WOMEN’S BRAIN
HEALTH INITIATIVE
OVERVIEW
The Women’s Brain Health Initiative started as a project under the auspices of the Baycrest Foundation and later separated from the hospital to become an independent organization focused on funding international peer-reviewed research on women’s brain health. The organization required a communications strategy to put the cause on the public agenda, help raise the funds needed to support an initial $5 million campaign for a new Research Chair in Women's Brain Health & Aging, and build a movement that inspired the public to champion the cause.
Women’s Brain Health Initiative creates education programs and funds research to combat brain-aging diseases that affect women.
BROWN & COHEN SOLUTION
- Developed communications strategy using media relations, social media, events and stakeholder relations. This included securing honourary co-chairs across Canada for events with leading business women and political figures who could use their influence and profile to raise awareness.
- Marketing support for donor outreach and the development of interactive website.
- Public relations campaign for Sex, Aging and Memory, the first-ever public conference on women’s brain health to talk about sex differences and the aging process.
- Public relations campaign for the first-ever Women’s Brain Health Academic Symposium with leading researchers from around the world.
- Development of events on Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park to engage policy makers.
THE RESULT
- Media covered the issue extensively promoting the message on the inequity of current research and the need for more information on women’s brain health. Earned coverage ran in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, CBC.ca, CBC Metro Morning, CBC Ontario Morning, CTV News, CP24, More Magazine, Montreal Gazette, Jazz FM, Post City Magazine, Inside Toronto, Ottawa Sun, Toronto Sun, London Free Press, Edmonton Sun, Sudbury Star, Sault Star, etc.
- The academic symposium alone had 49 stories generated reaching 7,445,399 people.
- Honourary co-chairs who lent their names to the cause for the public conference included Dr. Carolyn Bennett MP, Dr. Hedy Fry MP, Libby Davies MP, Senator Linda Frum, Christine Bentley, Dianne Carmichael, Elizabeth Comper, Sara Diamond, Arlene Dickinson, Pamela Jeffery, Karen Kain, Linda Lewis, and Dr. Marla Shapiro.
