The WCHRI Learning Session (formerly Lunch & Learn) series provides our members with useful, practical and timely exposure to a range of topics important to their research. While some presentations are specific for trainees (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents) or certain grant competitions, many are suitable for our junior and senior faculty.
Evaluations for this well-attended series have been extremely positive and have included many suggestions for upcoming workshops. It is evident from the feedback and attendance that these very practical sessions are of great benefit to all of our members. If you have suggestions for a presentation, please contact WCHRI. Presentations will be made available to our members along with links to key resources.
Upcoming Sessions:
| Seminar | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2026 | Moderated by: | Learning Session: How to prepare your presentation for WCHRI Research Day |
Previous Sessions:
| Seminar | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2026 | Mirielle Pauline, WCHRI postdoctoral fellow | |
| June 12, 2026 | Speaker: Lewis Cardinal | Beyond Acknowledgement: Relational Pathways in Indigenous Health Research |
| May 13, 2026 | Panel participants include:
| Special WCHRI / CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health joint research panel |
| April 16, 2026 | Prevent academic burnout, organize your study time and protect your mental health during exams and busy semesters with simple, realistic strategies you can start using today. | Ways to avoid burnout |
| March 24, 2026 | The WCHRI Trainee Advisory Committee is hosting a lunch-and-learn highlighting critical conversations on Black maternal health, with a focus on advancing equity within healthcare systems and communities. An inspiring lineup of speakers will share insights from research, clinical practice and lived experience. | WCHRI TAC Black maternal health lunch and learn |
| March 3, 2026 | Soumen Paul, director of the Center for Organogenesis, Vascular and Perinatal Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center. | Decoding placenta development: The molecular instructions behind early life |
| February 25, 2026 | During this meeting, we will provide a brief WCHRI year-in-review and hear from the leads about our strategic initiatives. | |
| November 17, 2025 | Sperber Library
| WCHRI’s Trainee Advisory Committee Technical Skills Workshop ‘Smart Searching: Effective Research Using Databases and Library Tools’ |
| October 3, 2025 | Ehsan Misaghi, director of research and education with the AI in Medical Systems Society. | WCHRI’s Trainee Advisory Committee Technical Skills Workshop ‘AI in Research’ |
| September 29, 2025 | Grant Bruno, Academic Lead for Indigenous Children’s Health Research | Orange Shirt Day gathering |
| September 24, 2025 | Presented by: Moderated by: | |
| July 16, 2025 | Andrew D’Souza, postdoctoral fellow | |
| June 27, 2025 | Tamil Kendall (she/her) is the director of the Partnership for Women’s Health Research Canada (PWHR). BC Pomeroy (they/them) is a director with PHSA and is an expert in Trauma and Resiliency Informed Practice (TRIP) and its application to research. Nicole Prestley (she/her) is the manager, research + knowledge translation at the Women’s Health Research Institute. | |
| June 16, 2025 | Quynh Doan is the senior executive director at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and a clinician scientist in pediatric emergency medicine at the University of British Columbia. Jennifer Claydon is the director of clinical research operations at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. | Diversity and inclusion in pediatric research: From ideation to implementation |
| June 2, 2025 | Tibetha Kemble (Stonechild) is nêhiyawipwâtinâhk and a registered member of the Piapot First Nation (Treaty No. 4). | The ethical engagement of distinctions-based Indigenous Peoples and communities in clinical research |
| May 20, 2025 | Stephanie Brooks is the program officer, EDI, in the University of Alberta’s Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation). | Incorporating EDI into grant writing
|
| May 5, 2025 | Nima Aghaeepour is an associate professor and Vice-Chair for Data Science at Stanford University. His laboratory develops machine learning and artificial intelligence methods to study clinical and biological modalities in translational settings. He is primarily interested in leveraging multiomics studies, wearable devices, and electronic health records to address global health challenges. | Advancing maternal and child health: An AI-driven Taxonomy for Prematurity |
| May 1, 2025 | Lisa Willis is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta. In 2018, she founded InclusiveSTEM, a literature-based and data-driven framework for improving the participation and lived experiences of people from marginalized groups in STEM. | A practical guide for incorporating EDI best practices in biomedical research |
| April 23, 2025 | Gareth Corry is a VPRI Research Partner Network research partner at the University of Alberta. | |
| March 26, 2025 | Shokrollah Elahi is a professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, in the department of Dentistry. | |
| February 12, 2025 | During this meeting, we will provide a brief WCHRI year-in-review and hear from the leads about our strategic initiatives. | |
| January 22, 2025 | Melanie Hayman – BHMSc, MEd.Practice, PhD, is a senior lecturer and head of course for Allied Health at the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Appleton Institute, specializing in maternal health, physical activity, and evidence-based allied health education.
| SKEP guest lecture: Australian perspectives of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum |
| December 3, 2024 | Lisa Hornberger is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and divisional director of Pediatric Cardiology. | Realizing Healthier Pregnancy Research Cluster |
| October 30, 2024 | Stephanie Montesanti is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Health System Integration in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Sheena Bradley is Cree-Métis and a member of McMurray Métis Local 1935. She is a traditional clinical herbalist, full spectrum birth worker and lactation counsellor. | |
| October 16, 2024 | Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu is an assistant professor in Nursing at the University of Alberta, with a passion for improving healthcare access for equity-deserving groups, especially women. Rebecca Gokiert is a professor in the School of Public Health, associate director of the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth and Families, and the Director of the Evaluation Capacity Network (ECN). | |
| October 2, 2024 | Anita Kozyrskyj is a professor of Pediatrics with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Stephane Bourque is an associate professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta and a Canada Research Chair in Maternal and Perinatal Physiology. | |
| October 2, 2024 | Presented by: Moderated by: | View the slides for ‘How to prepare your presentation for WCHRI Research Day’ |
| September 26, 2024 | Shannon Cornelsen, urban member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, WCHRI research assistant | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Health and Taking Reconcili ‘action’ |
| September 18, 2024 | Karen Lawford is an Anishaabeg Midwife (Namegosibiing, Lac Seul First Nation, Treaty 3) and a Registered Midwife (Ontario). | |
| August 7, 2024 | The Wâhkohtowin Research Group: Richard Oster, academic partner of the Wâhkohtowin Research Group, and scientific director of the Indigenous Wellness Core of Alberta Health Services Luwana Listener is a community-based Research Coordinator for the Wâhkohtowin Research Group _ Rebecca Rich, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics | |
| July 19, 2024 | Amanda Almeida de Oliveira, postdoctoral fellow Flavio Teixeira Vieira, postdoctoral fellow Stephen Hunter, postdoctoral fellow | |
| July 9, 2024 | Realizing Healthier Pregnancy Research Cluster | |
| June 17, 2024 | National Indigenous People’s Day | |
| June 17, 2024 | Rachel Tribe is a Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Sciences at King’s College London. Professor Tribe’s research focuses on translational research related to preterm birth and other pregnancy-associated conditions. Anna MacKinnon is a Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Montreal, and scientist in perinatal mental health and early child development at the CHU Sainte Justine Azrieli Research Centre. | |
| June 12, 2024 | Matthew Carwana is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. Myriam Clément is a registered nurse and an Assistant Professor in the Nursing Department of the University of Quebec in Outaouais.
| |
| May 27, 2024 | WCHRI Discovery and Translational Research Workshop: Session 4 – An introduction to Quality Management Systems | |
| May 13, 2024 | WCHRI Discovery and Translational Research Workshop: Session 3 – Standardizing processes for administrative and technical activities | |
| May 1, 2024 | Meghan Riddell, assistant professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology Helen Jones, associate professor in the Departments of Physiology and Aging, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida | |
| April 29, 2024 | WCHRI Discovery and Translational Research Workshop: Session 2 – Data collection and documentation | |
| April 17, 2024 | David Olson, Distinguished professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Gerlinda Metz, professor at the University of Lethbridge and an adjunct professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta. | |
| April 15, 2024 | WCHRI Discovery and Translational Research Workshop: Session 1 – Supporting the responsible conduct of research and the ability to store, find and reuse research | |
| March 26, 2024 | WCHRI Career Panel | |
| February 7, 2024 | Sandra Davidge, executive director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Alexa Thompson, Trainee Advisory Committee chair, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Tanya Voth, program director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute | WCHRI Town Hall 2024: Presentation Slides |
| November 6, 2023 | Research Ethics 101 | |
| September 20, 2023 | Trainee Advisory Committee Members | Are you an undergraduate student considering graduate research in women’s and/or children’s health? “Grad School 101 workshop” |
| September 20, 2023 | Carolina Archundia Herrera, postdoctoral fellow Matthew Martens, postdoctoral fellow Moderated by Stephane Bourque, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | Learning Session: How to prepare your presentation for WCHRI Research Day Presentations: |
| July 21, 2023 | 2023 Murilo Graton, postdoctoral fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Zeniab Momeni, postdoctoral fellow, Augustana – Social Sciences Moderated by Stephane Bourque, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | |
| July 12, 2023 | Jasmine Gill, third-year medical student, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Vannesa Joly, third year of the School and Clinical Child Psychology PhD program | WCHRI Undergraduate Workshop: Tips and Tricks for Terrific Presentations |
| June 13, 2023 | WCHRI Undergraduate Workshop: Indigenous Health and Taking Reconcili’action’ | |
| May 25, 2023 | What the Health: Lets Talk About HOPE 3.0 with Dr. Dawn Kingston | |
| May 19, 2023 | Overactive bladder: Past, present and future | |
| March 20, 2023 | Integrated Population Health: Applying Mental Health Literacy Approaches to Child and Youth Mental Health | |
| March 2, 2023 | Healing-focused maternity care – Encountering expertise in Intersectional Health Series | |
| February 8, 2023 | Sandra Davidge, executive director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Todd Alexander, associate director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute | WCHRI Town Hall 2023: Presentation Slides |
| January 26, 2023 | What the health: Let’s Talk About Advances in Mature Women’s Health | |
| January 18, 2023 | Trainee Advisory Committee Members | Are you an undergraduate student considering graduate research in women’s and/or children’s health? “Grad School 101 workshop” |
| October 5, 2022 | Áine Brislane, postdoctoral fellow, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Linn Moore, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Alexander Howard, medical student, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Moderator: Forough Jahandideh, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | Learning Session: How to prepare your presentation for WCHRI Research Day Presentation slides: |
| September 16, 2022 | Sandra Thompson-Hodgetts, associate professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Janette Mailo, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics | Presentation slides: “Empowering next-generation researchers in perinatal and child health: An introduction to the ENRICH Program” |
| September 1, 2022 | Paramita Chaudhuri Basu, director of programs & ecosystem development, Health Innovation Hub Marina Barbu, operations manager, Health Innovation Hub | Presentation slides: “Business resources for health and life sciences innovators” |
| July 21, 2022 | Andrew Mackie, Professor, Department of Pediatrics Qiumin Tan, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics of Human Disease | Presentation slides: Learning Session: How to prepare your abstract for WCHRI Research Day |
| May 11, 2022 | Sarah Elliot, Assistant Director for Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence Andrea Eaton, MSc Trainee, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta | Zoom replay: Creating Research That Matters: Development and use of Alberta child health research priorities |
| May 6, 2022 | Cavarzan Chair in Mature Women’s Health Research – Colleen Norris | |
| May 5, 2022 | Cavarzan Chair in Mature Women’s Health Research – Kara Nerenberg | |
| February 9, 2022 | Sandra Davidge, executive director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Todd Alexander, associate director, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute | Zoom replay: WCHRI Town Hall |
| January 26, 2022 | Meghan Riddell, assistant professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology | Zoom replay: How to write a lay abstract |
| November 30, 2021 | Justine Turner, professor in the Department of Pediatrics | Zoom replay: “How to deliver an effective community presentation on your research“ |
| October 6, 2021 | Vivian Biancardi, Tami Saez & Qutuba Karwi | Presentation slides: |
| July 28, 2021 | Eytan Wine, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics Sandy Hodgetts, associate professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation—Occupational Therapy | Learning Session: How to prepare your abstract for WCHRI Research Day |
| June 30, 2021 | Melissa Tremblay, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology Richard Oster, research associate in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science | Zoom replay: “Developing meaningful research partnerships with Indigenous communities“ |
| May 21, 2021 | Gary Goldsand, clinical ethicist and assistant professor with the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry | Presentation slides: “Pursuing “reasonableness” in the communication of research evidence to parents“ |
| April 30, 2021 | Learning Session: Equity and diversity in action | |
| March 17, 2021 | Samina Ali, professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine | Presentation slides: “Introduction to writing research proposals” |
| February 17, 2021 | Sumedh Bele, assistant director for the Patient Engagement Platform in Alberta Strategy of Patient-oriented Research (SPOR) Support Unit | Presentation slides: “Engaging patients as partners in research” |
| January 20, 2021 | Meghan Riddell, assistant professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology | Presentation slides: “How to write a lay abstract” |
| November 12, 2020 | WCHRI Grant Information Session: Postdoctoral Fellowship Program | |
| November 4, 2020 | WCHRI Research Day 2020 |