Women's Health Updates — December 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.
SWHR NEWS & EVENTS
On December 10 at 1 p.m. ET, SWHR will host a webinar featuring clinicians and patient advocates who helped create SWHR’s Living Well with Migraine Toolkit to discuss how people with migraine can integrate wellness into their daily lives across six key areas: physical, emotional, environmental, work, social, and intellectual wellness.

Register now to hear from these engaging panelists:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal cancers. SWHR recently hosted a webinar to discuss the innovations in research, policy, and education that are needed to improve health outcomes for women with HPV-associated cancers and pre-cancers.
SWHR President and CEO Kathryn G. Schubert received Women in Government Relations' 2020 Advocate of the Year Award for her efforts around inclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women in research. Read her blog post on the importance of these advocacy efforts and hear her on The Minority Leaders podcast discussing accomplishments, mentors, and inspirations through her career.
COVID-19 & WOMEN'S HEALTH
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, ensuring equitable access for all women, including pregnant women, will be critical. Our work with the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project aims to raise awareness around the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for public health, the economy, and broader society. Learn more.
The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health has developed Guiding Principles: Sex and gender influences in COVID-19 and the health of women. The principles aim to promote rigorous research, advance health equity, and enhance the nation’s response to the pandemic by laying out a systematic approach to incorporating sex and gender into research to inform and improve the health of women. 

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COVID-19 vaccine trials are showing promise, but not for pregnant populations, who have been excluded from research despite being at increased risk of severe infection. The only way to determine vaccine safety during pregnancy is through research. Read more from The 19th News.

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The pandemic has affected women in many ways, but women also have the power to shape the rebuild efforts. The New York Times asked women leaders across critical disciplines about the unique roles of women in pandemic response.
SCIENCE & HEALTH
Vision loss may not immediately come to mind as a women’s health issue, but women are disproportionately harmed by most major eye conditions. SWHR convened a panel of experts to identify gaps in women’s eye health and how they can be addressed. Read the blog.
The final blog in SWHR's #Diagnostics4Women series looks at new developments in pre-pregnancy and prenatal screening that could close health disparities. Learn more.
Research shows clear differences exist in liver health and disease between women and men. However, the reasons behind many of these differences are not well understood and need to be studied. Learn more in the second installment of SWHR's #LiverHealth4Women blog series.

Don’t miss the first blog in the series on primary biliary cholangitis, a rare autoimmune liver disease that overwhelmingly affects women.
POLICY & ADVOCACY
Maternal health in the U.S. has been at a crisis point for quite some time. One foundational way to improve the health of mothers is to appropriately include pregnant and breastfeeding women in medical research. SWHR's recent blog looks at the harm of policies that exclude these populations and efforts for change.

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SWHR submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding proposed recommendations for the reauthorization of the Medical Device User Feed Act (MDUFA) for fiscal years 2023 through 2027. In advance of MDUFA’s expiration in September 2022, SWHR offered recommendations that represent priorities for the millions of women nationally who rely on medical devices. Read the comments.
In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, SWHR asked for report language that lists endometriosis as a condition eligible for funding under the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Read the letter.
EVENTS & DEADLINES
Join the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health to celebrate its 30th anniversary on December 15. This daylong virtual event will feature opening remarks by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, a keynote address on women’s mental health across the life course, and a panel of leaders from across NIH discussing their perspectives on women’s health. Learn more.
The holidays and the arrival of the new year can cause a sense of loss and isolation for many. In this webinar from Johns Hopkins' A Woman's Journey, psychiatrist Karen Swartz, MD, talks about the importance of making yourself and your health a priority in 2021, and provides noninvasive strategies to reduce stress over the holidays. Learn more.
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!