The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards is presented by Scotiabank, nationally recognizing and honouring extraordinary women leaders and businesses. Our Faculty member Dr. Jacqueline Saw has been nominated for her tremendous work in the research and care of patients with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) around the world, under the award category of Health and Wellness.
Please help us recognize Dr. Saw’s significant contribution to the knowledge on this mysterious condition, and help her ambition to end gender-based violence by voting for her for the Connecting the Community Award. The recipient is selected by public vote, and the winner chooses a YWCA cause that is important to her, donating $10,000, courtesy of Scotiabank, to the YWCA program of her choice. You can vote by clicking here or going to this link: https://ywcavan.org/connecting-community-award-vote.
About the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, under the category Health and Wellness:
The nominee is a woman with an unwavering commitment to delivering, promoting and advocating for healthy lives and communities. She has made a significant and sustained difference in Metro Vancouver while empowering her community to change or better their lives through improved health and wellness practices. She may be a physician, practitioner, nurse or other woman committed to health and wellness.
About Dr. Jacqueline Saw:
Jacqueline is VGH Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program Director, UBC Professor and a leader in the research, diagnosis and care of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), a rare heart condition that affects young women for reasons still largely unknown. Dr. Saw is a leading expert on the condition, serving as the principal investigator of a multi-centre prospective Canadian SCAD Study and running the only SCAD rehab program in the world. Patients who attend Dr. Saw’s rehab program have better outcomes and she is currently conducting genetic studies and expanding the SCAD registry internationally, hoping to uncover genetic links and medications that can be used to address the problem. She has literally written the book on SCAD and her work is saving lives and educating the next generation of heart health specialists.
Dr. Jacqueline Saw’s statement as a nominee for the Connecting the Community Award:
As a physician and cultural minority, I’ve encountered many women who have suffered from emotional and physical gender-based violence, with long-term psychosocial and intergenerational impacts. I advocate to end gender-based violence, for changes in government legislations and justice to better serve women, and support organizations who raise awareness and help women who have the right to live free from abuse.