| | Northwestern University’s Institute for Women’s Health Research is helping to accelerate the rate of discovery in the sciences that impact women’s health and well-being. Led by internationally renowned researcher Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, the Institute delivers on Northwestern’s vision for collaboration by creating uncommon teams of researchers and applying innovative problem solving. The Institute and its team are also leveraging Northwestern’s growing reputation for excellence in women’s clinical care by catalyzing the strengths and resource of the Feinberg School of Medicine, the University and Northwestern Memorial’s new state-of-the art Prentice Women’s Hospital. Together, we will make Chicago an epicenter of women’s health research and care.
Please follow these links to:
The Institute's five priorities
The history of the Institute
The Institute's accomplishments
2008 Annual Report (PDF)
The Institute will focus on five priority areas:
The Institute fosters research that impacts women’s health and well-being by providing seed grants to explore new hypotheses related to sex and gender, identifying and sharing funding opportunities, establishing an animal resource center and assisting recruitment of research participants through a women’s health registry. Our goal is to make Northwestern a place where innovative leaders in women’s health find a welcoming home.
The Institute encourages interdisciplinary research, diversity inclusiveness and a comprehensive approach to women’s health science by creating uncommon, creative teams of researchers no matter what disciplines they represent. We will host scientific roundtables that include basic, transitional and clinical researchers to explore the full spectrum of research questions.
The Institute works to prepare undergraduates, graduates, physicians and scientists at all levels of training and practice to understand the sex and gender determinants of health and disease. This effort includes identifying and engaging leaders in women’s health to serve as role models and mentors.
The Institute is creating an environment that accelerates research knowledge into effective medical practice and care for women. We promote the use of evidence-based clinical guidelines and protocols so all women receive the highest standard of care from all the clinical affiliates.
The Institute invites women from diverse backgrounds to participate in ground breaking research by joining the Women’s Health Registry, a gateway for clinical trial participation at Northwestern. We also act as a credible resource for women who value authoritative health science information.
The leaders of the Institute’s Staff are:
Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD - Director
Sharon Green, MHA - Executive Director
Sarah Bristol-Gould, PhD - Director of Research Programs, Coordinator Illinois Women's Health Registry
Megan Faurot, MEd- Director of Education Programs
Barbara Sutcliffe – Business Operations Manager
The creation of the Institute for Women's Health Research was announced in November, 2006 by Dr. Lewis Landsberg who was Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University at the time. Teresa Woodruff, PhD was named executive director of the new Institute. The IWHR is organizationally located in the Feinberg School of Medicine and reports directly to the Dean instead of a specific university department enabling the Institute to be multidisciplinary in its approach.
The Institute can be described as an umbrella organization, becoming a central depository of information about research and programs that impact women's health throughout Northwestern University and its affiliated clinical partners.
Northwestern has two campuses, Chicago and Evanston, with a great deal of basic science research taking place in Evanston, and more translational and clinical activities located on the Chicago campus. Affiliated clinical sites include Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Prentice Women's Hospital and Children's Memorial Hospital. There are server al physician corporations that feed into this complex of services. The Institute is working with all entities to encourage innovative partnerships and collaborations.
On November 6, 2007, the Institute held its first public event to introduce its agenda to the Northwestern leadership, clinical partners, faculty and the community-at-large. More than 150 guests attended to hear special guest, Dr. Vivian Pinn, Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, and to learn about the goals of the Institute. Since then, the Institute staff has been involved in many initiatives including those described below:
Received 60 applications for the IWHR FY2008 Pioneer Award funding opportunity. The awardees and projects are:The Institute for Women's Health Research at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine provides seed grant funds, called Pioneer Awards, to spur the need to increase sex and gender-based studies throughout the University. Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, a Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and executive director of the Institute announced the recipients of the FY 2008 Pioneer Awards at a reception held in their honor on July 31, 2008 at Prentice Women's Hospital. The recipients and their projects are:
Jackie Gollan, PhD
Women's Mental Health in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Identifying Neuroendocrine and Behavioral Predictors of Postpartum Depression
Melissa Hogg, MD
Women and the Vasculature: Sex Differences in Vascular Injury
Aaron Laposky, PhD
Sleep and Women's Health: An Animal Model to Investigate the Role of Sex and Aging on Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronic Partial Sleep Loss
Kimberly Scarsi, PharmD, MS, BCPS
A Population-based Pharmacokinetic Model of Lopinavir/Ritonavir Concentrations in HIV-infected Women
Catherine Woolley, PhD
Cryo-immuno Electron Microscopy to Study Estrogen-sensitive Synaptic Vesicles
"We are extremely impressed by the large number of applicants (60) this year and the quality of the research that is being conducted at this institution," noted Woodruff. Two of the grants were supported by a gift from the Friends of Prentice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to the Institute. Each awardee received $25.000.
Two Pioneer grants were funded in 2007: Catherine A. Woolley, Ph.D. - Dept. of Neurobiology & Physiology
Project: Development of an ERb Antibody to Study Estrogen and Depression.
Melina Kibbe, M.D. – Dept of Medicine/Vascular Surgery
Project: The Vasoprotective Role of Estrogen against Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Kibbe has submitted a large ANSWHR grant application based in part on her work. Have initiated a central depository of sex and gender based studies conducted at Northwestern University; already identifying more than 200 research projects that can be categorized as women's health research. Partnering with the Center for Comparative Medicine to help develop an Animal Resource Core (ARC) that would assist investigators who need female animal models to explore sex differences. - In March, officially launched the Illinois Women's Health Registry to the public, and enrolling more than 800 women in the first month; entered Phase II of the Registry to develop a comprehensive query system that allows Institute staff to match women to specific research study criteria; hired a full-time systems analyst and part-time statistician to provide technical support to the Registry project. Listed as a collaborator for two ANSWHR (Advancing Novel Science in Women's Health Research) grant applications submitted in Fall 2007.
Received Continuing Education Credit approval for the Institute's first annual scientific women's health symposium entitled, Women and Cognitive Health, to be held October 24, 2008, featuring national experts on the latest research related to the brain, hormones and cognition. Dr. Woodruff serves as co-investigator on the recently funded NIH BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health). The Institute staff is coordinating activities for the BIRCWH scholars as well as the General Internal Medicine residents who have selected the women's health track. Is collaborating with a pharmaceutical industry leader to develop a clinical research training opportunity for a clinician interested in cardiovascular research. Is introducing a Women's Health Monthly Educational Forum on women's health research topics that have a clinical application. This monthly seminar series begins in September 2008 and runs through May 2009. Expanded the Saturday Science Academy for inner city high school girls from 15 to 30 students in collaboration with the Oncofertility Consortium and the Center for Reproductive Science; procured a grant for $7,300 from the NU Alumnae to support this activity; plans are underway to build this program model into a Summer Science Camp for Girls in 2009. Provided support to several professional educational events throughout the year including:
Annual Statewide Women's Health Conference, with the Office of Women's Health, Illinois Department of Public Health (November 2007); Historical and Social Perspectives: Childbirth in the US, with the University of Illinois, Chicago, Center for Research on Women and Gender (April 2008); Navigating the Professoriate, a leadership development program for women faculty with the NU Office of Research (May 2008); Women's Health Rehabilitation Symposium, with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (May 2008). Identified a panel of experts - clinicians and researchers who have a passion for women's health and are willing to serve as Institute advocates within their respective departments. - Continue to explore feasibility of an on-line certificate or master's in women's health with the Northwestern community.
- Partnered with the Northwestern Memorial Prentice Women's Hospital to develop a proposal for a menopause navigation program for the public; identified ways to meet the new state mandate for post partum depression interventions; and provided a speaker for the Mini Med School series on women's health.
- Initiated bringing the Healthy People 2020 Regional Meeting, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services to Prentice Women's Hospital.
- Presented information about the Registry to a state-wide meeting of public health leaders who run the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program; identified and trained medical students to serve as community ambassadors for the Registry.
- Identified more than 30 gender sensitive clinical services available within the NU system beyond maternal health and have posted them on the Institute web site for community women.
- The Friends of Prentice of Northwestern Memorial Hospital have generously pledged $250,000 over two years to the Institute to support and expand the Pioneer Award funding mechanism, the Illinois Women's Health Registry and the annual scientific symposium.
- Dr. Woodruff was a featured speaker at numerous professional and community events including the Senior Businesswoman's Forum, the Northwestern Administrative Retreat, Scottsdale Institute 2008 Annual Conference, and national and international events including the Women's Reproductive Health & the Environment Workshop, California; SSR First World Congress on Reproductive Biology, Hawaii; ISMAAR 2nd World Congress, London, UK; Stellenbosch University, Cape town, AS; University of Denmark, Copenhagen, SDK.
- The Institute has been featured in a variety of media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, WTTW Channel 11, Glow Magazine, AOL Money News, All Points Research, Arizona Republic, Bizjournals.com, Earth Times, Forbes.com, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, MITECHNEWS.com, US Politics Today, Yayoo!Politics, Today's Chicago Woman, Pioneer Press, My Suburban Life.
- Dr. Woodruff received the 2008 Association of Women in Science, Chicago Chapter, Innovater Award for making a positive impact in women's health.
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