{"id":658110,"date":"2026-05-09T12:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/658110\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T12:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:03:48","slug":"largest-gift-in-university-of-albertas-history-continues-historic-partnership-transforming-womens-and-childrens-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/658110\/","title":{"rendered":"Largest gift in University of Alberta\u2019s history continues historic partnership transforming women\u2019s and children\u2019s health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kayla Sinnamon knew her newborn daughter was in pain \u2014 she just didn\u2019t know how to help her.<\/p>\n

Sinnamon\u2019s daughter, Natalie, was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to build up inside the brain. Natalie underwent surgery at eight days old to have a shunt installed, but the procedure cascaded into a complication-ridden seven-week stay at the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital in Edmonton. Every day, Sinnamon watched her daughter\u2019s tiny body writhe, and eventually seize, with the discomfort of each new needle.<\/p>\n

Sinnamon knew the needles were necessary, but she wondered: \u201cHow can we do it in a way that\u2019s better for her?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know it at the time, but researchers at the Women and Children\u2019s Health Research Institute (WCHRI)<\/a> and the hospital\u2019s medical team were already finding answers to her question.<\/p>\n

\"Kayla
\nKayla Sinnamon (second right) and her family have seen the positive difference health research through WCHRI can make since Kayla’s daughter Natalie (centre) underwent complicated surgery as a baby. (Photo: Hello Public)<\/p>\n

Based at the University of Alberta, WCHRI is Canada\u2019s only research institute dedicated to investigating women\u2019s, children\u2019s and perinatal health. It operates through a partnership with the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital Foundation<\/a>, Alberta Women\u2019s Health Foundation<\/a> and Alberta Health Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, that partnership is making history. The Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital Foundation and the Alberta Women\u2019s Health Foundation announced a landmark gift of $93.5 million to WCHRI over the next 10 years \u2014 the largest gift in the U of A\u2019s history. This commitment marks the third consecutive decade of the collaboration, adding to the foundations\u2019 combined support of more than $112 million since 2006.<\/p>\n

WCHRI executive director Sandra Davidge<\/a> says the renewed partnership reflects the organizations\u2019 goals of bringing research-driven change to patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reinforces that children and women\u2019s health is not a niche interest but a top-tier academic and clinical priority,\u201d Davidge says.<\/p>\n

\"Sandra
\nSandra Davidge, executive director of WCHRI (left), with trainee Angie Stokes. Davidge says the landmark commitment from\u00a0the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital Foundation and the Alberta Women\u2019s Health Foundation\u00a0will support work for women and children traditionally overlooked in health research. (Photo: Katrina Grey)<\/p>\n

U of A president and vice-chancellor Bill Flanagan<\/a> notes that the university has the research expertise, infrastructure and talent necessary to translate scientific discovery into improved care for patients and families. Such transformational progress, he says, does not happen in isolation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is built through strong, sustained partnerships,\u201d Flanagan says. \u201cTogether, we are advancing a future where health is more than the absence of illness. It is the opportunity for every woman and child to thrive. Supported by this historic gift, we are shaping the wellness of generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership has supported the research of clinician-scientists such as Samina Ali<\/a>, a pediatric emergency physician at the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital whose research focuses on reducing children\u2019s pain and distress in the hospital. In 2025, under Ali\u2019s leadership, the Stollery became certified by ChildKind International<\/a> \u2014 a distinction shared by only 20 others worldwide that recognizes the hospital\u2019s use of evidence-informed practices to alleviate pain in its young patients. Following Natalie\u2019s hospital stay, Ali recruited Sinnamon to a parents\u2019 advisory board that helps inform the hospital\u2019s new pain management protocols.<\/p>\n

Natalie is now a thriving six-year-old, and Sinnamon, now a peer-support volunteer at the hospital, sees the tangible difference this research has made. Children can now inhale nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during painful procedures, for instance, and mothers can choose to breastfeed while their babies have blood drawn.<\/p>\n

Seeing the real-life impact of such research breakthroughs motivated the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital Foundation\u2019s most recent $70-million commitment to WCHRI.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough WCHRI, we\u2019re able to support clinicians and researchers who are pushing the boundaries of children\u2019s health and turning bold ideas into real breakthroughs,\u201d says Karen Faulkner, president and CEO of the Stollery Children\u2019s Hospital Foundation.<\/p>\n

Sharlene Rutherford, president and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation<\/a> and Alberta Women\u2019s Health Foundation, has witnessed the partnership generate powerful results far beyond the province, and is proud to support a $23.5-million commitment over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gap in women\u2019s health is a national concern, but we can be the generation that closes it,\u201d Rutherford says, sharing a striking statistic: Only seven per cent of health research in Canada is specific to women\u2019s conditions and diseases. As a result, women are often left with more questions than answers about their health.<\/p>\n

Sarah Chambers knows this feeling too well. After the Edmonton resident was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her family doctor didn\u2019t have much medical advice to share beyond what would be useful if she were trying to have a baby.<\/p>\n

\"Sarah
\nSarah Chambers\u00a0says taking part in a clinical trial helped her manage her PCOS and finally feel she had control over her body. She went on to help WCHRI researcher Donna Vine develop two information resources now being used by doctors and patients in more than 30 countries. (Photo: Hello Public)<\/p>\n

WCHRI researcher Donna Vine<\/a>, however, has upended the misconception that PCOS is mainly a reproductive condition<\/a>. After finding that women with PCOS are three times more likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Vine is now operating clinical trials with patients from the Lois Hole Hospital for Women<\/a> to establish methods of detecting and treating these diseases.<\/p>\n

Chambers finally came to understand the steps she can take to manage her PCOS after enrolling in one of Vine\u2019s clinical trials. Later, Vine consulted Chambers as she developed two resources: one guiding doctors in diagnosing and treating the condition, the other explaining the process to PCOS patients. Today, these resources are being used in more than 30 countries. Chambers says the experience helped her finally feel she had control over her body.<\/p>\n

As WCHRI\u2019s Davidge says, Sinnamon\u2019s and Chambers\u2019 experiences are just two examples of how this landmark gift will enable the U of A and its partners to continue empowering women and children traditionally overlooked by health research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our strategic funding partners, researchers and health-care teams, we aren\u2019t just closing these gaps \u2014 we\u2019re creating limitless potential for the future of children\u2019s and women\u2019s health around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about how WCHRI is transforming lives to help women and children thrive<\/a><\/p>\n

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