Harmonizing Menopause: Redefining the Work-Life-Health Culture for Women
- This event has passed.
April 23, 2025 @ 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
The personal, professional, and health success of women during midlife (40-60 years old) are notably impacted by stigma, ageism, and health care gaps for women. After the menopause transition, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, gynecologic cancers, obesity, and other multi-morbidities pose a threat to a woman’s health and wellbeing. These health risks are compounded by the burden of caregiving – a role that, in many cultures, is disproportionately held by women. This session discusses strategies to cultivate menopause-friendly workplaces, support the needs of women as caregivers, and address disease prevention and health interventions for women that promote establishing and maintaining work-life-health harmony.
This session led by SWHR is a taking place on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 3:30-4:30pm ET, during the On Aging 2025 Conference in Orlando, FL. Conference registration is required to attend this session.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss workplace practices and culture that hinder and/or support building menopause-friendly environments
- Recognize key health conditions and disparities that affect midlife and postmenopausal women
- Adapt strategies to promote and empower wellness for women at work, home, and the health care system
Speakers
Irene O. Aninye, PhD
Irene O. Aninye, PhD
As the Chief Science Officer of the Society for Women’s Health Research, Dr. Irene O. Aninye steers SWHR’s portfolio of scientific programs to increase awareness and investment in research on biological sex differences and health conditions that disproportionately or uniquely affect women. She convenes expert working groups and meetings to identify strategies that address persistent gaps in women’s health care and research, translating recommendations into science-based and patient-centered policy solutions. Dr. Aninye has led the development of white papers, health care roadmaps, patient toolkits, clinical education materials, and calls to action for women’s cardiovascular health, autoimmune diseases, menopause, Alzheimer’s disease, HPV, and endometriosis, among other areas.
Prior to joining SWHR, Aninye worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), where she led strategy teams to evaluate the progress and outcomes of multidisciplinary STEM research and training programs for university consortia. She also designed peer-review systems for externally organized competitions and facilitated workshops to build research capacity and competitiveness in the U.S. and abroad.
Aninye completed her PhD in molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her research focused on identifying and characterizing novel small molecule inhibitors of progesterone receptor action in breast cancer. After completing postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she continued her research endeavors in endocrinology and metabolism – investigating sex steroid hormones and their receptor-mediated actions in development, reproduction, and disease.
In addition to research, Aninye has dedicated her career to engaging the scientific community through academic service, outreach, and teaching. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she developed CEU courses in biotechnology and innovation for clinicians and basic researchers through the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES@NIH). She was also a member of the biology faculty at Loyola University Maryland.
With a passion to diversify the face of STEM and increase the involvement of underrepresented groups in the sciences, she provides scientific and leadership training across all career stages and serves on advisory boards for the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, National Health Council, and World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health.
A Washington, DC, native, Dr. Aninye attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a Meyerhoff Scholar and holds a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Sarah Chew, MPH
Sarah Chew, MPH
As a Science Programs Manager, Chew supports the planning and execution of SWHR’s portfolio of science programs. She performs cross-cutting work to assist in strategic planning and communications related to these programs.
Chew joins SWHR with a diverse background of public health experience working for non-profits, city government, and health insurance. Previously, Chew served as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner in the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where she provided strategic support and project management for bureau processes and staff . Additionally, Chew worked as a Senior Manager for UnitedHealthcare Community & State and a Program Director for Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia.
Prior to graduate school, Chew worked as a Program Assistant at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in the Communication and Dissemination Research program where she supported a portfolio of comparative effectiveness research projects.
Chew received her Master’s in Public Health with a certificate in Health Promotion Research and Practice from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She earned her BA in Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University.