Associate Member Dr Patricia Janssen receives 2016 YWCA Women of Distinction Award

We would like to congratulate WHRI investigator, Dr. Patricia Janssen, for receiving the 2016 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the category of Research and the Sciences. This award celebrates Dr. Janssen’s body of research on the promotion of healthy pregnancy and birth, particularly among marginalized women.

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honours individuals and organizations whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community.  More information about the award and this year’s recipients can be found here: https://ywcavan.org/blog/2016/06/announcing-2016-ywca-women-distinction-awards-recipients

Patricia Janssen

 

Patricia conducts research to promote healthy pregnancy and birth, particularly among women marginalized by poverty, addiction and located in remote settings. She undertook the first study in North America to evaluate the safety of planned home births attended by regulated midwives and developed SmartMom, a prenatal education program delivered through text messaging. As the founder and Director of the Master of Public Health Program at UBC, Patricia plays a major role in training the next generation of public health researchers. Her research confirming the safety and cost-effectiveness of midwifery care and home birth has changed legislation and policy around the world and was recently showcased at the European Court of Human Rights to support the efforts of midwives to de-criminalize home birth in Eastern European countries.