Lynn Posluns Takes on Women’s Brain Health

Lynn Posluns, former president of the Fairweather clothing chain, and business partner of Canadian designer Joeffer Caoc, is known for shaping some of Canada’s hottest fashion trends. Now, she has set her sights on making Women’s Brain Health a cause just as sexy to the public.

Posluns is the driving force behind the Women’s Brain Health Research Fund, driven by a group of creative empowered women dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of Women’s Brain Health. Now a movement more than a group, the Fund supports cutting-edge, first time research on the female brain and aging.

With an initial target of $5 million to fund a new research chair in Women’s Brain Health and Aging at Toronto’s Baycrest, money raised will support brain scientists who engage in work that is relevant and sensitive to women’s brain health concerns and educational initiatives to give women the tools they need to stay brain healthy longer.

Posluns has also captured the attention and support of the corporate world with names such as Ellis Jacob, CEO of Cineplex Entertainment, and Bill Moir, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer of Tim Hortons Inc. -- organizational giants who are now dedicated to the cause and part of her movement.

Recently the Alzheimer Society of Canada released new data showing that 70 per cent of Alzheimer’s patients in Canada are women. However, there has been little research into why women are more vulnerable to the disease. Most laboratory studies today are done on male rats because female rats are considered too complex.

“Collectively we are more powerful than any generation of women before us. We want to know why we are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s and what we can do to maintain our physical and mental wellness as we get older,” said Posluns.

“Approximately 500,000 Canadians currently suffer from dementia and the majority of these individuals are women.

What’s more startling is that the number of people with dementia is expected to more than double by 2034,” said Posluns. “We need research to better understand why women are at higher risk of dementia than men and what we can do to mitigate that risk.”

Since its launch in 2009, the Women’s Brain Health Research Fund has raised more than $1.8 million. The money is currently being used to support Baycrest senior clinician-scientist Dr. Tiffany Chow and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Norman Farb, who are working to provide greater public awareness around dementia and the female brain.

Women of Baycrest, a conscientious network of women who believe they can positively influence their own lives and make a difference in the way women age, havea number of exciting events planned for the coming year.

Registration for their first-ever symposium on women’s brain health recently opened for an event this fall in Toronto, featuring two-time Academy Award winner, Hilary Swank, as keynote speaker.

For more information, visit www.womenofbaycrest.com