S2 E1: Cultivating Female Sexual Desire through Mindfulness - Dr. Lori Brotto

"In this episode of Women’s Health, Interrupted, we speak with Kathryn “Katie” Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), about the progress made in women’s health research and why significant gaps remain. We explore the landmark 1993 NIH Revitalization Act, which required the inclusion of women in NIH-funded clinical research, and why inclusion alone is not enough. We discuss the importance of analyzing sex differences, investigating women’s health conditions, and ensuring research findings translate into better care for everyone. Katie also shares insights into the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap, including its proposed $20 billion investment over 10 years, and why sustained funding is essential to addressing decades of neglect. Because including women in research is only the first step—understanding how health and disease affect them differently is what drives progress." Host: Dr. Liisa Galea

In this episode of Women’s Health, Interrupted, we speak with Dr. Maria Teresa Ferretti about why sex and gender differences matter in health research, what happens when they are overlooked and where are the barriers.

Welcome back to season 4 of Women’s Health Interrupted! On this episode we speak with Dr. Tory Eisenlohr‑Moul, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine and a leading expert in premenstrual and hormone‑sensitive mood disorders. Dr. Eisenlohr‑Moul breaks down what PMDD actually is — why it’s not a simple one‑to‑one disorder, how timing and ovulation shape symptoms, and why current diagnostic criteria miss so many people. She explains how hormone sensitivity drives the dramatic shifts across the menstrual cycle and what emerging evidence suggests about how PMDD should be diagnosed. We also zoom out to the bigger picture: why sex differences matter in science, how menstrual‑cycle research has been historically overlooked, and what it will take to build treatments that truly reflect lived experience. Host: Dr. Liisa Galea

On this episode of Women’s Health Interrupted, we speak with Ngozi Iroanyah, the Director of Health Equity and Access at the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. Ngozi’s discusses her path into dementia advocacy beginning with her father’s diagnosis an experience that forced her to navigate both the healthcare system she worked within and the emotional reality of watching a loved one face dementia. Even as a health professional, she felt the same fear, grief, and overwhelm that so many families carry. Caring for her father revealed how heavily Canada’s dementia system relies on caregivers to fill gaps in Personal Support Worker coverage, care coordination, and culturally responsive services. She saw how 24/7 caregiving leads to burnout with 40% of caregivers experiencing negative mental health outcomes and how inequities shape who gets diagnosed, who receives support, and who is left navigating the system alone. Her lived experience made clear that dementia care isn’t just medical — it’s cultural, structural, and deeply shaped by the “isms” that influence health: racism, sexism, and ageism. Women and equity‑seeking communities face higher risks and greater barriers, making equity‑centered dementia care essential. Today, Ngozi brings her personal story and professional expertise together to push for a dementia care system in Canada that truly supports families, honours caregivers, and delivers culturally grounded, bias‑aware care Host: Dr. Liisa Galea

In this episode of Women's Health Interrupted, we speak with Dr. Tamar Gur — a scientist whose candor and energy make every conversation unforgettable. Before we get anywhere near the microbiome, Tamar opens up about what it means to be a woman in science: the constant advice‑getting, the second‑guessing, the charm you learn to wield, and the grit required to stay loud in rooms that weren’t built for you. From there, we dive into her core philosophy: sound mind and sound body cannot be separated. Studying mental health in isolation, Tamar argues, isolates the science itself. You can’t understand the brain without understanding the immune system. You can’t understand mood without understanding inflammation. And you certainly can’t understand depression without understanding the microbiome — the fungi, viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms living in every orifice of the body. Because, as Dr. Tamar puts it, there is nothing more personal than the microbes in your orifices. We explore why depression research has been flattened by over‑generalization, why nuance is essential, and why the microbiome demands that medicine get more comfortable with complexity. The body is not a set of disconnected systems — it’s a conversation. And Dr. Tamar’s work listens to all of it. Host: Dr. Liisa Galea