CAMH womenmind

Deborah Gilles, CEO of the CAMH Foundation, explains it best in this
short video. She believes, as I do, that the womenmind donor community
plays a critical role in addressing the gender inequities women face
in mental health.

What is CAMH womenmind?

womenmind is a community of change leaders committed to tackling the unique gender issues which women face when navigating their mental health. Inspired and empowered by their support of CAMH, members of the womenmind community connect in unique ways to make impactful change for women’s mental health and advance women in science through generosity, learning and action.

The mental health challenges facing women are significant and pressing: women experience depression, anxiety, and trauma to a greater extent than men. Many treatments used today have been disproportionately tested on men and not equitably studied on women. And women in science face biases as they work to advance their careers. womenmind is closing the gender gap in mental health by supporting the recruitment of new female scientists, cultivating early career start-up and mentorship programs, levelling gender bias, hiring the first-ever university/hospital chair of women’s mental health in Canada and sharing leading-edge science on women’s mental health. Members of the womenmind community connect with and learn from each other while driving change for women’s mental health and women in science.

womenmind was launched in March 2020 with a $5-million gift from Sandi and Jim Treliving and family, coupled with a $1.5-million donation from Hudson’s Bay Foundation. womenmind continues to seek additional donors to reach its fundraising goal of $10 million by 2025.

womenmind is an opportunity for us to bring women in philanthropy together through a shared vision, lift up the voices of women living with mental illness and advance women in science. There’s no better place to do all of that than at CAMH.

— Sandi Treliving

Accomplishments of womenmind

RECRUITED the first-ever Treliving Family Scientist specializing in women’s mental health. Dr. Daisy Radha Singla, an independent scientist jointly appointed to the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and the Centre for Complex Interventions, began working at CAMH in July 2021. Her area of research involves exploring innovative models to improve access to psychotherapy for pregnant and postpartum women.

LAUNCHED the first womenmind Seed Funding Competition. Supporting research projects focused on women’s mental health. Inaugural awardees include Dr. Yuliya Nikolova, Dr. Laurie Zawertailo and Dr. Nikki Bozinoff, who be researching, respectively, new clinical tools to treat depression, women and nicotine addiction and safer and more effective use of benzodiazepines by women.

CREATED the inaugural Treliving Family Chair in Women’s Mental Health in conjunction with the University of Toronto. A new chair will be announced in 2022.

PROVIDED SUPPORT for several womenmind Postdoctoral Fellowships

DEVELOPED a womenmind mentorship program. CAMH has welcomed two senior scientists to lead the development of the mentorship program for women scientists.

INVITED womenmind members to a Salon Series. The womenmind virtual salon-style event series helps forge connections among womenmind members and inspires others to join the community.

DOUBLED the number of womenmind donors in the past year.

Learn more about joining the womenmind community and how you can help close the gender gap in mental health at CAMH and beyond.

For more information about womenmind, please contact: