Women & Health in Canterbury

Women & Health in Canterbury – an International Women’s Day event

For International Women’s Day 2020, we listened to a group of wonderful speakers while enjoying a delicious gourmet lunch set amongst the beautiful Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Proceeds from this event helped fund critical medical research in Canterbury.

  • Ben Warren – Clinical Nutritionist and Holistic Health Expert, Founder & Clinical Director of BePure
    The biggest problems for female hormonal health and the best tips for fixing them
    In this talk Ben will share from his years of experience in assisting thousands of women create hormonal harmony. Highlighting the main hormonal imbalances for women and giving his top diet and lifestyle strategies for creating hormonal balance.

    Recognised as a leader in his field with over 15 years of hands on experience, Ben Warren is the founder of BePure, and one of New Zealand’s most renowned clinical nutritionists and holistic health experts. Ben has made it his mission to build a new future of health by empowering and educating New Zealanders on the importance of diet, lifestyle and nutrition. Ben went on to gain his Masters in Holistic Nutrition, and is currently completing his PhD on the relationship between mental health and nutrition. Over the past 15 years, Ben has founded BePure, developed the BePure nutritional support product range, toured the country with seminar series talking to over 70,000 people, and is currently the Clinical Director of the BePure Clinic.
  • Dr Gabriella Lindberg – Research Fellow at Christchurch Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (CReaTE) Group, University of Otago Christchurch
    The medical treatment gender gap and the future of personalised medicine
    Why do most treatment options only serve half of the world’s population and what can we do about it?


    Dr. Gabriella Lindberg studied Biotechnology and Tissue Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden). Passionate about developing new generation biomaterials, she moved to New Zealand to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering. As part of the Christchurch Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (CReaTE) Group, she today works with 3D-printing technologies to develop functional cartilage and bone implants as well as personalised cancer treatments. She holds a patent and has received a number of grants and awards, such as the prestigious emerging researcher first grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (2019) and the Young Investigator Award (2019) from the International Society of Biofabrication (ISBF) for her pursuit of a blueprint to bridge the gap between engineered and native tissues.
  • Professor Gail Gillon – Director, University of Canterbury Child Well-being Research Institute
    Why education matters in child health and well-being
    This talk will draw from cutting-edge research to show why education and health are inseparable when it comes to child well-being; and provide some examples of how our actions as adults significantly influence the growth, development and potential of our children.


    Professor Gail Gillon (Ngāi Tahu) is the founding director of the Child Well-being Research Institute at the University of Canterbury. She is also the co-director of the A Better Start National Science Challenge, former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the College of Education, Health and Human Development, and a leading expert in the area of children’s phonological awareness development. Professor Gillon’s area of research focuses on understanding the relationship between spoken and written language development and, in particular, the importance of children’s phonological awareness to their reading and spelling success. She has received international recognition for her work, including three prestigious research awards from the American Speech Hearing Association for a journal article of highest merit. Professor Gillon is a Life Member of the New Zealand Speech Language Therapy Association, and is on the Prime Minister’s reference group for the New Zealand’s first Child Wellbeing Strategy.
  • Dr Nikki Hooper – Orthopaedic Surgeon, CDHB and Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Otago Christchurch
    Bridging and Balancing
    This talk will touch on Nikki’s experience as part of a movement to bridge the gender gap in surgery while trying to find a balance between a demanding work and family life.

    Nikki is a New Zealand trained orthopaedic surgeon who has recently returned to take up a position at Christchurch Hospital after completing fellowships in both Vancouver and Auckland. After years of moving around for training, with her husband and two boys in tow, she is looking forward to settling down in Christchurch with her young family and rediscovering her home city.
CMRF Womens Day-01

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