“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights, once and for all.” This quote, delivered by Hilary Clinton at the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women, was shared by the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain at Women College Hospital Foundation’s annual Women for Women’s luncheon in March 2024. In recognition of her decades of service championing our mission to make an impact in women’s health and research, Margie, as she is known affectionately, received the Trailblazer Award at the event, celebrating her visionary commitment to creating a more inclusive healthcare system and society. 

Margie’s upbringing was inspired by revolutionary women connected to Women’s College Hospital (WCH), including Dr. Henrietta Banting, former director of the hospital’s first Cancer Detection Clinic and Dr. Lillian Chase, a pioneer in the field of diabetes at WCH. Her commitment to WCH is also deeply rooted in the trailblazing path struck by Dr. Emily Stowe, WCH’s founder and the first Canadian female physician.

In 1995, Margie was appointed to the board of Women’s College Hospital Foundation and, in the years that followed, she has served a key role as a Director of the Board for the Foundation, WCH Advisory Council as well as for the Centre for Research in Women’s Health. In addition, she has played a leading role in numerous events and philanthropic initiatives for the hospital.

She is drawn to WCH’s forward-looking approach to improving the health of women at all levels, from prevention to innovative clinical work to research. “Women need a hospital like WCH to respond to their complex, complete lives. Women’s health is inter-generational. When women are healthy, children and families are healthy.”