Alliance project outputs are identified, prioritized, and reviewed on a 2-year cycle at the Annual General Meeting by the larger membership. Members must follow a formal submission process to request new projects (outside of the annual feedback survey) which are reviewed and approved by the Executive Steering Committee.
We are open to funding opportunities from private sector partners, benefactors and government agencies to help us transform and save women’s lives through research, awareness, and evidence-based care programming and initiatives.
If you are interested in being part of the movement to change the face of women’s heart health in Canada, please contact us to discuss how to get involved.
Listed below are the key projects and initiatives from each of the CWHHA themes. You can also download a summary of the Projects & Initiatives here.
Advocacy
The Advocacy theme 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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Wear Red Canada (February 13)Wear Red Canada is celebrated annually across Canada on February 13th to raise awareness about women’s heart health. Events are held online and across the country to serve as a reminder for everyone, especially women, to be mindful, curious, and proactive in the management of our heart health and wellness. |
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Community Outreach Awareness ProjectThis project aims to develop focused messaging and educational materials in various languages to reach more women across Canada, particularly those in higher-risk, remote, and Indigenous communities. |
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Canadian Women’s Peer Support Heart HubAn online directory to connect women with peer support programs and communities that are right for them. The intent is to increase awareness and connections for women living with heart and vascular disease with peer supports that meet their needs. View the Canadian Women’s Peer Support Heart Hub and directory → |
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Peer Support Review ProjectA broad search of the literature is being conducted describing peer support interventions used for women with cardiovascular disease to inform future program and service offerings. More information coming soon. |
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Educator Curriculum for High School StudentsThe Heart of the Matter: Let’s Talk About Women’s Heart and Vascular Health - This online Lesson Plan and Education Toolkit is easily accessible and targets grades 8-11 youth and is meant to spark conversation among students, staff, parents/guardians and the community about women’s heart health and to raise the visibility of Wear Red Canada within our schools. Learn more and access the lesson plan → |
Training and Education
The Training and Education theme is responsible for determining the best methods and means to enhance education and training about specific cardiovascular issues affecting 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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Canadian Women’s Heart Health Education Course & Teaching ToolkitIn 2017, the CWHHC published results from a national survey identifying a need to increase awareness and knowledge regarding the incidence, prevalence, significance, and management of heart disease in women among Canadian clinicians. To address this need, 9 educational modules have been created, targeting trainees and healthcare professionals within cardiology, general internal medicine, and emergency medicine. Users can access each module for individual learning, or faculty can download the tools to present at their institutions. All modules are free and accredited. |
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Women's Heart Health Curricula in Training ProgramsThere is a lack of sex- and gender-specific education regarding cardiovascular disease in medical school curricula and clinical training programs in Canada. This gap may play a role in the persistent disparities in clinical care and outcomes experienced by women. In response to this gap, the Training and Education group is leveraging its 9 accredited education modules and approaching universities to incorporate women’s heart health curriculum into medical schools, nursing, and other allied healthcare programs across Canada. More information coming soon. |
Knowledge Translation and Mobilization
The Knowledge Translation and Mobilization theme 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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Current State of Cardiovascular Care Provided to Women in CanadaAn environmental scan is being conducted in order to develop an understanding of the current landscape of women’s heart health programs and services available across Canada. This foundational work will inform future planning and guide targeted projects to improve the availability, access, and quality of women-specific cardiac health care. More information coming soon. |
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Cardiovascular Disease in Women in the Emergency DepartmentA point-of-care emergency clinical summary has been created for Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in women. This core document will be accompanied by additional documents/tools focusing on specific conditions that can cause MINOCA. The BC Emergency Medicine Network is our first dissemination point, with further dissemination on our horizons. The development of these women’s heart health-specific tools, including checklists and flowcharts, will support front-line decision-making. |
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Canadian Cardiovascular Society Clinical Practice Update: Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease (MINOCA)There are currently no consensus statements or guidelines on myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) in Canada. Furthermore, there is a persistent gap in clinical care for these patients, who are most often women, including higher mortality following myocardial infarction in younger women in Canada, repeat emergency visits and increased health care costs related to inaccurate diagnosis and suboptimal treatment. A sub-team will create a MINOCA clinical practice update along with a plain-language summary document. More information coming soon. |
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State of the Science in Women’s Cardiovascular Disease: A Canadian Perspective on the Influence of Sex and GenderA national collaborative effort of over 35 authors from across Canada (including a number of women with lived experience) published this scientific statement summarizing critical sex- and gender-specific issues in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This comprehensive review of the evidence focused on the sex- and gender-specific differences in comorbidity, risk factors, disease awareness, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment across the entire spectrum of CVD. Read the article in the Journal of American Heart Association → |
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The Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance ATLAS on the Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Cardiovascular Disease in WomenThe Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA) ATLAS is a collection of chapters being published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open, accompanied by detailed infographics, that report on the current state of cardiovascular disease in women. The goal of the ATLAS is to help clinicians recognize the unique aspects of women’s heart health care and provide policy-makers with the information they need to ensure equitable care for women with cardiovascular disease. Learn more about the ATLAS, read chapters and view recorded webinars → |
Health Systems and Policy
The Health Systems and Policy theme 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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Systems Level Assessment ProjectThis project will identify systems-level barriers in access to women’s specific cardiac care across Canada and differences across regions and levels of service provision to inform care and policy changes. More information coming soon. |
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State of the Science in Women’s Cardiovascular Disease: A Canadian Perspective on the Influence of Sex and GenderA national collaborative effort of over 35 authors from across Canada (including a number of women with lived experience) published this scientific statement summarizing critical sex- and gender-specific issues in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This comprehensive review of the evidence focused on the sex- and gender-specific differences in comorbidity, risk factors, disease awareness, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment across the entire spectrum of CVD. Read the article in the Journal of American Heart Association → |
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The Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance ATLAS on the Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Cardiovascular Disease in WomenThe Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA) ATLAS is a collection of chapters being published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open, accompanied by detailed infographics, that report on the current state of cardiovascular disease in women. The goal of the ATLAS is to help clinicians recognize the unique aspects of women’s heart health care and provide policy-makers with the information they need to ensure equitable care for women with cardiovascular disease. Learn more about the ATLAS, read chapters and view recorded webinars → |