Governance | Women's Heart Health Centre

The CWHHA consists of over 65 members from across Canada consisting of clinicians, scientists, allied health professionals, program administrators, and patient partners. The CWHHA is powered by the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute with funding support from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation.

The CWHHA comprises an Executive Steering Committee, Secretariat, and four Working Groups.

Alliance governance structure

Executive Steering Committee

The Executive Steering Committee provides guidance for committees and working group initiatives to ensure that all activities are aligned with the common mission and vision of the Alliance.

	Thais Coutinho, MD Executive Steering Committee Chair Co-Chair, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Summit Chief, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON
	Bob Reid, PhD., MBA Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON
	Judy Luu, M.D./Ph.D., FRCPC Healthcare Professional Co-Chair, Advocacy Working Group Clinical Fellow, Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Disease Fellowship Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, California
	Helen Robert, B.Comm, CCP Patient Advocate Co-Chair, Advocacy Working Group Ottawa, Ontario
	Kara Nerenberg, MD, MSc Healthcare Professional Co-Chair, Health Systems and Policy Working Group General Internal Medicine and Obstetric Medicine Associate Professor, University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta
	Nicole Nickerson Patient Advocate Co-Chair, Health Systems and Policy Working Group Middle Lahave, Nova Scotia
	Christine Pacheco, MD, MSc, FRCPC Healthcare Professional Co-Chair, Knowledge Translation and Mobilization Working Group Cardiologist, Pierre-Boucher Hospital, and University of Montréal Hospital Centre (CHUM) Faculty Member, Department of Medicine, University of Montreal Clinical Investigator-Researcher, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de Université de Montréal (CRCHUM) Montréal, Québec
	Karen E. Jacques, BA, JD Patient Advocate Co-Chair, Knowledge Translation and Mobilization Working Group Kincardine, Ontario
	Carolyn Baer, MD, FRCPC Healthcare Professional Co-Chair, Training and Education Working Group General Internist Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University Moncton, New Brunswick
	Jennifer Monaghan, LLB, BA Patient Advocate Co-Chair, Training and Education Working Group Kelowna, British Columbia
	Najah Adreak, MD Trainee Representative Research Assistant, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus Vancouver, British Columbia

Secretariat

The purpose of the Secretariat is to facilitate the growth and development of the CWHHA and to support promotion and collaboration, and dissemination and implementation of best practices regarding women’s heart health across Canada.

The Secretariat is a convening body that provides operational, communications, and project management support, and facilitates knowledge brokering membership engagement, and stakeholder coordination. The Secretariat is housed at the Canada Women’s Heart Health Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Members

	Thais Coutinho, MD Executive Steering Committee Chair Co-Chair, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Summit Chief, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON
	Kerri-Anne Mullen, Ph.D., MSc Director, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre and Prevention and Wellness Centre Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation University of Ottawa Heart Institute Ottawa, ON
	Lisa Comber, KTPC, BA Knowledge Translation Lead, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation University of Ottawa Heart Institute Ottawa, ON
	Melissa Core-Gunn, BSc, DIPM Program Officer, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, and Prevention and Wellness Centre Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation University of Ottawa Heart Institute Ottawa, ON
	Anice Wong, BFA Project Coordinator, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation University of Ottawa Heart Institute Ottawa, ON

Working Groups

Knowledge Translation and Mobilization

The Knowledge Translation and Mobilization Working Group is responsible for translating existing and new knowledge about cardiovascular health and disease in women and creating sex-specific guidelines, tools, and programs focused on improving outcomes for Canadian women.

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Training and Education

The Training and Education Working Group is responsible for determining the best methods and means to enhance education and training about cardiovascular issues specific to women. Projects target various audiences such as the general public, physicians, nurses, students, and allied health staff in a phased approach.

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Advocacy

The Advocacy Working Group is responsible for determining the best methods and means to enhance awareness about women’s cardiovascular health in multiple communities across Canada and to stimulate new interest in the field of women’s cardiovascular health.

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Health Systems and Policy

The Health Systems and Policy working group is responsible for exploring cost-effective strategies to improve and monitor women’s cardiovascular health and to promote these strategies based on findings.

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The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is the convening body of the Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance, which is a network of experts and advocates from across Canada aiming to improve women's cardiovascular health across the lifespan.