Donna Stewart

Dr. Donna Stewart is the director and inaugural chair in Women’s Health at University Health Network and the University of Toronto, where she is responsible for research, education, policy and health service delivery for women’s health. She is a university professor at University of Toronto and is appointed in the Faculty of Medicine in the Departments of Psychiatry, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Medicine, Anaesthesia, Family and Community Medicine, and Surgery.

Dr. Stewart is a senior scientist in the Toronto General Research Institute and her research interests include women’s health, women’s mental health, resilience, interpersonal violence, psychological aspects of reproductive health, psychological reaction to physical illness and international health. Dr Stewart is past co-chair of the review committee and a current member of the board and zone 1 representative of the World Psychiatric Association.  She is the recipient of over 100 peer-reviewed research grants and has published over 350 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 5 books.  She is a reviewer of a number of research granting boards, and was a scientific officer 2002-06 and institutional advisory board member 2006-12 for Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institutes of Gender and Health.  She is past deputy editor and member of the board of the American Psychiatric Publishers Inc (APPI) (2000-11), the world’s largest publisher of mental health books and journals. 

Dr. Stewart has made numerous presentations to provincial, federal, and international government agencies responsible for developing policy and services on women’s health. She has served as a consultant to Health Canada, the World Health Organization, the USA National Institutes of Health (NIMH, NICHD), the US Office of Women’s Health Research, and the United States Public Health Service. She is past chair of the Section of Women’s Mental Health of both the World Psychiatric Association and the American Psychiatric Association, and was a member of the Ontario Women’s Health Council of the Ministry of Health.  She is Past-president of the International Association for Women’s Mental Health. She has been a visiting professor in Australia, Europe, India, China, Iceland, the Middle East, North and South Africa, and North and South American universities, and has presented at numerous international and national professional conferences in women’s health research.  She was the Year 2000 College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada visiting professor in medical research, 2001 distinguished member lecturer of the American Psychiatric Association, 2002 World Psychiatric Association distinguished lecturer, 2003 Symonds Award recipient, 2003 Margaret Mead Memorial Lecturer, 2004 distinguished fellow of the APA, 2005 honorary member of the World Psychiatric Association, 2006 fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, 2006 special consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, 2007 consultant to the World Health Organization, 2009 WiSET visiting scientist to Japan, 2011 distinguished fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, 2012 HOPE Award winner for Mental Health, 2013 Shastri Indo-Canadian faculty award recipient and 2014 a member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour.