Women's Health Updates — March 2021

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.
SWHR EVENTS
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Join SWHR's webinar March 16 to hear endometriosis experts and a patient advocate speak about the burden of endo and menstrual stigma, diagnosis and treatment options, and the patient journey. Register.

Related: Six Effective Ways to Be Your Own Endo Advocate, Endometriosis Foundation of America
Join SWHR in honoring achievements, advancements, and innovations in women’s health at our virtual Annual Awards Gala on April 29.


For more information, contact joy@swhr.org.
COVID-19 & WOMEN'S HEALTH
This week, SWHR submitted testimony for the record to the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health regarding the future of telehealth and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. SWHR calls on Congress to maintain expanded access to telehealth services after the pandemic ends and to ensure equitable access to telehealth so that no community is left behind. Read the testimony.
Women experiencing homelessness are an at-risk population for whom the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating existing health and economic challenges. Protecting unhoused women from COVID-19 means making them a priority group for vaccination. Read more on SWHR's blog.
SWHR President and CEO Kathryn Schubert talks about the longstanding obstacles to the participation of pregnant people in clinical studies and explains why SWHR advocates for including this population in research. Read more.

The Coalition to Advance Maternal Therapeutics (CAMT) hosted a virtual congressional briefing to raise awareness among policymakers about the need to include pregnant and lactating individuals in clinical trials. Watch the recording.
SCIENCE & HEALTH
In a recent interview, Dr. Melissa Laitner, SWHR’s Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, talks to Practical Pain Management about moving osteoarthritis care forward for women. She discusses priority areas of unmet need based on SWHR's review in the Journal of Women’s Health. Read more.
Biases in the health care system have led to stark racial disparities in maternal health. SWHR CEO Katie Schubert interviews Dr. Jasmine Johnson, a third-year maternal-fetal medicine fellow and clinical instructor at the University of North Carolina, about these disparities and potential solutions. Watch the video.
In the latest blog in SWHR's #LiverHealth4Women series, Laurie Garza shares with SWHR her journey of living with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a chronic autoimmune liver disease that affects mainly women. Read more on SWHR's blog.
The Biology of Sex Differences journal welcomed Dr. Jill Becker as its new editor-in-chief last month. Biology of Sex Differences is the official journal of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) and a publication of SWHR. Learn more.
POLICY & ADVOCACY
SWHR CEO Kathryn Schubert will speak at a virtual congressional briefing on March 17 about the barriers that prevent sufficiently diverse clinical trials, resulting in a lack of necessary data to inform care for all patients. Register.
SWHR endorsed the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a comprehensive package of 12 bills that address the social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes. Read more on SWHR's blog.
SWHR signed a letter urging Congress to include no less than $500 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2022. Read the letter.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Register now to attend this virtual interactive and educational event taking place March 6-10. The scientific program features global leaders in endometriosis and adenomyosis addressing progress and conundrums in surgical and clinical management along with scientific discovery.
Health care providers: Check out this free comprehensive educational program designed to help you identify and treat menopause issues using telemedicine. Learn more.
On March 9 at 11:00 a.m. ET, join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for the public release of a consensus study report on how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the careers of women in academic STEMM during 2020. Register.
Johns Hopkins Medicine's A Woman's Journey will host a live discussion on March 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET on the various types of arthritis, how arthritis can be diagnosed, its symptoms and risk factors, and what can be done to minimize and treat the pain. Register.