We are excited to welcome Joanna Griffiths, the Founder and President of Knix and Kt by Knix, as our keynote speaker for the inaugural Luminaries Luncheon.
Joanna has transformed Knix into a leading force in intimate apparel, known for its innovative, body-inclusive products that empower women of all shapes and sizes. Since launching Knix in 2013, she has revolutionized the way women think about underwear, with a focus on comfort and function for all women, which has led to Knix becoming one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands worldwide.
As the founder of Knix, Joanna has achieved numerous milestones and accomplishments, from featuring in Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times, and many other top publications, to being named one of AdWeek's 2021 Women Trailblazers, the Waterstone’s Most Admired CEO, and Women of Influence's Entrepreneur of the Year. Notably, Joanna also successfully negotiated the $400-million acquisition of Knix by global health and hygiene brand Essity—the largest publicly disclosed private sale of a direct-to-consumer company led by a female founder in Canada.
Joanna is a passionate advocate for female entrepreneurs. In 2021, while pregnant with twins, she made headlines by closing a $53 million funding round for Knix, refusing to accept investments from those who questioned her ability to lead a company and be a mother. Under her leadership, Knix achieved 97% year-over-year growth that year.
A graduate of Queen’s University and INSEAD, Joanna holds an MBA with distinction and serves on the board of Futurpreneur Canada. In 2021, she released her first book, Life After Birth, which celebrates the early stages of motherhood and features stories from well-known figures like Ashley Graham and Amy Schumer.
Please join us in welcoming this trailblazing entrepreneur, who continues to redefine what it means to lead with heart, vision, and purpose.
Meet Our Panel
Our panel of researchers are dedicated to transforming scientific discoveries into real-world solutions that improve the health and well-being of women. Through innovative research in areas such as reproductive aging, cardiovascular health, urogynecology, and pregnancy-related complications, they are bridging the gap between lab-based findings and practical applications in clinical care.
Their work focuses on addressing critical health issues faced by women across the lifespan, ensuring that research not only advances knowledge but also leads to tangible benefits for patients. By translating cutting-edge science into accessible healthcare solutions, they are helping to shape more effective, inclusive, and evidence-based practices that directly impact women’s health.
Dr. Jane Schulz
Dr. Jane Schulz is a urogynecologist at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, a Professor and Chair, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta, and has been a member of the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI) since its inception. She holds the Alberta Women's Health Foundation Chair in Women's Health Research and has led fifteen funded research projects aimed at improving women's health. Her clinical and research expertise centers on urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic floor prolapse, and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Dr. Schulz’s work focuses on quality improvement, innovative care models, and increasing access to care for marginalized populations. She has been instrumental in national and international collaborations, including multicenter trials and partnerships with specialists in colorectal surgery, urology, geriatrics, and pharmacy. Notably, her research has contributed to enhancing clinical care delivery, with significant impacts on patient outcomes.
Dr. Colleen Norris, PhD (Epidemiology), MScN, BScN, RN, FAHA, FCAHS
Dr. Colleen Norris is a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, registered nurse, holds the Cavarzan Chair in Women's Health Research for the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation, a member of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute, and is a well-respected expert in cardiovascular health. Additionally, Dr. Norris is a leading part of the Women’s Heart Health Research Collaborative (WHHRC), which partners with the CK Hui Heart Centre, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation to improve women’s cardiovascular care.
Dr. Norris focuses on how sex, gender, and hormones impact women’s health throughout their entire life cycle, from perimenopause to post-menopause. Her research explores how these factors influence conditions like cardiovascular disease and other health concerns.
Dr. Norris’s groundbreaking work continues to shine a spotlight on the complexities of women’s health and aims to create a more holistic and inclusive approach to clinical practice and policy.
Dr. Padma Kaul
Dr. Padma Kaul is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Health, and Co-Director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre, at the University of Alberta. She holds the CIHR Sex and Gender Science Chair and the Heart & Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Research, and is a member of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute.
Dr. Kaul’s areas of research include epidemiology and the outcomes of diabetes and cardiovascular disease at the population level, with a special focus on the effect of these chronic diseases on women and children’s health at every life stage. Her pioneering work in population health research harnesses routinely collected administrative health data to enhance healthcare decision-making and drive systemic improvements. She is currently developing diagnostic and prognostic artificial intelligence algorithms to reduce disparities in care and to cultivate a dynamic learning healthcare system.
Dr. Kaul is the principal investigator for the Canadian Mother-Child Cohort, a large-scale study that tracks health outcomes for women who gave birth in Alberta over 15 years. She is also one of the leads for the Healthy Pregnancy Hub, a new Canada-wide resource providing pregnant women with evidence-based information on the safety of medications during pregnancy.
Her work, funded in part by the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation, aims to improve healthcare delivery for women and expand access to critical health information across the lifespan.
The Pipeline to Possibility Research Spotlight
Early investigator researchers are at the forefront of women's health. Visit the Pipeline to Possibility Research Spotlight area, where forward-thinking researchers will share insights into their groundbreaking work. These early to mid-career researchers are tackling critical issues and pioneering innovative solutions to improve the health and well-being of women from across Alberta and beyond. Discover the passion and purpose behind their research as they present their projects, shedding light on the future of women's health.
Dr. Amanda de Oliveira
Dr. Amanda A. de Oliveira is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Sandra Davidge in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta, where she holds a Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023-2025) and a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2024-2026).
Dr. Neelam Punjani is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta and a member of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute. Dr. Punjani’s research focuses on empowering children and adolescents through comprehensive sexuality education by working with multidisciplinary teams. She is dedicated to ensuring inclusive and equitable sexual health care to all populations. Her goal is global research excellence in children’s sexual health through quality dissemination of knowledge and resources. Her research provides key insights to guide health care providers, researchers, and policy makers to improve practices and approaches pertaining to sexual health promotion using digital health technologies and knowledge translation activities. In past, she received a Graduate Studentship from the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation in 2019 for, "Strengthening linkages between sexual and mental health of young girls" and an Innovation award in 2024 for “Empowering parents and youth to promote healthy sexuality using co-designed interactive text messages”.
Dr. Punjani has been honored with Edify Magazine's Top 40 Under 40 award in 2024, recognizing her outstanding leadership achievements. Additionally, she received the Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Award in the Amex Emerging Leaders category. Her influential work in improving children’s sexual health is shaping policy, clinical practice, and educational strategies in the field of sexuality education.
Dr. Oluwakemi Amodu
Dr. Kemi Amodu is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, where her research focuses on the social determinants of access to maternal and reproductive health for women. She is also a member of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
Through a critical feminist lens, Dr. Amodu examines the disparities in women's access to healthcare, with the aim of improving health outcomes for those who are most marginalized and in need of care. Her work particularly emphasizes the health of equity-deserving women, especially those whose cultural beliefs and social circumstances hinder their access to appropriate maternal care. Dr. Amodu is a former postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences, having been awarded a prestigious Global Talent Award in 2020, a first-of-its-kind fellowship. She also serves in various community organizations and is a member of the Black Academic Scholars of Excellence program. Her research contributions include several published studies focused on obstetric fistulas and reproductive health access for women affected by conflict and migration.
Dr. Sophia Pin
Dr. Sophia Pin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta. She holds the position of Division Lead for Gynecologic Oncology at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and the Cross Cancer Institute. She is also the ERAS Gyn Onc (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Gynecologic Oncology) Lead of the North/Edmonton Zone, is a part of the Surgical Strategic Clinic Network Committee and a member of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. She attended medical school at the University of Calgary, then finished her residency training at the University of Alberta. She subsequently completed her fellowship training in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Calgary. She completed a master’s in quality improvement and patient safety at the University of Toronto.
Her research interests include studies in quality improvement, with a project in same day discharge, and the creation of an Endometrial Cancer Database that led to a prospective study on endometrial cancer, obesity and weight-loss, as well as a retrospective study looking at the incidence of recurrent endometrial cancer.
Dr. Annick Poirier
Dr. Annick Poirier is a Urogynecologist at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. She also practices at the Lois Hole Hospital Chronic Pelvic Pain program. She is an Associate Clinical Professor within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, and Dentistry at University of Alberta, and a member of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute.
Dr. Poirier graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal and completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University. She worked as a general Obstetrics/Gynecology physician for five years on the Gaspe Peninsula. She completed a Urogynecology Fellowship through the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Dr. Poirier is the current Edmonton Zone Section Chief for Urogynecology and Chronic Pelvic Pain. Her research interests include qualitative methodology, global health, access to care, surgical outcomes and chronic pelvic pain.
