Although the health of women has generally seen some improvements over the years, it is still insufficiently supported when it comes to clinical study representation in funding research and in drug development. Women’s health as a medical specialty should include a comprehensive slate of physical, mental, and social well-being and not just focus narrowly on the absence of disease. To achieve this, sex differences should be considered. Sex differences contribute to health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, menopause (with all its side-effects), as well as higher prevalence of certain diseases (e.g., autoimmune diseases, long Covid-19, heart disease, and mental illnesses), all of which affect prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and overall health outcomes.
Women are underrepresented in clinical trials, even though it is well-known that drugs are metabolized differently in women and men. It is encouraging to see that the NIH has now an office fully dedicated to research women’s health trying to ensure that roughly half of all participants in NIH-funded trials are women.
Funding of research for women is not aligned with burdens of disease – in fact funding for women’s health research is undervalued and understudied.
Janine Austin Clayton, NIH and PMWC January 24-26, 2024 Luminary Awardee: “Sex is an important biological variable that needs to be rigorously accounted for in the biomedical continuum from the laboratory to the clinic. … We can do an even better job of addressing complex public health problems by looking at male and female differences and by studying both sexes in the lab, the clinic, and when delivering care.”
We are at an incredibly exciting time with the intersection of data, technology, and healthcare which should allow us to focus on the health of women more intensely from an interdisciplinary angle to make true advances. Researching women’s health as a distinct discipline allows for a deeper understanding of unique aspects of women’s experiences and physiology. For this exact reason, PMWC 2024 Silicon Valley will have a track fully dedicated to women’s health.
See the Just-Released Full PMWC January 24-26, 2024 Silicon Valley PROGRAM here.
We’re proud to present the lineup of key leaders contributing to the Women’s Health Track (Track 3), which is co-chaired by Yoel Sadovsky (Magee Women’s Research Institute) and Noel Bairey Merz (Barbara Streisand Women’s Heart Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center):
Pioneer Award Honoree: David Page (MIT) will be honored for his groundbreaking discoveries in sex chromosome biology, including the unique properties of the Y chromosome and the genetic basis of sex differences in health and reproductive traits.
Luminary Award Honoree: Janine Austin Clayton (NIH) will be honored for her influential work to advance women’s health through the promotion of research inclusion and the study of sex differences.
o Keynote: David Page (MIT) keynote: The Chromosomal Basis of Sex Differences in Health and Disease
o Keynote: Janine Austin Clayton (NIH): Enhancing Women’s Health Research
General Sex Differences in Large Studies
o Karen Reue (UCLA) will focus on Sex Differences in Metabolic Disease and how the prevalence and presentation of cardiometabolic diseases is sex-biased
o Franck Mauvis-Jarvis (Tulane University) will discuss Sex Differences in Insulin Resistance
Feto-placental Sex Differences – chaired by Yoel Sadovsky (University of Pittsburgh)
o Nima Aghaeepour (Stanford University) will dive into AI Taxonomy for Reproductive Health
o Leslie Myatt (OHSU Oregon) will discuss Fetal Sex and Pregnancy Outcomes
Systems and Sex Differences
o Marcia Stefanick (Stanford University) will talk about Sex differences in Cancer
o Sabra Klein (JHU) will present on Sex Differences in Immunity to Viruses
o Judy Regensteiner (University of Colorado) will discuss Sex and Gender with a Focus on Diabetes
Cardiovascular Sex Differences – chaired by Noel Bairey Merz (Cedars Sinai Medical Center)
Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
o Marina Sirota (UCSF) will dive into Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Using Clinical, Molecular, and Computational Approaches
o Sarah Banks (UCSD) will discuss Sex Differences in Tau Pathology and AD Risk
o Roberta Brinton (University of Arizona) will present Hormone Therapy and Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease
Sex Differences and Cognitive-behavioral Function
o Debra Kaysen (Stanford University) will focus on Gender Effects on Trauma Exposure, PTSD, and Treatment
o Larry Cahill (UCI) will discuss Sex Influences on the Brain
Please join us and participate in this truly important matter at PMWC Silicon Valley, January 24-26, 2024. Register today to secure your spot.
I hope to see you join this important discussion and help drive positive change in this critical area of human health.
Sincerely,
Tal Behar
President & Co-founder, PMWC
PMWC 2024 Silicon Valley – January 24-26, 2024
The Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC)
