Women's Health Updates — January 2022

Learn about recent developments in women's health as well as SWHR's activities that promote the study of sex and gender influences on health and serve our mission to improve women's health through science, policy, and education.
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SWHR HONORS 2022 WOMEN'S HEALTH CHAMPIONS
In a special message from SWHR’s CEO and President Katie Schubert, SWHR recognizes two Women’s Health Champions for their work in women’s health: Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation and Founder of the National Menopause Foundation, and Pamela D. Price, Deputy Director of The Balm In Gilead and Director of the National Brain Health Center for African Americans.
HAPPENING THIS JANUARY
CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
How can vaccines and screening prevent cervical cancer? SWHR gathered a panel of experts last January to discuss the value of these tools and tips for managing cervical health. Listen to the conversation this January for Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH
Glaucoma, an eye disorder relating to damage to the optic nerve, can lead to blindness if left untreated. An estimated 67% of individuals in the United States with glaucoma are women. Learn more about glaucoma risk, treatments, and related eye care in SWHR's Eye Health Toolkit.

Read more about the gender disparities in ophthalmology in this new blog post: SWHR Eye Health Network Meeting Highlights Gender Diversity Needs in Ophthalmology and Beyond.
MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY
This January 23, 2023 is Maternal Health Awareness Day. Selected by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), this year's theme is "Know Why," raising awareness about the underlying causes of maternal deaths and emphasizing the critical role that data plays in creating solutions for maternal health outcomes. Read more about maternal health disparities and solutions on the SWHR blog.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH DAY
January 25, 2023 is Women's Health Research Day, marking the date in 2016 when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began requiring scientists to consider sex as a biological variable (SABV) in preclinical research. Since its founding in 1990, including in support of the SABV policy in 2016, SWHR has worked to advance women's health research through science, policy, and education. Celebrate Women's Health Research Day and learn more about SWHR's work at swhr.org.
What's on your mind this new year? Share your women's health story with SWHR. SWHR is seeking stories about diagnoses, seeking care, and living with lupus, menopause, autoimmune disease, HPV, heart disease, lung cancer, or other women's health conditions. Visit swhr.org/shareyourstory or click the link below to learn more.
LATEST SWHR RESOURCES
SWHR Launches Women's Health Dashboard

The new SWHR Women’s Health Dashboard offers a platform to explore the latest national and state data on diseases and health conditions that have significant impacts on women’s health across the lifespan.

Five women’s health issues emerged as the focus areas of the dashboard because they were the leading causes of death or disease burden for women, and/or they were the most disproportionate causes of death for women compared to men: Alzheimer’s Disease, Breast Cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Depressive Disorders, and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD).

Check out a snapshot of the Women's Health Dashboard here!

Read more about the dashboard and its focus areas on SWHR's blog: SWHR Releases Women’s Health Dashboard.

How do you plan to use the Dashboard in your women's health work? Share with SWHR on social media at @SWHR.
SWHR Publishes Autoimmune Policy Agenda

"Improving Outcomes for Women with Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions: A Call to Action" is part of SWHR's ongoing commitment to raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of autoimmune diseases on women and driving policy change in this space. This agenda serves as a roadmap of key policy areas across research, clinical care, advocacy, access, and more.

Read more about the importance of this policy agenda and addressing related gaps in autoimmune care and policy on the SWHR blog: New Autoimmune Agenda Highlights Policy Measures to Improve Outcome for Women Living with Autoimmune Diseases.

Are you living with an autoimmune disease? Share your story with SWHR by visiting swhr.org/shareyourstory and help inform future autoimmune care recommendations.

What is SWHR reading? "The quest to show that biological sex matters in the immune system" by MIT Technology Review explores how experts are pushing the field to take attributes, such as sex chromosomes, sex hormones, and reproductive tissues, into further account in research. Dive deeper into the topic and read related highlights from a recent SWHR Autoimmune Policy Working Group conversation.
UPCOMING EVENTS

Check out this virtual conference series about opportunities and challenges around research on hormonal contraceptives. Events are taking place throughout the spring, until March 30, 2022.

Save the date for this autoimmune conversation on the impact of autoimmune diseases in women. Join us Tuesday, January 17, 2022, 2:00 p.m. ET. Follow the topic on social media at #SWHRtalksAutoimmune.
Check out SWHR's event calendar for more SWHR and other women's health events.

What is SWHR reading? "Did pandemic stress change women’s periods?" by The Washington Post discusses new research that suggests that higher stress levels during the pandemic were associated with more changes to women’s menstrual cycles.
POLICY
Coalition to Advance Maternal Therapeutics Webinar Series

The Coalition to Advance Maternal Therapeutics (CAMT) and SWHR kicked off a webinar series in December 2022 examining the inclusion of pregnant and lactating populations in research. The first event, Addressing Concerns and Considerations Surrounding the Inclusion of Pregnant and Lactating Populations in Research, included a lively discussion on the topic.
NASEM Report on Pregnant and Lactating Populations

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation convened experts in June 2022, including SWHR President and CEO Katie Schubert, to discuss barriers and opportunities for including pregnant and lactating persons in clinical trials. A new publication summarizes this discussion: Inclusion of Pregnant and Lactating Persons in Clinical Trials
Congress Unveils FY2023 Omnibus Spending Bill

On December 20, 2022, Congress released the text of the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending legislation, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 2617). The package includes several notable provisions for public health, health research, and women’s health. Read more about the women's health provisions on the SWHR blog.
Learn more about SWHR's policy work here.

What is SWHR reading? "The Covid Pandemic’s Hidden Casualties: Pregnant Women" by The New York Times covers why many expectant women may have avoided vaccination and how the vaccines are safe for both fetus and mother. Learn more about options for receiving the COVID-19 vaccination if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
SWHR IN THE NEWS
Beyond The Paper Gown Podcast: "Why We Should Focus on Women's Health Research" is a podcast interview featuring SWHR President and CEO Katie Schubert. She speaks about the history of women's health research and SWHR's role in advancing this field

Future of Personal Health: "Menopause Education and Awareness Throughout the Menopause Journey" is an op ed by SWHR President and CEO Katie Schubert but the powerful roles that education and awareness can play in improving the menopause experience.
Health Equity: "To Address Women’s Health Inequity, It Must First Be Measured" was written by SWHR President and CEO Katie Schubert and other leaders on a women's health equity panel, convened in 2022 to discuss best practices to advance data systems and data equity within women's health.

Menopause Matters Magazine: "Being Prepared and Empowered" spotlights the SWHR Menopause Preparedness Toolkit in this year's winter issue of Menopause Matters [behind paywall].
FROM THE BLOG

SWHR was proud to honor two champions for women’s health at the close of 2022: Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation and Founder of the National Menopause Foundation, and Pamela D. Price, Deputy Director of The Balm In Gilead and Director of The National Brain Health Center for African Americans. Learn more about their contributions on the blog.

SWHR convened an HPV Working Group in November to discuss opportunities to improve HPV vaccine uptake, from the doctor's office to the school nurse office and community health setting. Read the group's takeaways on the blog here.

SWHR hosted a meeting of eye health experts in December 2022 to discuss gender disparities in ophthalmology. Read the conversation highlights here.
Read more of SWHR's recent blogs online here.

Have something you think SWHR should read? Reply to this email or tag us on social media with @SWHR to make sure we see it!

What's new in Biology of Sex Differences? Explore the the power of plasma TIMP-1 as a sex-specific biomarker for acute lung injury. Find more at @BiologySexDiff.
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