A recent article by Appel and Anderson in the New England Journal of Medicine, reaffirms previous studies that have suggested that salt intake reduction can be a highly effective, inexpensive way to reduce deaths due to heart disease and stroke. Table…
Dr. Francis Collins
On Saturday, April 24th, Dr. Francis Collins, the current head of the National Institutes of Health, gave a lecture at Northwestern. The event was co-sponsored by the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Chicago and brought out many…
Recently, the American Heart Association came out with guidelines for sugar intake. Women should limit their sugar intake to 25 grams per day and men to 37.5 grams/day. This seems reasonable until you look at some of the “hidden” or “added”…
The Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) program model, developed at Northwestern University’s Institute for Women’s Health Research, is designed to prepare and inspire high school girls to become the next generation of women leaders in science and …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality issued its 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report on April 13. The 2009 reports include a new section on lifestyle modifications because preventing or reducing obesity is a crucial national…
In celebration of National Women’s Health Week, the Institute for Women’s Health Research at Northwestern University is hosting an evening of laughter, good cheer and networking. It will be held on May 12, 2010 at 6 pm at the Chicago Center…
“By not studying sex differences, researchers could be missing out on potential new treatments for both men and women”, says Rhonda Voskuhl. Finally, Science Magazine is speaking our language! I felt like I was reviewing talking points from one of my…
Yesterday, I started writing a blog explaining why sex and gender research was important. I got bogged down in historical background, mandates, and the usual boring facts and justifications. While doing this, my desktop binged and one of several daily notices…
This blog is a follow-up to our March 3 blog where we announced the NIH Consensus Development conference scheduled on March 8-10 to discuss the safety issues surrounding vaginal birth after previous Cesarian section. AHRQ has released a report from that…
In recognition of Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is highlighting the growing issue of unintentional drug poisoning in the United States. More than 26,000 deaths from unintentional drug poisoning occurred in the U.S. in 2006. …
Ashley J. and Aryana M. practice taking each other's blood pressure.
On Thursday, March 11, 2010 the Institute for Women’s Health Research in collaboration with Young Women’s Leadership Charter School graduated 29 high school girls from the Oncofertility Saturday Academy. Over 100…
The FDA recently issued the following communication report: Patients and healthcare professionals may have questions about oral bisphosphonate medications and atypical subtrochanteric femur fractures – fractures in the bone just below the hip joint. Oral bisphosphonates are commonly prescribed…
Throughout my career, I have been a strong proponent of medical research through consumer advocacy and educational activities. But recently, I had the opportunity to actually participate as a research subject! As an enrollee in the Illinois Women’s Health Registry, my…
The Illinois Women’s Health Registry is currently featured on the Northwestern University homepage. To read the latest article about the Registry go to And you if you live in Illinois, sign up for the Registry!
Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is the delivery of a baby through the vagina after a previous cesarean delivery. For most of the 20th century, clinicians believed that once a woman had undergone a cesarean, all of her future pregnancies required…
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disorder in which the endometrial tissue, or the inner lining of the uterus, migrates to areas outside the uterus, most commonly the ovaries and Fallopian tubes. The endometrial tissue is the same tissue that thickens throughout…
According to a study that was coordinated by investigators at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, two to three times more pregnant women may soon be diagnosed and treated for gestational diabetes, based on new measurements for determining risky blood sugar…
On February 15, 2010 the NIH issued a news release about a new analysis reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine on data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The study reevaluated whether or not combination hormone therapy (estrogen+progestin) increases the…
We realize that Thursday nights are jam packed with all sorts of great TV shows, but hopefully you were able to set the DVR for the WTTW series Health Secrets: What Every Woman Should Know. The 4-part TV series was hosted by…
A few decades ago, manicures and pedicures were something your grandmother and her friends did. Today, it has become popular with all ages–probably due to the general acceptance that women could pack away their panty hose and go bare-legged and the…
I have noticed that recently there have been a lot of commercials on television about getting your BRACAnalysis®. You might be wondering what a BRAC analysis is? Or maybe you are wondering if you should get one? The BRAC test is…
Every day we hear about a new drug, screening tool or technology that promises to improve our knowledge of health and disease. Generally, the news is good, or at least hopeful, reassuring the public that important research is progressing. …
Research led by Teresa Woodruff, PhD, director of the Institute for Women’s Health Research at Northwestern University was featured in the first edition of Horizons in Bioscience, a publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, that describes scientific…
What is Heart Disease?
Heart Disease is a general term used to describe various diseases and syndromes of the heart and blood vessels. Included in the definition are diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmia, heart valve disease, heart failure, and…
New information from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services on family planning services covered under Medicaid has been added and is available for 2009 for all states. The…
Earlier this week, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they had approved a new drug for type 2 diabetes (see the FDA’s press release here). Type 2 is the most common kind of diabetes and can develop at any age…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public about a counterfeit version of the weight-loss drug Alli 60 mg capsules (120 count refill pack) being sold over the Internet, particularly at online auction sites.
The counterfeit product is illegal and…
Melina Kibbe honored at White House
Melina Kibbe, M.D., associate professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, vascular surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and co-chief of the vascular surgery service and director of the Vascular Laboratory at the Jesse Brown VA Medical…
We probably all have first hand knowledge of how a bad night’s sleep can affect us the next day: we’re irritable, in a bad mood, and it can be hard to concentrate. It may not be all that surprising then, that…
I know what you’re thinking, this is a Women’s Health Blog – but we like men here too. A recent study published in Nature (and featured in the New York Times) reveals some interesting new insight into the X-chromosome’s somewhat puny-looking…
Photo credit: Randy Belice
We welcome the new commentary from the Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine here at Northwestern University entitled, “Diversity: Essential For Our Success.” In it, Dr. Larry Jameson tells of his own personal history of growing up…
In 2010, WTTW Channel 11 and Northwestern Memorial Hospital will broadcast a special series, “Health Secrets: What Every Woman Should Know,” featuring broadcast journalist Paula Zahn.
The Illinois Women’s Health Registry and Oncofertility Consortium will be featured in the series.
Each one hour…
As we come to the end of the special exhibit Changing the Face of Medicine, Celebrating America’s Women Physicians at the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center here at Northwestern, we thought we’d provide a recap of some comments from our…
Health.com published an article today that summarizes the findings of a recent study on menopause and cholesterol that shows women’s cholesterol levels increase at the time of menopause. The study’s abstract can be found here, at the Journal of the American…
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) damages the white blood cells of the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight off bacterial infection, viruses, and other diseases such as pneumonia and some cancers. Late stage HIV is often referred to as Acquired…
A recent article by the British news source, Mail Online, titled “Sorry darling, I can’t do the vacuuming. It might damage my sperm count: The best excuse yet for men not to do the housework…” has generated media attention. The premise…
One of the beliefs of the IWHR is that a very good way to increase the visibility of women’s issues in science and medicine is to increase the number of actual women professionals in those fields. That why we were so…
It’s been all over the news this week–the US Preventative Services Task Force came out with a new set of recommendations for breast cancer screening, including recommending against yearly mammograms for women ages 40-49. Their recommendations say that there is only…
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The Institute for Women’s Health Research held its monthly forum on Tuesday with speaker Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes giving her talk entitled, “‘Dying from’ to ‘living with’ HIV/AIDS: Framing Institutions and the coping process of infected black women.”
Dr. Watkins-Hayes began her…
Women now comprise half of all American workers, and women are either the primary or co-breadwinners for two thirds of all American families. Maria Shiver, in conjunction with the Center for American Progress, published a fascinating new report last month that…
Recruitment for Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) 2010 applicants officially began on Monday, November 9, 2009. This is the fourth consecutive year of OSA and we are expecting a very competitive pool of applicants from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School. OSA was…
Guest blog by Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellow, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Grand Rounds this morning was given by past FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) and previous chairman…
Dr. Sabra L. Klein, an assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Phyllis Greenberger, the president and chief executive of the nonprofit Society for Women’s Health Research, recently wrote an opinion…
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease affecting approximately 7% of the US population. Diabetes is categorized into two classes: Type 1, or insulin dependent diabetes, and Type 2, or adult onset diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas…
Aryana, Kathryn, Jenaun, Estella and Geeleeyaw at the 2009 Illinois Women’s Health Conference.
On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, five high school senior girls, who are participants of the Women’s Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond (WHSP), whsp.northwestern.edu, attended the…
Image: bodyandmore.auburnpub.com
Medscape Today recently wrote an article detailing the physician’s dilemma regarding delivering test results, and how this may differ based whether the results are normal or identify a potentially dangerous problem. Much of the discussion uses PAP smear results as…
Did you know that males require estrogen for many key biological processes, including spermatogenesis? Actually, many of the actions thought to be caused by testosterone in males is actually caused by estrogen signaling instead. These are some of the cool facts…
Image: Indigo Instruments
In a recent post called, “Autoimmunity and Gender”, we mentioned that one reason women are more prone to autoimmune disorders, or those conditions where the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, is because of chromosomal influence, but we…
Image: WOLDCnews.com
CNN Health has just published a nice article outlining many conditions that can be overlooked in women, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and several autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and…
On October 14-16, 2009 the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), NIH, DHHS along with Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital is co-hosting the fourth in a series of regional scientific workshops to explore new dimensions…
Image: NIH
As those interested in the field of women’s health, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the people who have come before us and championed the cause. One of the giants in this regard is Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, who…
Scope
There is an enormous scientific knowledge gap regarding the sex- and gender-based differences in human experiences of health, symptom manifestation, the diagnosis of illness, and the treatment of disease. This affects the health of men and women and erodes the…
You may have noticed the NFL players wearing their pink gloves and shoes for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But did you know that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American women? It is caused by abnormal cell…
Institute for Healthcare Studies Seminar Series presents:
“Illinois Women’s Health Registry: A Catalyst for Innovative Research”
Sarah Bristol-Gould, PhD
Director of Research Programs
Institute for Women’s Health Research at Northwestern University
October 8th , 2009 from 12pm to 1pm.
Room 421, Wieboldt Hall, 340 E.…
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At first glance, the items in the title of this entry don’t make any sense together – what could lowly grad students possibly have to do with the Nobel Prize?! But dig a little further and the connections become clear…
Yesterday,…
The Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Alliance, sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Health Research presents:
“Women’s Health — Does Sex Matter?”
Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 5:00-6:00 pm
A reception will be held 30 minutes prior and following the discussion
Prentice Women’s Hospital, Harris Family Foundation…
“The Promises and Myths of Breast Cancer Research”
Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Fairmont Chicago, 200 N. Columbus Dr.
Do you have questions about breast cancer treatment options, family history, integrative medicine, diagnosis and support? The Lynn Sage Breast…
Dr. Cynthia R. LaBella, MD
Dr. Cynthia R. LaBella, MD, kicked-off the second year of the Women’s Health Research Monthly Forum, on September 22, 2009, by presenting her research on knee injuries in female adolescent athletes to an audience of over 150…
The NIH has a pretty cool monthly podcast called “Pinn Point on Women’s Health,” which is hosted by Dr. Vivian Pinn, director of the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health. For September, the topic was Autoimmune Disease in women (NIH…
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The H1N1 flu, better known by its alias “swine flu,” is still wreaking havoc around the world. Everyone is understandably concerned. Every time I am on the phone with my parents and let out something with the slightest resemblance to…