The CAMH womenmind Conference returns in 2026!
Building on the momentum of the inaugural womenmind conference titled “Advancing Research on Women’s Mental Health”, this upcoming conference will focus on Women's Mental Health Across the Lifespan: from Research to Action.
Women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals are disproportionately affected by mental illness and face a greater overall disease burden, spending 24% more of their lives in poorer health than men in Canada . Despite this, less than 7% of research funding in Canada over the past 15 years was directed towards women's health, and only 4.5% of this funding focuses on the top 11 global burdens affecting women. Women’s mental health research - including depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias - receive only 0.58% of that funding despite being among the leading contributors to disease burden in women². Of the total mental health funding, funding focused on unique characteristics of girls and women’s experiences or biology receives just 1% of that funding in Canada.
The womenmind Conference brings together an international and interdisciplinary community of researchers, clinicians, trainees, advocates, funders, industry partners and people with lived experience to examine how biological and social experiences across the lifespan can shape women’s health outcomes.
Through collaboration and knowledge exchange, the conference aims to strengthen the evidence base, support emerging research, and provide an inclusive platform that amplifies diverse voices to help accelerate progress toward more timely, effective and equitable care.
The 2026 program will explore key topics including:
- Pregnancy and perinatal health
- Menstrual cycles
- Menopause
- The aging brain
- Hormonal contraception
- Forward-looking perspectives on the future of women’s health research
Conference date: November 4 – 5, 2026. Registration will open by the end of February.
Location: Arcadian Court 401 Bay Street, Toronto, ON
Stay tuned for program updates, registration dates, abstract submissions, and travel award applications. For questions, please contact Jena Roy.
Check out highlights from the 2024 inaugural womenmind conference:
