Congratulations to Drs. Silke Appel-Cresswell and Evelyn Stewart on being nominated for the 2023 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

Both members’ nominations are in the Research, the Sciences & Technology category, which celebrates a woman who has made a significant and sustained difference in Metro Vancouver through her dedicated pursuit of scientific, technological and/or research-based discoveries.

Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell

Dr. Appel-Cresswell is a neurologist at Vancouver Coastal Health’s Movement Disorder Clinic. She is also an Associate Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and holds the Marg Meikle Professorship for Research in Parkinson’s disease.

She has devoted her career as a clinician scientist to understanding and caring for aging brains, particularly related to Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Dr. Appel-Cresswell conceptualized and established the iCAPTURE PD program, helping discover two new genetic mutations implied in PD.

In addition, she is Founding Director of the BC Brain Wellness Program at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to optimizing brain health with lifestyle interventions as treatment and for prevention. Dr. Cresswell is an international leader in the role of nutrition and gut microbiome in Parkinson’s. She is a leader in educating her peers and a source of hope for those impacted by PD and other movement disorders.

 

Dr. Evelyn Stewart

Dr. Evelyn Stewart is Founding Director of the Pediatric OCD Clinic and Research Program at BC Children and Women’s Health Centre and also a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC.

Dr. Stewart developed “Camp Oh-See-Dee,” an intensive daily treatment program for youth with severe OCD; the only intensive treatment program for children and youth in Canada. After developing the first provincial OCD clinical research registry, she spearheaded the creation of the Family Input Tool, a ground-breaking research platform and database used by professionals to collaborate on mental health research.

Her work and research have positively impacted the lives of more than 800 children and their families across Metro Vancouver. Dr. Stewart has a passion for mentoring young researchers, especially female scientists and those dealing with systemic societal barriers.

Learn more about the 2023 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, which will take place on May 9, 2023.