Directors’ Welcome

Welcome to the 2025-2026 Impact Report for the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. This year is a momentous one as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Like a tree that began as a small seed in 2006, WCHRI has grown deep roots through a unique partnership between the University of Alberta (U of A), Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation (SCHF) and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF). Today, those roots support a flourishing ecosystem of more than 400 members dedicated to the health of women and children.

Our report theme this year — Two decades of discovery, generations of impact — reflects how our work reaches back into a proud history and stretches forward into a healthier future. We are thrilled that this future is more secure than ever. In May, we celebrated a landmark milestone: the signing of our third memorandum of understanding. This includes a historic $93.5‑million investment from the SCHF ($70M) and AWHF ($23.5M) — the largest gift in the U of A’s history — along with significant in-kind support from U of A and AHS, cementing a commitment to another decade of life-changing research.

The stories within this report illustrate the trunk rings of our growth over the past year. You will read about:

• Pioneering research: From Dr. Maya Shmulevitz’s work using viruses to fight cancer to Dr. Margie Davenport’s evidence-based exercise guidelines empowering pregnant athletes
• New frontiers: The 2025 launch of the WCHRI Stem Cell Core, located in the Stollery Innovation Laboratories, where researchers grow 3D organoids to solve the mysteries of early human development
• Clinical research excellence: The No OUCH study, led by Dr. Samina Ali, which is changing how we manage acute pain in children across Canada
• Future leaders: Trainees like Dr. Keatton Tiernan, whose focus on Indigenous youth mentorship reminds us that a community’s health depends on the strength of its connections

As we look ahead, we are optimistic. Whether we are dismantling the stigma around pelvic health at the Dale Sheard Centre for Solutions in Women’s Health or helping adolescents with heart disease transition to adult care, our goal remains the same: to ensure the research of today becomes the standard of care for generations to come.

Thank you to our partners, researchers, trainees and staff. Your support is the sunlight and water that allow this institute to thrive.

Dr. Sandra Davidge’s third and final term as WCHRI executive director ends on Dec. 31, 2026. Read more about her 15 years of leadership.

• Sandra Davidge
  Executive Director
• Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
  Associate Director