- Ismaili Walk for Women, in support of the Women's Health Research Institute at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. at Lumbermen's Arch in Stanley Park. Info: www.ismailiwalk.org.

Nazma Moosa knows firsthand the importance of supporting women's health research.

The North Vancouver resident has been a staff member of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre for more than 20 years.

Her perspective has also been impacted by the fact that 15 years ago, her son, Imran, was born two months prematurely and was a patient of the unit for two months.

To show her support and gratitude, Nazma will be among the participants in the 19th annual Ismaili Walk for Women, set for Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. at Lumbermen's Arch in Stanley Park.

The walk was founded in 1992 by the Ismaili Muslim Community of B.C. and each year, funds raised support a local non-profit organization. Past beneficiaries include the Vancouver Public Library, Habitat for Humanity and the United Way.

So far, the event has raised more than $2.5 million for area charities.

For the last three years, walk organizers have partnered with the B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre Foundation to raise awareness and funds for the Women's Health Research Institute, the research arm of the hospital.

The goal is to raise $1 million and it's definitely in their sights. In the first two years, the walk has raised approximately $600,000.

Nazma has been a participant in the Ismaili Walk for Women since its inception, though she has taken on a more intensive role in recent years in light of the partnership with the foundation, which supports the hospital and health centre in its mission to provide services for pregnant women, newborns and women with specialized health needs.

Nazma is currently the hospital's NICU equipment and supplies co-ordinator. At the time of her son's premature birth, she was the unit's clinical nurse leader.

It was an incredible shock when her own child required care by her peers.

"After working so many years in the NICU, seeing so many premature babies being born, I myself had a premature baby," she says.

Imran was born in 1995, coming two months early.

"He only weighed two pounds," says Nazma.

Having seen both sides of the coin, the positive and devastating results of early and complicated births, it proved to be an incredibly emotional experience for her.

"Being a nurse myself and having all the experience, it was very scary," she says.

However, at the same time, familiar with the level of expertise of the medical and support staff, Nazma felt confident that her son would receive the best care possible.

"Having him there made me feel better because I knew the doctors and the nurses and I know the wonderful care B.C. Women's NICU provides to their neonatal population," she says.

After two months in hospital, Imran was eventually released without further complication and has grown into a healthy teenager.

"We were very lucky," says Nazma.

Imran was born prematurely as a result of Nazma experiencing pregnancy-induced hypertension.

"It was maternal health that caused prematurity in my case and that's why I'm so interested in helping fundraise for B.C. Women's health research," she says.

"Maternal health is so important, especially in raising healthy families because if the mother is healthy, the children will be healthy," she adds.

The three-year partnership between the Ismaili Walk and the foundation has meant a lot to the Women's Health Research Institute, says Dr. Deborah Money, executive director of the institute.

"It's fantastic. The Ismaili community has been amazing, first of all recognizing the importance of women's health in general and being hugely supportive of research as a way to improve women's health," she says.

The Women's Health Research Institute was formed in 2005 and is based at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre, part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

"What we're trying to do is develop and grow research programs to improve women's health, to answer questions about women's health issues that haven't been answered to date and to start with we've really focused on some of the investigators that are local, around B.C. Women's and in the PHSA in general," says Money.

Women's health is an area that's been forgotten almost, in the sense that there hasn't been an appreciation of the uniqueness of health issues in women compared to men, she says. "There are many specific physiologic differences about women -- hormonal differences, ways that they handle drugs differently, ways that they respond to infections differently. They have unique cancers, they have unique health problems and they have unique social and experiential differences that are important to understand," says Money.

Funds raised from past walks have helped the Women's Health Research Institute support small start-up groups and new research projects.

This will continue following this year's walk.

Examples of focuses include reproductive health for women with HIV infection, H1N1 and pregnancy, and the prevention of cervical cancer both here and in Uganda. Funds will also support training and the development of research teams.

"We're a relatively new institute and the support of the Ismaili community has been really invaluable in allowing us to grow and develop over the past few years and allows us to actually leverage that money to actually get research grant funding for new projects through traditional granting agencies," says Money.

This year's Ismaili Walk for Women features a seven-kilometre course as well as a 3.5-km children's route. Following the walk, a number of festivities have been planned, including entertainment, a barbecue, children's activities and a silent auction.

For more information on the Women's Health Research Institute, visit www.whri.org.