SWHR Talks “From Cells to Society” at Sex Differences Conference



Earlier this month, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) joined the Partnership for Women’s Health Research (PWHR) Canada for a symposium ahead of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) 2023 Annual Meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The symposium, “From Cells to Society: Research and Advocacy to Advance Mature Women’s Health,” shared insights on sex and gender differences in aging that influence brain and mental health among older women as well as on public health initiatives and policy interventions that have been utilized to advance these key issues in women’s health.

Presentations from the first block of the event included: “Understanding the need for women’s health research,” by OSSD President, Liisa Galea, PhD; “Sex differences in the cognitive-enhancing ability of exercise training for older adults: Possible role of hormones and genotype,” by Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at University of Calgary, Cindy Barha, PhD; and “Gender and loneliness in older adults: unique and shared risk factors and measuring impact on health system use,” by Women’s College Research Institute Scientist, Rachel Savage, PhD. (Learn more about these presentations here.)

Following these presentations, SWHR Chief Science Officer, Irene O. Aninye, PhD, and Chief Advocacy Officer, Lindsey Horan, MA, each discussed tools that can be utilized to address needs and areas of opportunity within the Alzheimer’s disease space.

Dr. Aninye discussed SWHR’s Women’s Health Dashboard, which presents data of disease burden, research investment, knowledge and health care gaps, and policy implications for diseases that differently and disproportionately affect women, including Alzheimer’s disease. During her presentation, Dr. Aninye noted that despite the greater prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among women, research that explores the impact of sex and gender variables on the brain is severely underfunded. Of the 3,015 projects in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2018, only 29 projects (1.4% of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research dollars) referred to sex or gender in the title.

Through examining Alzheimer’s disease data – and data gaps – SWHR has developed calls to action to improve healthy aging outcomes for women. These include:

  • Promoting public awareness and education about Alzheimer’s disease knowledge gaps and disparities;
  • Providing interventions and support that address the caregiving burden for women;
  • Prioritizing sex and gender data analysis and adequate representation of women in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease research; and
  • Implementing policy solutions that support comprehensive coverage, care, and education for whole-person health.

Further, in order to plan for sustainable change, data will need to specify impacts on different sub-populations of women; we will need to provide a holistic picture of Alzheimer’s disease using multiple perspectives and patient stories; medical and care training will need to evolve and adapt to the needs of health care system and its various actors; and we will need to be creative to ensure sustainable implementation of solutions.

Following Dr. Aninye’s presentation, Ms. Horan discussed the important role that scientists and clinicians—as the people doing analyses, seeing patients, and identifying gaps and areas of opportunity—play in creating evidence-based policy. Within her presentation, she reminded attendees of the critical intersection between science and policy by noting that each of the “10 great public health achievements of the 20th century,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was influenced by policy change. In order to meaningfully improve health care outcomes, we must look to research findings and insights gleaned from program analyses.

She also reviewed some ways that scientists and clinicians could engage in the policy process, beyond speaking directly with their elected officials. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, coalition engagement and mobilization, regulatory engagement, independent organizations’ evaluations, media engagement, and the development of policy briefs and other collateral.

Near the end of the session, the SWHR team engaged with meeting participants to apply these concepts to key topics in women’s health. Participants were encouraged to develop their own policy agenda by thinking about which advocacy tools and concepts they might utilize to address a women’s health topic of their choosing to improve health outcomes, which groups they may wish to engage in those conversations, and which messengers could be effective in relaying key messages.

Learn more about SWHR’s work with the Women’s Health Dashboard here, and about SWHR’s policy work here. If you would like to discuss opportunities to engage in SWHR’s science or policy work, please email Dr. Aninye or Ms. Horan, respectively.

Earlier this month, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) joined the Partnership for Women’s Health Research (PWHR) Canada for a symposium ahead of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) 2023 Annual Meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The symposium, “From Cells to Society: Research and Advocacy to Advance Mature Women’s Health,” shared insights on sex and gender differences in aging that influence brain and mental health among older women as well as on public health initiatives and policy interventions that have been utilized to advance these key issues in women’s health.

Presentations from the first block of the event included: “Understanding the need for women’s health research,” by OSSD President, Liisa Galea, PhD; “Sex differences in the cognitive-enhancing ability of exercise training for older adults: Possible role of hormones and genotype,” by Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at University of Calgary, Cindy Barha, PhD; and “Gender and loneliness in older adults: unique and shared risk factors and measuring impact on health system use,” by Women’s College Research Institute Scientist, Rachel Savage, PhD. (Learn more about these presentations here.)

Following these presentations, SWHR Chief Science Officer, Irene O. Aninye, PhD, and Chief Advocacy Officer, Lindsey Horan, MA, each discussed tools that can be utilized to address needs and areas of opportunity within the Alzheimer’s disease space.

Dr. Aninye discussed SWHR’s Women’s Health Dashboard, which presents data of disease burden, research investment, knowledge and health care gaps, and policy implications for diseases that differently and disproportionately affect women, including Alzheimer’s disease. During her presentation, Dr. Aninye noted that despite the greater prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among women, research that explores the impact of sex and gender variables on the brain is severely underfunded. Of the 3,015 projects in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2018, only 29 projects (1.4% of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research dollars) referred to sex or gender in the title.

Through examining Alzheimer’s disease data – and data gaps – SWHR has developed calls to action to improve healthy aging outcomes for women. These include:

  • Promoting public awareness and education about Alzheimer’s disease knowledge gaps and disparities;
  • Providing interventions and support that address the caregiving burden for women;
  • Prioritizing sex and gender data analysis and adequate representation of women in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease research; and
  • Implementing policy solutions that support comprehensive coverage, care, and education for whole-person health.

Further, in order to plan for sustainable change, data will need to specify impacts on different sub-populations of women; we will need to provide a holistic picture of Alzheimer’s disease using multiple perspectives and patient stories; medical and care training will need to evolve and adapt to the needs of health care system and its various actors; and we will need to be creative to ensure sustainable implementation of solutions.

Following Dr. Aninye’s presentation, Ms. Horan discussed the important role that scientists and clinicians—as the people doing analyses, seeing patients, and identifying gaps and areas of opportunity—play in creating evidence-based policy. Within her presentation, she reminded attendees of the critical intersection between science and policy by noting that each of the “10 great public health achievements of the 20th century,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was influenced by policy change. In order to meaningfully improve health care outcomes, we must look to research findings and insights gleaned from program analyses.

She also reviewed some ways that scientists and clinicians could engage in the policy process, beyond speaking directly with their elected officials. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, coalition engagement and mobilization, regulatory engagement, independent organizations’ evaluations, media engagement, and the development of policy briefs and other collateral.

Near the end of the session, the SWHR team engaged with meeting participants to apply these concepts to key topics in women’s health. Participants were encouraged to develop their own policy agenda by thinking about which advocacy tools and concepts they might utilize to address a women’s health topic of their choosing to improve health outcomes, which groups they may wish to engage in those conversations, and which messengers could be effective in relaying key messages.

Learn more about SWHR’s work with the Women’s Health Dashboard here, and about SWHR’s policy work here. If you would like to discuss opportunities to engage in SWHR’s science or policy work, please email Dr. Aninye or Ms. Horan, respectively.