President Biden's State of the Union address just highlighted the critical need for more women's health research.
“Women make up more than half of the population, but research on women's health continues to be underfunded,” Biden said. “That's why we're launching the first-ever White House Initiative on Women's Health Research.”
The effort is being led by First Lady Jill Biden. The president called on Congress to pass a plan that would invest “$12 billion to transform women's health research and benefit millions of lives across America.”
On March 8, the day after the State of the Union address and during National Women's History Month and International Women's Day, more than 40 female physicians, scientists, and male colleagues gathered in UConn Health's Academic Rotunda to discuss the latest in women's health. announced the condition. – Focused findings. This research symposium was designed and hosted by UConn Health's Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS).
Notably, the event's prestigious keynote speaker was from the National Women's Health Research Initiative. Dr. Janine Austin Clayton is the NIH Associate Director for Women's Health Research and Director of the NIH Office of Women's Health Research.
In a virtual presentation titled “From Evidence to Impact: The Power of Research to Improve Women's Health,” Creighton emphasized to UConn Health faculty and researchers: Our mission is to strengthen and expand women's health research. ”
“Team science is not the way of the future, it's the way we do work,” says Clayton.
UConn Health Interim CEO Dr. Bruce T. Liang also spoke at the GWIMS special symposium event.
“History is being made today. I am so proud of all of the women clinicians, researchers, and physician-scientists at UConn Health. You are making a huge difference in research and advancing the lives of other women. ” said Liang in his welcome address. “At UConn, we are very fortunate and proud to have some of the strongest role models to look up to and famous pioneers to learn from, like Dr. Marja Hurley and Dr. Laurinda Jaffe.”
Hurley's innovative bone research has been funded by the NIH for 30 years. She is a tenured professor of medicine and orthopedics, making her the first Black woman to be named a Distinguished Professor on the UConn Board of Governors. UW even named her a pioneering physician-scientist and one of the university's most outstanding women in its first 100 years.
“For me, it is very important that women physicians and scientists participate in all research fields and specialties,” Hurley says. “This symposium is an opportunity for female faculty to unite with their male colleagues to present research, strengthen collaboration, and stay informed.”
Professor Hurley added: “The potential impact of more gender-focused and personalized research, whether in basic science animal models or single-sex human cell lines, could have real impacts on the trajectory of women's health. This could lead to further collaboration between clinicians, basic scientists, and translational researchers, allowing researchers to simultaneously improve patient treatments and outcomes and reduce health disparities. ”
Jaffe is professor and chair of the Department of Cell Biology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Her pioneering research, funded by the NIH, has revealed some major advances in the scientific understanding of fertility.
“The increase in opportunities for women in science and health care over the past 50 years has been incredible, and today's event celebrates that. A special thank you to Dr. Hurley for organizing this celebration,” said Jaffe. I think that I want to do it.”
Jaffe added, “It’s great to see women’s health research featured so prominently in the national ARPA-H initiative.”
Jaffe is the only female member of UConn Health's National Academy of Sciences.
“UConn women are an inspiration and mentor to the next generation of physicians and scientists, including many women just like you and their male colleagues,” Liang said.
In addition to Chairs Hurley and Jaffe, members of the GWIMS Steering Committee include Rebecca Andrews, MS, MD, FACP; Dr. Laurinda Jaffe. Marilyn Katz, MD. Dr. Leesa Kuhn. Shereen Mason, MD, MBA, FAAP. Dr. Niranjana Maulik, FAHA. Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MSc, FACOG. Melinda Sanders, MD. Aqua Salfo, MD; Pamela Taxel, MD; Dr. Christine Zajac; and Dr. Beiyan Zhou.
Following the successful symposium, Hurley concluded, “Our GWIMS chapter at UConn Health hopes that this Women's Health Research Symposium will become an annual event.”
