Pushing the boundaries of women's health research
Women's Health Science Program
The Women's Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond is a program designed to engage a diverse population of high school girls from Chicago in authentic learning experiences to explore the basic science, clinical applications, and career options in a variety of science disciplines. This program offers four science academies -Oncofertility Saturday Academy, Cardiology Summer Academy, Infectious Disease Summer Academy, and the Physical Science Summer Academy. To make the learning experiences relevant and applicable to the high school girls’ lives there is a focused concentration on women's health. The high school girls are encouraged through the program to learn about women's health and take action to live healthier lives by participating in health education workshops, nutritious meals, and fitness classes. The program provides a network of scientists, clinicians, teachers and family to mentor and support the high school girls' pursuits in science during their transition from high school into college. The program’s mission is to prepare and inspire the next generation of women leaders in science and medicine.
WHSP is proud to be an Official Partner of the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival to be held in the greater Washington DC area in October 2010. The Festival, which will be the country's first national science festival, is a collaboration of over 500 of the country's leading science and engineering organizations and aims to reignite the interest of our nation's youth in the sciences. For more information, please visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org.
ALUMNAE HONORED AT JULY 2011 EVENT
When a young woman is accepted into a Women’s Health Science Program (WHSP) academy, she enters into a “science sisterhood.” Dr. Teresa Woodruff and the other WHSP program directors make it clear to her that, from this point forward, they are here to support her in all her academic and career pursuits. Consequently, graduation from a WHSP academy never truly means goodbye.
In the past five years, 90 students from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) have graduated from one or more of the four WHSP academies: Oncofertility Saturday Academy, Cardiology Summer Academy, Infectious Disease Summer Academy, and Physical Science Weekend Academy. To date, the pool of WHSP alumnae consists of 18 high school seniors, 18 college freshman, 23 college sophomores, 15 college juniors, 14 college seniors, and 2 college graduates. The alumnae attend universities across the country, and many are in the process of pursuing degrees in science or medicine. WHSP program directors maintain communication with all alumnae, and offer guidance, whenever needed.
This summer, WHSP held its 2011 Alumnae Event to honor our alumnae, our partners from YWLCS, and the over 100 Northwestern University faculty, staff, and students who make this program a success. On Wednesday, July 27th, the program directors hosted a luncheon in the lobby of the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center. Large round tables were adorned with green and purple balloons, each one displaying a table name inspired by one of the different academies (ovarian follicle, aorta, microbes, and crystallography, to name a few). Alumnae, their family members, and friends sat among the YWLCS and Northwestern faculty and staff who supported them throughout the various academies.
The luncheon commenced when Dr. Jeffrey Glassroth, Dean of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, welcomed guests with a brief speech about the important role WHSP plays in preparing the next generation of female leaders in science and medicine. 
Then, over lunch, the alumnae had time to reconnect with their academy facilitators and reminisce about their favorite program memories. At the end of the event, guests applauded as Dr. Woodruff presented each student with a special gift on behalf of WHSP: a beautiful pin. The design of the pin, a pearl surrounded by three golden circles, is significant in that it bears resemblance to a developing egg within an ovarian follicle. Dr. Woodruff, whose oncofertility research centers on the ovarian follicle, explained that just as follicle nurtures and supports the developing egg, the Women’s Health Science Program will continue to nurture and support our alumnae as they grow and flourish. The alumnae can wear these pins as a reminder of the program’s commitment to them.
