mount Sinai Hospital is at the forefront of advancing the future of women's health. After successfully raising the initial $50 million needed to establish the Centre, work is underway to build a state-of-the-art space that will be a hub of research, education and care. This new home for the Centre is expected to open in 2027. In addition to bringing attention to the existing health-care disparities, the 'Questions' campaign aims to raise funds to expand research efforts specifically aimed at improving women's health and understanding sex-based differences in disease, aging and long-term outcomes.
"The momentum from the community is energizing as we enter a new phase of our fundraising efforts. As we build on the success of last year's campaign and turn our focus to research that will help address the unanswered questions around women's health, we aim to raise as much or exceed our initial fundraising targets," says Louis de Melo, President and CEO of Sinai Health Foundation. "We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Paula Rochon to the team of experts at the Centre, and we are also excited to continue expanding the ways we support research across Sinai Health to drive progress in areas like heart, bone and brain health."
To amplify their message, Sinai Health Foundation has transformed the former Hudson Bay Company windows (Queen/Bay Street) into a striking installation that challenges 'Bikini Medicine': an outdated concept that women's health can be reduced to what a bikini covers, leaving the rest of the body overlooked in research and care. From October 14 until November 2, the windows will display mannequins wearing red bikinis – a visual metaphor for the systemic barriers restricting progress in women's health.
To make a donation and join the movement to transform mature women's health care, visit sinaiwomenshealth.ca.
About Sinai Health Foundation
Sinai Health Foundation is the bridge between generosity and innovation, bringing the community together to fund transformative care across Sinai Health. For half a century, the Foundation has helped to support the vision of our health-care leaders, fuel groundbreaking research, and modernize equipment, technology, and spaces, shaping the Sinai Health we know today. Together, we are reimagining the future of care to do more for the patients and families we serve. Learn more at supportsinai.ca
SOURCE Sinai Health Foundation
For further information: Emily Wiles, Senior Writer, Donor Experience and Communications, 416‑586‑8203 ext. 5910, [email protected]
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