Advocate • Educate • Empower
Be the Change
Lipedema Canada is the leading national organization that provides support and advocacy for those living with lipedema, their families, and healthcare professionals who support them.
We help transform the lives of people facing the condition by fostering a sense of community, increasing awareness among medical professionals, and advocating for government acknowledgment and support.
We represent those with lipedema in a way no other organization can: because we are living with it too.
what makes us different
Dedicated to Lipedema
Our Values
Empowering awareness, education, and advocacy to ignite transformative change for the lipedema community nationwide.
We are Change Driven
We are passionate and perseverant in our actions to ensure that change happens for those with lipedema in Canada.
We are Comprehensive
We have a forward thinking mindset, considering all aspects of education and support.
We are Community Minded
We foster an inclusive, relatable, accessible community by offering a strong network of support.
Our Goals
Lipedema Canada / Lipœdème Canada has four main pillars guiding our not-for-profit organization
Fostering Community
Engagement: Actively maintain in-person and online communities, including Facebook pages and support groups, to provide forums for community connection, information exchange, and peer support.
Community Feedback: Regularly engage with our community to understand and address their needs, incorporating their lived experiences and suggestions into our resources and advocacy efforts.
Events Participation: Attend conferences, wellness events, and other events to directly interact with the lipedema community and the professionals who support them.
Volunteer Opportunities: Welcome volunteers to join committees and special projects, ensuring everyone has a chance to participate in Lipedema Canada’s efforts.
Increasing Awareness of Lipedema
Educational Materials: Provide free brochures and educational resources available for order through our website.
Comprehensive Website: Maintain a website that is comprehensive, accessible, scholarly, and regularly updated with the latest information and resources on lipedema.
Targeted Awareness: Address topics like managing lipedema through conservative and surgical methods; and highlight limitations in access to resources, care, and funding.
Physician Engagement: Distribute resource materials to physicians across Canada to raise awareness and help them support patients with lipedema. Offer scholarly information for clinicians to enhance their knowledge.
Canadian Standard of Care: Assemble a working committee of Canadian clinicians to review current research and publish the first Canadian Standard of Care for lipedema.
Educational Curriculum: Advocate for the inclusion of lipedema education in medical, nursing, and physiotherapy programs across Canada.
Advocating for Government Acknowledgment and Healthcare Coverage
Awareness Month: Advocate for a national month of awareness for lipedema, with individual provinces also requesting specific days of recognition.
Diagnosis Code: Request the inclusion of a specific lipedema diagnostic code (EF02. 2 Lipedema – ICD-11) in provincial billing systems to accurately count and support those affected.
Insurance Coverage: Lobby provincial governments to provide insured benefits for compression therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, mental health services, medication support, and lipedema reduction surgery as medically necessary services.
Government Collaboration: Form working groups with provincial governments to enhance diagnosis, treatment, and access to medically necessary care.
Organizational Management
Professional Standards: Operate under the Canadian Not-for-Profit Act (NFP Act), ensuring the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. We are supported by legal counsel to maintain our organizational integrity.
Skill Set Recruiting: Seek dedicated and skilled individuals for our board of directors through a thorough interview process, focusing on those who can commit time and expertise to advance our mission.
Bilingual Accessibility: Ensure all resources, website content, and social media posts are available in both official languages.
Charitable Status: Register as a charitable organization with the Canada Revenue Agency to receive government and grant funding to better support the lipedema community.
Sponsorship Engagement: Collaborate with reputable companies that serve the lipedema community to develop products that meet their needs. Our sponsors are trusted partners who share our goal of improving the lives of those with lipedema.
Collaboration: Work with provincial groups, societies, associations, and advocacy groups, wherever possible, to support our shared goals of improving the lives of Canadians with lipedema.
Global Engagement: Stay informed on the latest lipedema research and engage with the international medical and research community to adopt best practices for managing and supporting lipedema.
faces of change
Board of Directors
be the change
Want to Join the Board?
Join us in making a real difference in the lives of people living with lipedema in Canada. We are seeking a few passionate and motivated individuals who are dedicated to advocacy and want to inspire change as part of our Board of Directors.
Supported by Professionals
Medical Advisory Board
We are currently accepting applications for professionals to join the Lipedema Canada Medical Advisory Board. This dedicated and educated team of diverse professionals will be the pioneering team behind creating a Canadian Standard of Care for Lipedema.
If you are a clinician (doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse, surgeon, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, nutritionist, certified lymphedema therapist, garment fitter) or other relevant specialist working with lipedema patients, we would like to hear from you.
If you are interested in being considered for the Medical Advisory Board, please fill out the form below and submit your CV to the Executive for consideration.
Dr. Miriam Berchuk
Medical Advisor
Dr. Miriam Berchuk
MD, FRCPC (Anaesthesia)
Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine
