Women's Brain Health Initiative

Home
Canada
Toronto, ON
Women's Brain Health Initiative

Raising funds for research and education to combat women's brain aging diseases. Because our grey matter, matters.

Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) helps protect women’s brain health by focusing its resources on research to combat brain-aging disorders that disproportionately affect women, and by creating compelling preventative health education programs, grounded in science, so there is a greater understanding by the public of the best ways to prolong their cognitive vitality. Our Six Pillars of Brain Health are the most important lifestyle choices that protect your brain health as you age.

11/08/2025

Breakthroughs happen when we ask new questions.
These three global research teams are redefining how we understand ALS, Alzheimer’s, and depression, by exploring the links between the brain, the gut, the immune system, and more.
This is the future of brain health — bold, collaborative, and deeply needed.

Comment *MOM* and we’ll send you the link to read the full article.

11/06/2025

🎶 Songs in the Key of Strength 
Featuring Chilina Kennedy, star of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical

From Broadway to brain health, Chilina Kennedy brings her powerhouse voice and personal reflections to the Women’s Brain Health Summit in a moving performance on music, memory, and resilience.

Experience the healing power of song and the strength it takes to share your story.

🧠Women’s Brain Health Summit
Presented by RBC Wealth Management
 🗓️December 1–2 | 📍Toronto
 🎟️Tickets have sold out faster than we imagined — but you can still be part of it.

➡️Comment *Summit* or visit HerBrain.ca for details to join the waitlist and be the first to know if more tickets are released.

Because sometimes, strength sounds like a song.

Credit: Chilina Kennedy - “A Natural Woman” (Carole King) | FAMOUS IN NY

11/04/2025

A 25-year Northwestern University study of “SuperAgers”, people in their 80s with memory as sharp as those decades younger, found one powerful common trait: they stay socially connected.

Brain scans revealed these individuals have thicker cortexes and more specialized neurons linked to social processing, suggesting that strong relationships and engagement may help protect memory and slow brain aging.

In short: the secret to staying sharp isn’t luck or genetics — it’s connection.

11/03/2025

✨Opening the Women’s Brain Health Summit ✨

We begin with a powerful conversation that sets the tone for two days of science, storytelling, and action.

🧠Neil McLaughlin, Group Head, RBC Wealth Management  🧠Lynn Posluns, President & CEO, Women’s Brain Health Initiative  🧠Dr. Liisa Galea, Treliving Family Chair in Women’s Mental Health, CAMH

Together, they’ll discuss why women’s brain health matters now more than ever, and how leadership, research, and advocacy are coming together to drive real change.

Thanks to Presenting Sponsor RBC Wealth Management, this is more than a summit. It’s a movement.

🗓️December 1–2 | 📍Toronto 
🎟️Tickets have sold out faster than we imagined — but you can still be part of it.

➡️Comment *Summit* or visit HerBrain.ca for details to join the waitlist and be the first to know if more tickets are released.

Because the conversation starts at the top and it starts here.

11/01/2025

It’s Not Just About Memory: Alzheimer’s May Disrupt the Entire Brain.

A new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, found that Alzheimer’s disease alters brain networks much more broadly than normal aging. Alzheimer’s disrupts not only higher-order “association” systems (for memory, attention, language) but also sensory and motor networks, whereas healthy aging mainly affects association systems and tends to spare sensory/motor circuits.

Crucially, the team showed that these Alzheimer’s-related network changes were independent of typical disease factors like elevated amyloid plaques; the circuit dysfunction was still there even after accounting for amyloid burden. That means network dysfunction itself could be a distinct way to characterize Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment and a potential treatment target. As Dr. Gagan Wig put it, focusing on amyloid alone “might not be sufficient,” so we need additional ways of quantifying Alzheimer’s dysfunction.

Because the study shows Alzheimer’s reaches into sensory/motor systems, brain-health messaging and interventions should address the integrity of those systems too, not just memory, attention, and other association functions. @

10/30/2025

Congratulations to Our Top 10!

We were truly impressed by the calibre of submissions received for Bright Minds, Bold Ideas!
The diversity of research topics, creativity of approaches, and dedication to advancing brain health were exceptional.

After careful review and thoughtful deliberation, our panel of judges has selected the Top 10 projects that will move forward to present at the Women’s Brain Health Summit.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the students who shared their important research. Your passion, curiosity, and innovation are helping shape the future of brain health—and we encourage you to continue this vital work.

Congratulations to: Vasvi Dhir Zöe Gandey Kanak Gupta Krisha Malik Antonietta Mandatori Selene Mitchell Sasha Novozhilova Harani Uthayakumar Madeline Wood Alexander Saleena A. Zedan

These outstanding students represent: Université de Sherbrooke (1) University of Toronto (6) McGill University (2) York University (1)

A distinguished panel of experts will evaluate their work at the Summit: Dr. Erna Snelgrove-Clarke — WBHI Board Member Dr. Gillian Einstein — Women’s Brain Health & Aging Research Chair Dr. Jane Rylett — Canadian Institutes of Health Research Dr. Viviane Poupon — Brain Canada Dr. Heidi Cramm — Queen’s University Dr. Tim Mikkelsen — Ontario Brain Institute

And you get a vote, too!  All Summit guests will help determine the winners through live audience voting on December 2.

🧠 Women’s Brain Health Summit Presented by RBC Wealth Management
 🗓️ December 1–2 | 📍Toronto

🎟️ Tickets are sold out — but you can still join the waitlist for updates, recorded sessions, and more insights from the event.

➡️ Comment *Summit* for more details.

10/28/2025

Before jumping to conclusions about dementia, check your neck.
Your thyroid, a tiny butterfly-shaped gland, plays a big role in how your brain thinks, remembers, and focuses.

When it’s out of balance, your mind can feel foggy, forgetful, or unfocused.

A simple blood test can reveal if your thyroid is the reason behind your “senior moments.”

An underactive thyroid slows down your metabolism and your mind.
Common symptoms include:
🧩 Trouble finding words
💭 Forgetfulness
😴 Constant fatigue
😕 Difficulty concentrating
Because it creeps up slowly, it’s often mistaken for stress, depression, or menopause.

Too much thyroid hormone can flood your brain with nervous energy. Your thoughts race. Your heart races. You can’t focus long enough to remember. The problem isn’t forgetfulness, it’s overstimulation.
Getting levels back in balance helps calm your body and clear your mind.

Research shows that overt thyroid disorders can affect memory and concentration, but the good news is that these changes are often reversible once treated.
 Subtle or “borderline” thyroid changes? The link is weaker, but it’s still worth testing, especially if you feel “off” and can’t explain why.

10/27/2025

She’s caring for Bruce. She’s speaking up for all of us.

Emma Heming Willis is navigating her husband Bruce Willis’s dementia diagnosis in the public eye and using her voice to support caregivers everywhere.

Join her at the Women’s Brain Health Summit as she shares her story in conversation with Jeanne Beker. An honest, compassionate look at caregiving, identity, and resilience.

All guests will receive a complimentary copy of Emma’s new book, ‘The Unexpected Journey’, thanks to Indigo.  🧠Women’s Brain Health Summit
Proudly presented by RBC Wealth Management

🗓️December 1–2 | 📍Toronto
 🎟️Tickets have sold out faster than we imagined — but you can still be part of it.

➡️Comment *Summit* for details to join the waitlist and be the first to know if more tickets are released.

Because no caregiver should walk the path alone.

Credit: Emma Heming Willis on The Oprah Podcast

10/25/2025

Behind every dementia diagnosis is a caregiver, most often a woman, quietly holding it all together. Unpaid. Undervalued. Unacknowledged.
 They are the invisible backbone of our health system.
It’s time we see them, support them, and strengthen them. That’s why Women’s Brain Health Initiative provides caregiver resources to build resilience and protect brain health.

For caregiver support, comment *care* below and we’ll send you the link to our free resources.

10/23/2025

Planning. Passion. Purpose.
 Get a glimpse behind the curtain as we count down to the Women’s Brain Health Summit.

This event wouldn’t be possible without the dedication, insight, and heart of our incredible Summit Planning Committee:

Vitina Blumenthal Jade Crystal
Rachel Farber Susanne Gage Kathy Kelaidis JoAnne Korten Fiona Liston Lynn Posluns Mandy Sharma Dr. Erna Snelgrove-Clarke Slavica Todorovic Cathy Williamson

Thank you for helping shape a summit that will spark real change for women’s brain health.

🧠Women’s Brain Health Summit
Presented by RBC Wealth Management
 🗓️December 1–2 | 📍Toronto
 🎟️Tickets have sold out faster than we imagined — but you can still be part of it.

➡️Comment *Summit* for details to join the waitlist and be the first to know if more tickets are released.

Because this conversation wouldn’t happen without women leading it.

10/21/2025

Change doesn’t happen without leadership. We’re proud to partner with RBC Wealth Management in presenting the Women’s Brain Health Summit.

Change starts with awareness. Progress happens when we act.

In just a few weeks, we’ll gather for the Women’s Brain Health Summit, a first-of-its-kind, sold-out event that’s bringing together leading researchers, advocates, caregivers, and change-makers from across North America.

🎤 Featuring Academy Award winners Geena Davis and Marcia Gay Harden, neuroscientists Dr. Lisa Genova, Dr. Pauline Maki, Dr. Gillian Einstein, Dr. Liisa Galea, and many others, we’ll explore the science of prevention, the power of storytelling, and the future of women’s brain health.

This is where knowledge meets action, and where the future of brain health begins.

🗓️December 1–2 | 📍Toronto

➡️Comment *Summit* for details to join the waitlist and be the first to know if more tickets are released.

10/20/2025

Across Canada and the U.S., hundreds of thousands of young people, some as young as 10, are quietly stepping into caregiving roles. They help parents, siblings, or grandparents living with chronic illness, disability, or dementia.

These “young carers” balance school, work, and social lives while shouldering adult responsibilities that can shape their futures in profound ways, emotionally, socially, and academically.

It’s time to make the invisible visible. Let’s recognize, support, and uplift the young caregivers who give so much of themselves every day.
🧠 Learn more and find caregiver resources at womensbrainhealth.org. 💜 Mind Matters, our new magazine dedicated to caregivers, is now available.

Want to read this full article or receive your free copy of Mind Matters?

Comment *care* below and we’ll send you the link.

Address

30 St. Clair Avenue W, Suite 900
Toronto, ON
M4V3A1

Website

http://wbhi.org/, http://twitter.com/womensbrains

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Women's Brain Health Initiative posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Toronto?