International Women’s Day Workshop

Women and the Pandemic – Impacts on Work, Health and Recovery 

Each year, HSA Women’s Committee marks International Women’s Day with a workshop to explore issues impacting those in the union who identify as women. The workshop is open to members who identify as women, transwomen, non-binary, two-spirit, and LGBTQI+.  

DATES: March 8, 2022
TIME: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
LOCATION: Virtual – WebEx  

It has been two years since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19. The impact on the lives of all society has been tremendous and our members have been on the front lines seeing and experiencing the impacts firsthand. On this International Women’s Day, HSA is pleased to host a number of presenters focusing on women and the pandemic, looking at impacts on work, health and recovery. In this workshop participants will: 

• Explore the impacts of COVID-19 on individuals who identify as women;
• Examine a study of health care workers and explore recommendations on what organizations and individuals can do to address system gaps and improve health outcomes;   
• Learn impacts of COVID-19 on women working in the hospitality sector, the changes their union is seeking, and how HSA members can support these workers:
• Explore and understand why social issues are important to union members, and why it is important to advocate for social changes even when those issues do not directly impact individual members.
• Understand how the BC Laws governing emergencies, pandemics and how we manage disasters has impacted health care in BC;

HSA is pleased to have the following individuals presenting throughout the day:

Dr. Lori Brotto is a Professor in the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and a Registered Psychologist in Vancouver, Canada. She has been the Executive Director of the Women's Health Research Institute of BC located at BC Women’s Hospital since 2016. Dr. Brotto holds a Canada Research Chair in Women's Sexual Health. She is the director of the UBC Sexual Health Laboratory where research primarily focuses on developing and testing psychological and mindfulness-based interventions for women with sexual dysfunction and those who experience chronic genital pain. Dr. Brotto is an Associate Editor for the Archives of Sexual Behavior, has >180 peer-reviewed publications, and is frequently featured in the media on topics related to sexuality. Her book, Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire (2018) is a knowledge translation product aimed at sharing the science of sexual desire with a broad audience. She is a strong advocate for empowering women to take on leadership roles.

Liisa Galea is a Professor in Psychology, DMCBH member, Health Advisor to VPRI at UBC, and a Scientific Advisor at WHRI (Women’s Health Research Institute). She leads the Women’s Health Research Cluster (350 members worldwide). Dr. Galea is a world-renowned expert in sex hormone influences on brain and behaviour in both health and disease states, with a focus on stress-related psychiatric disorders and dementia. Dr. Galea is a Distinguished University Scholar, NSERC Discovery Accelerator Award (2x), and Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction award winner. She has given >60 international talks. She is a Fellow at International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) and the Kavli Foundation. She has outstanding metrics (H index=75, >170 papers, >19000 citations). Dr. Galea is the chief editor of Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (IF8.606), the President-elect of Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and co-Vice-President of Canadian Organization for Sex and Gender Research. She serves on advisory boards provincially (UBC (Centre for Brain Health, Institute of Mental Health, UBC Health), BC Support Unit), nationally (CIHR (University Delegates Advisory Committee), and internationally (Steroids and Nervous System (Italy), Alzheimer’s Association (US). Liisa serves/served on editorial boards (Hormones and Behavior, Endocrinology, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Neuroscience, eNeuro), committees (EDI, Awards, Advocacy for national and international societies) and peer review panels (NIH, Wellcome Trust, CIHR, Brain Canada, NSERC).

Irehobhude ("Ireh") Iyioha, LL.B., BL, LL.M., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria and Director of the university’s Black Professionals Leadership Program. Her life's work focuses on social justice advocacy through service, creative writing, teaching and research, and is deeply inspired by a commitment to the needs of marginalized groups in Canada who face racism and discrimination in all areas of public engagement, including in healthcare and educational institutions. Grounded in the field of jurisprudence, she researches on the limits and effectiveness of law in several intersecting areas, including international human rights law, public health law, and feminist legal studies. Her most recent book is Women's Health and the Limits of Law: Domestic and International Perspectives, ed. (Routledge, 2020), which propounds the theory of Substantive Legal Effectiveness (SLE), for which she received a2017 Canadian Association of Law Teachers Award (CALT) givenfor“a paper that makes a Substantial Contribution to Legal Literature”. Dr. Iyioha is also the recipient of the World Congress on Medical Law Award and the Star of Alberta Award from the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta for "demonstrating exemplary initiative, leadership and creativity in service to others”. She currently holds a number of grants for her work on COVID-19, legal effectiveness, and compliance theory, including a SSHRC Grant and a Canadian Bar Association Law for the Future Fund Grant. She is the author of the new Report, Not Just Heroes, Humans Too: Inequality, Vulnerability, and the Limits of Pandemic Law and Policy (A Survey of Nursing Home Health Workforce Experience).

Stephanie Fung 馮葉 (she/they) is a Communications organizer with UNITE HERE Local 40, BC's hospitality workers' union. She works with hotel housekeepers, cooks, servers, janitors, and others in the hospitality industry to fight for better job conditions, wages, job security, and respect.

Register early as space is limited!

Participants will receive wage replacement in accordance with HSA policy. Registration is through My Events Registration and you will need your HSA member ID number in order to create a login.  Please call the HSA office at 604.517.0994 or 1.800.663.2017 to receive your HSA member ID number. Once you have created a login the event will be listed under Other Events.