Dr. Erin Brennand appointed department head, Obstetrics & Gynaecology

The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) are pleased to announce the joint appointment of Dr. Erin Brennand, MD, as department head, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, CSM, and Zone Clinical Department Head, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Calgary Zone, AHS. The appointment took effect Feb. 1, 2023.

Dr. Brennand is the first woman to hold this role, replacing Dr. Colin Birch, MD, who has led the department since 2018. We thank Dr. Birch for his leadership and service within the department.                        

Dr. Brennand is an associate professor in the departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Community Health Sciences at the CSM and is the founder and director of the Sex, Gender and Women’s Health Research Unit within the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. She is also co-lead of the national GROWW Training Program which aims to develop the next generation of trainees as thought leaders and innovators in improving women’s biopsychosocial health in order to close sex- and gender-based gaps in Canadian health and society.

As a physician-scientist, advocate, and leader in women’s health Dr. Brennand’s research program focuses on critically examining current treatments in reproductive health, specifically female pelvic reconstructive surgery, to ensure women are receiving superior care that is tailored to their needs. Her research is informed by the stories of countless women she has cared for through her practice and a tireless pursuit to improve women’s health care. Through this work, she has become internationally recognized for her documentation of the risks of pelvic mesh complications and for developing a safer technique for mesh based urinary incontinence surgery.

Dr. Brennand completed her Doctor of Medicine with Special Training in Research at the University of Alberta followed by a residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology, clinical fellowship in Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery and a Master’s in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.      

Dr. Brennand was program director of the University of Calgary Urogynecology Fellowship and past inaugural Chair of the Research & Development Committee for the Canadian Society for Pelvic Medicine. She is committed to dismantling the stigma and inequities within female reproductive health to achieve better care and outcomes for Albertans.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Brennand on her new leadership role with the CSM and AHS.

Todd Anderson, MD                                                                 Mark Anselmo, MD                                          
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine                                      Calgary Zone Medical Director
University of Calgary                                                                Alberta Health Services