Women's Health Updates — October 2020
Learn about recent developments in women's health as well as SWHR's activities that promote the study of sex differences and serve our mission to improve women's health through science, policy, and education.
NEWS FROM SWHR
SWHR's 30th Anniversary Annual Awards Dinner on October 22 will take place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out our blog to learn more about this year's three award winners. For sponsorships or tickets, please contact [email protected].

Follow @SWHR on Twitter as we celebrate #SWHRat30 by posting each day about women who have advanced women's health and gender equality in science/medicine.
To guide people with migraine on their journey toward wellness, SWHR has created the new Migraine Patient Toolkit: Living Well with Migraine.

The toolkit provides strategies and resources to help patients achieve wellness across multiple areas, including physical, environmental, social, work/school, emotional, and intellectual wellness.

If you missed SWHR's virtual panel, you can now view the recording on our website. Panelists shared their insights on how to improve the health of women with fibroids by driving innovation in research, clinical care, policymaking, and education for this often overlooked and stigmatized disease.
In this commentary, SWHR CEO Kathryn Schubert describes historical inequities in research for women and calls for innovative practices to bolster the recruitment and retention of women and other underrepresented populations in clinical trials. Read more.
SWHR is saddened by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We join millions in mourning the loss of a fierce advocate for women and gender equality. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations of women. In this video from SWHR's archives, Justice Ginsburg describes her first battle with cancer.
COVID-19 AND WOMEN'S HEALTH
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed lives across the world — but not to the same extent. Vast gender and racial disparities characterize the pandemic in the United States. Recognizing the health disparities faced by women of color during the pandemic is the first step toward mitigating these disparities in COVID-19 and beyond. Read more on SWHR's blog.
26 years ago, the Violence Against Women Act was signed into law to increase federal protections for survivors of domestic violence. However, it has not been renewed since its expiration last year, despite the rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 lockdown. Read more from the 19th News.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Pregnant and lactating women are being excluded from COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research, but research must be inclusive to be effective. This practice will harm the health of pregnant women, members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ COVID-19 Expert Work Group write in STAT.
On October 1, many insurers stopped waiving copays for telehealth services. However, as the pandemic continues, many patients still rely on virtual care for a safe, convenient alternative to in-person care. STAT takes a look at the impacts of this change.

Related:
The pandemic has strained the mental health of women in the U.S. and globally. While few people are spared from the anxiety, worry, and emotional fatigue of the pandemic, women are almost three times as likely as men to report significant mental health consequences. Time reports on a new study conducted by CARE International.
POLICY & ADVOCACY
SWHR urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women’s Health to lead agency efforts to advance sex as a biological variable, better include women in clinical trials for new innovations, and apply lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to women's health, among other suggestions. Read SWHR's recommendations.

The U.S. House last week passed the Helping MOMS Act, which would incentivize states to expand Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum, a fundamental step toward lowering the nation’s unacceptably high maternal mortality rate. SWHR signed on to a letter earlier this year supporting the bill.
Maternal mortality is an ongoing health crisis in the U.S., with Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native women disproportionately affected. March of Dimes' 2020 report shines a light on the unequal access to maternity care found across the U.S. About 7 million women of childbearing age live where there is no or limited access to maternity care.
Dr. Melissa Laitner, SWHR's Director of Science Policy, presented at the recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) workshop on sex differences in the brain. The proceedings will be published as a report with research questions and opportunities to move the field forward. Watch the recording.
EVENTS & DEADLINES
NIH Women's Health & Gender Equity Research Funding Opportunities
The National Institutes of Health has several grant opportunities available related to women's health and gender equity in academia. For more information and deadlines:
If your organization has an upcoming event related to women's health, let us know! Submit your event to [email protected] for consideration for inclusion on our calendar.
The Biology of Sex Differences journal seeks reviews or original articles — in animal models or humans — on sex differences in infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and on the consequences of COVID-19 during pregnancy on the mother or in the offspring. All manuscripts will undergo expedited (7-day) peer review. Submit today!