The Women's Health Research Monthly Forums were introduced by the Institute in September 2008. The monthly forums were developed to address a significant barrier to advancing women’s health research: lack of awareness among health professionals and researchers that sex and gender matter in health and disease. Through the monthly forums, the Institute provides a platform for leading professionals to present their evidence-based research that focuses on basic science, clinical applications, or social implications of sexual dimorphisms. Each month over 200 faculty and staff from Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital attend the forum - some are new attendees and many more are returning attendees who have come back for additional authoritative women's health knowledge. Forum lecture notes are available for select lectures and can be found below.
There are three key objectives of the monthly forums: 1) To present current links between basic science research, clinical research and social/behavioral research to advance women's health. 2) To provide support and role models for emerging women's health scholars via those who are already conducting sex- and gender-specific research, and 3) To encourage more sex- and gender-based research studies and clinical care.
Upcoming Forums
June 11, 2013- Improving Maternal Health across the Globe: The Case for Misoprostal--Stacie Geller, PhD, G. Willam Arends Professor of OB/GYN, University of Illinois
July 16, 2013- Reproductive Related Depressions: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Perinatal Depression and Perimenopausal Depression--Katherine L. Wisner, MD, MS, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Asher Center for Research and Treatment of Depressive Disorders.
Past Monthly Forums
May 14, 2013- National Women's Health Week Special Forum on Nutrition and Diet--Holly Herrington, MS, RD, LDN, Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern (Lecture Notes Available)
April 9, 2013- Importance of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep for Female Reproductive and Metabolic Health-Fred Turek, PhD, Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology, NU. (Lecture Video Available)
March 12, 2013 - Maternal Fetal Programming of Vitamin D--Jami Josefson, MD, Pediatric Encrinology, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Lecture Notes Available)
February 12, 2013 - Why Women's Wrongful Convictions are Different--Judy Royal, JD, Women's Project of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern Law (Lecture Notes Available)
January 15, 2013 - Women and Headaches--Yvonne Curran, MD, Women's Neurology Clinic, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine (Lecture Notes Available)
December 18, 2012 - New Hope for Women with HIV/AIDS--Patricia Garcia, MD, OB/GYN, Northwestern (Lecture Notes Available)
November 13, 2012 - Women's Mental Health-Harnessing the Power, Katherine L. Wisner, MD, MS, (Lecture Notes Available)
October 2, 2012 - The Influence of Hormones on Sleep, Hrayr Attarian, MD, (Lecture Notes Available)
Septermber 11, 2012 - What Women and ther Providers can expect from the Affordable Care Act, Debra Stulberg, MD, (Lecture Notes Available)
May 15, 2012 - Increasing Women's Leadership in Academic Medicine and Science: What's Taking so Long?, Molly Carnes, MD (Lecture Notes Available)
April 24, 2012 - Estrogen and the Skin: Friend or Foe, Bethanee Schlosser, PhD, MD (Lecture Notes Available)
March 20, 2012 - Seizures and Epilepsy: A Case for Specialized Neurologic Care for Women, Elizabeth Gerard, MD (Lecture Notes Available)
February 21, 2012 - American Heart Association's 2020 Strategic Impact Goals: Implications for Women, Norrina Bai Allen, PhD (Lecture Notes Available)
January 17, 2012 - Estrogen and the Menopausal Years- Catherine Stika, MD, Northwestern University (Lecture Notes Available)
December 13, 2011 - A Scientific Update on Estrogen and Cognition- Pauline Maki, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago (Lecture Notes Available)
November 1, 2011 - Estrogen and Sexual Health - Lauren Streicher, MD, Northwestern University (Lecture Notes Available)
September 28, 2011 - Estrogen Across the Female Life - Catherine Stika, MD, Northwestern University (Lecture Notes Available)
July 19, 2011 - Oncofertility: Translations in Multiple Dimensions - Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, Northwestern Univerisity (Lecture Notes Available)
June 21, 2011 - Osteoporosis: Balancing Benefits and Risks of Pharmacologic Therapy - Beatrice Edwards, MD, Northwestern University (Lecture Notes Available)
May 10, 2011 - Staying Active Across the Female Life - Ellen Casey, MD, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (Lecture Notes Available)
April 19, 2011 - Generations at Risk? Reproductive Health and the Environment - Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, University of California, San Francisco (Lecture Notes Available)
March 22, 2011 - Introduction to Toxicology and Trends in Poisoning - Carol DesLauriers, PharmD, Illinois Poison Center
February 22, 2011 - The Risk of Heart Disease in Women of All Ages - Marla Mendelson, MD, Northwestern University
December 14, 2010 - Scleroderma - Virginia Steen, MD, Georgetown University
November 2010 - Nanodiamond-Based Platforms for Drug Delivery, Dean Ho, PhD
October 2010 - Effective Measures to Reduce the Risk of Colorectal Cancer - Steven J Stryker, MD
September 2010 - Ungangling the Web of Women, Smoking and Weight - Bonnie Spring, PhD, ABBP
June 2010 - Use of Simulation Technology to Demonstrate the Complexity of Clinical Breast Disease - Carla Pugh, MD, PhD
May 2010 - What we do (and don't) know about the role of gender in influencing patient-provider communication - Marla Clayman, MD, PhD
April 2010 - Enhancing Surgical Efficacy in Women and Pelvic Floor Disorders - Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, FACS, FACOG
March 2010 - Using a Lifestyle Pattern Approach to Weight Management - Robert F Kushner, MD
February 2010 - Women and Cardiovascular Disease - Martha Gulati, MD, MS FACC
January 2010 - Sleep and Depression - Rosanne Armitage, PhD, University of Michigan
December 2009 - Alternative to Hysterectomy - Dana Gosset, MD, Northwestern University
November 2009 - African American Women and HIV/AIDS - Celeste Watkins, PhD, Northwestern University
October 2009 - Estrogen and Men - Jeffrey Weiss, PhD, Northwestern University
September 2009 - Sports Injury of the Knee - Cynthia LaBella, Northwestern University
June 2009 - Menopause - Melinda Ring, MD, Northwestern University
May 2009 - Musculoskeletal Conditions, Colleen Fitzgerald, MD, Northwestern University
April 2009 - HPV - Laimonis Laimins, PhD, Northwestern University
March 2009 - Peripheral Arterial Disease - Melina Kibbe, MD, RVT, Northwestern University
February 2009 - Pain - May Chin, MD, George Washington University
January 2009 - Eye Health - Janine Austin Clayton, MD, NIH
December 2008 - Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation - Alice Dreger, PhD, Northwestern University
November 2008 - Biology of Depression - Jackie Gollan, PhD, Northwestern University