Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society

What Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society does

The Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society (CEWH) is a Vancouver-based, Canada-headquartered non-profit research and knowledge translation organization that has operated for three decades applying sex, gender, and equity-informed approaches to women's health. The organization develops proprietary frameworks including the SGBA+ (Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Plus) methodology, the Gender Transformative Health Promotion Framework, and the Gendered Emergency Management Framework (GEM-F), and produces a portfolio of training programs, video series, and publications covering substance use, FASD prevention, chronic pain, gender-based violence, trauma-informed practice, and Indigenous women's health. Its core products include the IMPART Addiction Research Training program (CIHR-funded 2003-2015), Expecting to Quit (smoking cessation for pregnant/postpartum women), the Sex, Gender & Cannabis Hub, and the Strong Women Virtual Support Program, all delivered via its website (cewh.ca) on a self-serve, open-access basis.

CEWH serves healthcare and social service providers, academic researchers, public health policymakers, and community organizations across Canada, with international reach through collaborations such as the International FASD Prevention Seminar Series spanning Canada, Australia, South Africa, the USA, and New Zealand. The organization operates from a single headquarters in Vancouver, BC, with a staff of 11-50, and its senior investigators include Director Nancy Poole and Senior Investigator Lorraine Greaves.

The business model is grant-funded non-profit operation rather than commercial: CEWH does not charge for its resources, courses, or publications, and derives operating revenue from government grants — primarily from Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (including a disclosed $341,847 grant dated 2023-07-06) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Distribution occurs freely through digital channels (website, webinars, newsletter, Instagram) and through partnerships with entities such as the Dr. Peter Centre, BCAPOP, and provincial health authorities. No commercial pricing model, software platform, or paid product tiers exist; the organization functions as a public-good knowledge intermediary within the Canadian women's health ecosystem.

Name

Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society

Legal name

Centre of Excellence for Women's Health

Website

https://cewh.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society is a Vancouver-based Canadian non-profit research organization that develops sex, gender, and equity-informed frameworks, training programs, and publications on women's health, serving healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations through grant-funded open-access knowledge translation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Health Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Women's Health & Life-Stage Wellness Education (Fertility, Pregnancy, Menopause) (EDAAAHAI), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF), Data, Surveillance & Digital Public Goods Partnerships for Global Health (HLAJAOAN)

Keywords

• Women's health research
• Gender-based analysis
• Substance use prevention
• Trauma-informed practice
• Health equity training

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society conducts research and knowledge translation on women's health, producing educational courses, training programs, frameworks, publications, and webinars that apply sex, gender, and equity-informed approaches to issues such as substance use, FASD prevention, gender-based violence, trauma-informed practice, and chronic pain. Resources are distributed freely via its website (cewh.ca) and partner networks to health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations across Canada.

Product overview

The Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society offers a portfolio of educational resources, training programs, and knowledge hubs focused on women's health research and advocacy. The core offerings include the IMPART Addiction Research Training program for researchers, the Expecting to Quit smoking cessation course for pregnant women, the International FASD Prevention Seminar Series and Supporting Change FASD video series for prevention work, and the Gender Transformative Health Promotion Course for practitioners. Supporting resources include the Trauma Gender Substance Use video series, Strong Women virtual support program, Women's Chronic Pain educational guides, and the Sex, Gender & Cannabis Hub. The organization also developed the Gendered Emergency Management Framework (GEM-F) as a practical tool for emergency personnel and policy makers. These products function as standalone educational resources and courses rather than a unified software platform, serving healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, and community advocates working in women's health and substance use sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IMPART Addiction Research Training
• Expecting to Quit
• Gender Transformative Health Promotion Course
• Women's Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Use Educational Guide
• Creating Gender Transformative Messages for Preventing Violence Against Women & Girls
• Co-Creating Evidence: Wraparound Programs Course
• Perinatal Substance Use and Collaborative Practice Course
• International FASD Prevention Seminar Series
• Trauma Gender Substance Use (TGS) Video Series
• Supporting Change: Preventing FASD Video Series
• Strong Women Virtual Support Program
• Sex, Gender & Cannabis Hub
• Gendered Emergency Management Framework (GEM-F)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dr. Peter CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership focused on advancing action for women facing violence, HIV, poverty, homelessness, and substance use challenges. Organized an incubator meeting in Winnipeg bringing together stakeholders.
• North End Women's Centre (NEWC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnipeg-based women's center collaborating on issues related to violence, poverty, and substance use. Represented at incubator meeting organized by Dr. Peter Centre.
• BC Association of Pregnancy Outreach Programs (BCAPOP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEWH Director Dr. Nancy Poole and Research Associate Lindsay Wolfson participated in BCAPOP's Annual Perinatal Conference to discuss FASD prevention strategies.
• BC Mental Health and Addiction ServicesminorOthersReferenced as a resource for service providers in the Expecting to Quit course materials, connecting healthcare providers with provincial mental health and addiction services.
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and AddictionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a resource in CEWH educational materials, providing information on Canadian addictions treatment services and programs.
• Taking Texas Tobacco-FreeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CEWH Senior Investigator Dr. Lorraine Greaves on a video presentation about women's tobacco use patterns and gender-specific interventions.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Women's Health Network: Canadian national organization focused on women's health research, policy advocacy, and knowledge mobilization. Directly comparable as a peer non-profit operating in the same Canadian women's health research and education space as CEWH.
• Society for Women's Health Research: US-based non-profit that promotes research on biological sex differences in health and drives policy change. Directly comparable to CEWH as a research-and-advocacy organization translating sex/gender science into clinical and policy practice.
• Women's College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute: Toronto-based hospital-affiliated research institute focused on women's health equity and innovation. Comparable as a Canadian institution generating women-specific health research, frameworks, and clinical knowledge translation outputs.
• International Center for Research on Women (ICRW): Global non-profit conducting research and providing technical assistance on gender equity and women's empowerment. Directly comparable to CEWH in producing applied research, toolkits, and policy frameworks for gender-transformative health and social outcomes.
• Guttmacher Institute: US research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health, including maternal substance use. Comparable to CEWH in producing rigorous research, policy reports, and public-facing resources on women's health and substance use.

Regional players

• BC Women's Health Foundation: British Columbia-based foundation advancing women's health research, education, and care. Comparable as a regionally focused Canadian women's health knowledge and advocacy organization with overlapping focus on equitable health outcomes.
• Native Women's Association of Canada: Canadian national Indigenous women's organization advocating for Indigenous women's health, safety, and equity. Comparable to CEWH in addressing Indigenous women's health, gender-based violence, and policy advocacy from a Canadian perspective.

Emerging players

• CIHR Institute of Gender and Health: Canadian Institutes of Health Research institute funding and coordinating research on sex, gender, and health in Canada. Comparable to CEWH in advancing the same SGBA+ and sex/gender research agenda; acts more as a funder/convener than direct content producer.

Broad incumbents

• WHO Department of Gender, Diversity and Human Rights: World Health Organization unit integrating gender equity into global health policy and guidance. Comparable to CEWH in advancing gender-transformative health frameworks, but at multilateral policy and guidance level rather than national implementation.
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction: Canadian national body providing evidence-based guidance on substance use, including gender-specific substance use issues. Comparable as a Canadian knowledge-mobilization organization in the substance use space, with broader mandate but overlapping audience with CEWH.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cewhca
• Xx.com/cewhca
• Facebookfacebook.com/CEWHca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cewhca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society