Overview
Message from the Division Lead
The Women’s Health Concerns Clinic (WHCC) mission is to promote women’s mental health and well-being across the menstrual cycle, childbearing years and the transition to menopause through evidence-based clinical care, education and research.
Division Lead, Women’s Health
Faculty Directory
Shiny Gunasekera
BSc, MD, FRCPC
Assistant Professor
Part Time / Adjunct Faculty
Luciano Minuzzi
MD, FRCPC
Associate Chair, Education
Faculty
Roberto Sassi
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Associate Professor
Faculty
Ryan Van Lieshout
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Associate Professor
Faculty
Education
This section is currently being updated. Please come back for more information.
Clinical
Female-reproductive mental health problems are major public health problems. Between 7-15% of women experience postpartum depression, 5-9% suffer from severe premenstrual syndrome and about 10% develop significant mood or anxiety problems during the transition to menopause. In addition, offspring of women who suffered from postpartum mental health problems are at increased risk for developing mental and/or physical illnesses. Therefore, early detection/diagnosis and early treatment are critical in preventing long-term consequences. Our clinic accepts self-referrals in order to facilitate access to treatment with our multidisciplinary team including specialized therapists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, physicians and allied health. Finally, our program is strongly involved with educational activities at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.
Research
Research at the WHCC involves studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms behind hormonally-related mental health problems. More specifically, our research is primarily focused on mood and anxiety conditions associated with female-reproductive live events: pregnancy, the postpartum period, the premenstrual period and the menopause transition. Our research also includes investigation of mental and physical development of offspring of mothers with mental health conditions.
Contact Us
We invite you to learn more about the Women’s Health Program and the opportunities that are available at McMaster University. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.