Women's Health Updates — November 2019
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 eliminate imbalances in care for women through science, policy, and education.
SPOTLIGHT
SWHR has revamped our website in advance of our 30th anniversary in 2020. The newly redesigned website highlights our current science and policy work, and emphasizes the importance of research on women's health and sex and gender differences. Take a look.
SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Dr. Sawsan As-Sanie, lead author on SWHR's report on barriers to care for women with endometriosis, answers questions about the lack of endo research, reasons for delays in diagnosis, and the ins and outs of surgery to treat the disease. Read the Q&A in Practical Pain Management .
Related: SWHR Board member Dr. Linda Griffith talks about the need for better treatments for endometriosis and adenomyosis in this MIT Technology Review article .
Although not immediately obvious from its name, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is one of the leading institutes for women’s health research at NIH. Learn about this work in SWHR's blog post featuring Lisa Kaeser, director of NICHD’s Office of Legislation and Public Policy.
Heart disease is often thought of as a man’s disease, but in reality, it's the No. 1 killer of women nationally. Heart disease can present differently in women than in men, resulting in challenges recognizing heart disease in women and leading to disparities in treatment, research suggests. Read more on SWHR's blog.
The FDA recently approved a new drug to prevent HIV infection — but not for women. That's because the company didn't test the drug in women. Some critics argued that approving the drug under these circumstances "sets a dangerous precedent" by allowing companies to dodge the clinical trials needed to test therapies in women. Learn more.
POLICY AND ADVOCACY
SWHR and FasterCures, a center of the Milken Institute, recently released a report outlining the positive changes for women’s health research from the 21st Century Cures Act. The report details how the Cures Act has affected the landscape for women in clinical research and the understanding of sex- and gender-based differences in disease. As Congress considers crafting a second iteration of the Cures Act, SWHR encourages policymakers to create incentives that encourage financial investment in women’s health research across public and private sectors. Read the report.
Patient access to medical innovations is based, in part, on assessments that determine the value of these new health care interventions by looking at clinical and economic evidence. To ensure women can appropriately access health care innovations, SWHR developed a set of principles to guide value frameworks and assessments on factors relevant to women and the ongoing improvement of their health. Read SWHR's principles.

In a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), SWHR recommended the government prioritize biotechnology research that explores women’s health issues and sex and gender disparities. Read the letter.
SAVE THE DATE
Join SWHR in celebrating 30 years of advancing women's health and looking ahead to achieving our vision of making women's health mainstream. Sponsor the event or buy tickets today!
DEADLINES
Researchers can now apply for NIH's first R01 grant focused specifically on the influence of sex and gender in understanding health and disease. NIH plans to commit an estimated total of $3 million to fund up to 7 awards. First-round applications are due November 25 . Learn more.
The deadline is approaching for submitting to the Biology of Sex Differences two open special article collections: Sex Differences in Response to Androgens: Physiological and Pathophysiological and Hypertension, Preeclampsia, Renal and Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy . Deadline: December 1