“The Power of Research” Luncheon Shines Spotlight on Alzheimer’s Disease in Women and Research to Address It 

April 27, 2023


SWHR staff with Maria Shriver (middle, burnt orange suit) after The Power of Research event.

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) had the honor of working with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) to host “The Power of Research: Bridging the Gap” luncheon on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, to bring awareness to women’s risk of developing and dying from Alzheimer’s disease, to discuss the state of Alzheimer’s research, and to share the work of researchers who are seeking to combat this disease. 

SWHR President and CEO Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE joined Beri Ridgeway, MD, Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic, and Maria Shriver, Founder of WAM and Strategic Advisor for Women’s Health and Alzheimer’s at Cleveland Clinic, to give remarks during the event.  

During the luncheon, Shriver led a panel discussion on women’s health research, healthy aging and brain health, and Alzheimer’s disease research funding. Panelists included Janine Clayton, MD, FARVO of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, Jessica Caldwell, PhD of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic, and Lisa Mosconi, PhD of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.  

“We need research that pays attention to the needs of women. We need studies designed to look at the health of women and the ways women experience their lives,” said Dr. Clayton during the panel.  

“I’d like to see women’s brain health become a priority in research,” added Dr. Mosconi.  

WAM is actively committed to this goal and is currently funding women-based Alzheimer’s disease research. Central to the luncheon was celebrating the two 2023 WAM Research Grant recipients and honoring several past WAM research grant recipients, who each spoke about the research questions they are trying to solve.  

The 2023 WAM Research Grant recipients are:  

  • Lynn M. Bekris, PhD Associate Staff, Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Director, Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Biomarker Core  
  • Reena Mehra, MD, MS Director, Sleep Disorders Research, Cleveland Clinic 

Past WAM Research Grants recipients in attendance included:  

  • Elizabeth Chrastil, PhD Assistant Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine  
  • Dean Ornish, MD Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute  
  • Kendra Ray, PhD Dementia Program Director, Menorah Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation Assistant Research Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU School of Medicine  
  • Laura Cox, PhD Instructor in Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

 

The “Power of Research” luncheon took place in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This location was chosen because of its significance to women’s health.  

“Twenty-one years ago this July, here in this room at the National Press Club, the Women’s Health Initiative Steering Committee at the NIH gathered a press conference to announce that it was abruptly ending what had been the largest study ever undertaken on post-menopausal women,” Schubert said in her remarks. The study was ended due to reports that women taking hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms were showing increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, Schubert explained. Leaders at the time argued that to protect women’s health, they had to end the study immediately.  

“But it turns out that this decision was made in haste, led to confusion for decades, and has had dire consequences for our understanding of women’s health ever since,” Schubert added. “The good news is that today we’re back in this room to talk about how to move forward. And the future of women’s health is bright.” 

 

In order to drive change in women’s health, there must continue to be prioritized investments in women’s health research. SWHR is grateful for the incredible work that WAM and its partners at the Cleveland Clinic do every day to support women living with Alzheimer’s disease and to help build a future in which Alzheimer’s disease will no longer take a toll on women and their families. 

SWHR staff with Maria Shriver (middle, burnt orange suit) after The Power of Research event.

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) had the honor of working with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) to host “The Power of Research: Bridging the Gap” luncheon on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, to bring awareness to women’s risk of developing and dying from Alzheimer’s disease, to discuss the state of Alzheimer’s research, and to share the work of researchers who are seeking to combat this disease. 

SWHR President and CEO Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE joined Beri Ridgeway, MD, Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic, and Maria Shriver, Founder of WAM and Strategic Advisor for Women’s Health and Alzheimer’s at Cleveland Clinic, to give remarks during the event.  

During the luncheon, Shriver led a panel discussion on women’s health research, healthy aging and brain health, and Alzheimer’s disease research funding. Panelists included Janine Clayton, MD, FARVO of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, Jessica Caldwell, PhD of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic, and Lisa Mosconi, PhD of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.  

“We need research that pays attention to the needs of women. We need studies designed to look at the health of women and the ways women experience their lives,” said Dr. Clayton during the panel.  

“I’d like to see women’s brain health become a priority in research,” added Dr. Mosconi.  

WAM is actively committed to this goal and is currently funding women-based Alzheimer’s disease research. Central to the luncheon was celebrating the two 2023 WAM Research Grant recipients and honoring several past WAM research grant recipients, who each spoke about the research questions they are trying to solve.  

The 2023 WAM Research Grant recipients are:  

  • Lynn M. Bekris, PhD Associate Staff, Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Director, Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Biomarker Core  
  • Reena Mehra, MD, MS Director, Sleep Disorders Research, Cleveland Clinic 

Past WAM Research Grants recipients in attendance included:  

  • Elizabeth Chrastil, PhD Assistant Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine  
  • Dean Ornish, MD Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute  
  • Kendra Ray, PhD Dementia Program Director, Menorah Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation Assistant Research Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, NYU School of Medicine  
  • Laura Cox, PhD Instructor in Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

 

The “Power of Research” luncheon took place in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This location was chosen because of its significance to women’s health.  

“Twenty-one years ago this July, here in this room at the National Press Club, the Women’s Health Initiative Steering Committee at the NIH gathered a press conference to announce that it was abruptly ending what had been the largest study ever undertaken on post-menopausal women,” Schubert said in her remarks. The study was ended due to reports that women taking hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms were showing increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, Schubert explained. Leaders at the time argued that to protect women’s health, they had to end the study immediately.  

“But it turns out that this decision was made in haste, led to confusion for decades, and has had dire consequences for our understanding of women’s health ever since,” Schubert added. “The good news is that today we’re back in this room to talk about how to move forward. And the future of women’s health is bright.” 

 

In order to drive change in women’s health, there must continue to be prioritized investments in women’s health research. SWHR is grateful for the incredible work that WAM and its partners at the Cleveland Clinic do every day to support women living with Alzheimer’s disease and to help build a future in which Alzheimer’s disease will no longer take a toll on women and their families.