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The ORWH provides support for studies, reports, and other special projects of high importance and relevance to women's health. These projects may be conducted and sponsored by Federal agencies or other organizations concerned with women's health. In Fiscal Year 1998, ORWH-supported special projects included:
| Title: | Mentoring Women in Science |
| Award: | $24,840 |
| Contact: | Joan Rachlin |
| Institution: | Public Responsibility in Medicine and Science |
This project will focus on the extent to which women are recruited for and welcomed into the worlds of science and research, and their acceptance, comfort levels, and opportunities for advancement once there. Particular attention will be given to the special needs and concerns of minority girls and women. A group of 12 invited women will convene to discuss what work remains to be done in these areas and to develop both a work plan and time line for summarizing existing work, detailing available resources, and identifying outstanding needs.
| Title: | Understanding the Biology of Sex and Gender Differences |
| Award: | $350,000 (PHS Office on Women's Health-$340,000, ORWH-$10,000) |
| Contact: | Andy Pope |
| Institution: | Institute of Medicine |
An IOM study committee will review and consider the current state of knowledge related to sex and gender determinants in biomedical and behavioral research. Based on their review, the committee will describe the current state of knowledge and make recommendations on how to facilitate scientific endeavors, take advantage of new opportunities in basic and applied research, and fill identified research gaps to improve the understanding of sex and gender determinants and differences. Questions to be addressed include: 1) What is the current scientific basis, including the biological, psycho social and pharmacological aspects of males and females across the lifespan, that underlies the concept of sex and gender (i.e., socially constructed) differences? 2) What is known and what are the research priorities for animal and cellular models which are or can be helpful in elucidating sex and gender differences that are relevant to biological functioning at the cellular, developmental, organ, organismal, and behavioral levels? 3) What barriers to carrying out research on sex and gender differences remain? and 4) Are there barriers to acceptance by the scientific community that this is a valid and fruitful area for research?
| Title: | The Changing Face of Women's Health |
| Award: | $30,000 |
| Contact: | Terry Maricle |
| Institution: | CDC |
This interactive women's health exhibit includes educational exhibits, public programming, and instructional materials suitable for disseminating the latest scientific information about women's health issues. The exhibit is organized by four central topics: detection, prevention, risk, and control. The exhibit is traveling to many major cities across the U.S. over the next few years.
| Title: | Governors' Spouses Initiative on Underage Drinking |
| Award: | $160,000 |
| Contact: | Suzanne Medgyesi-Mitschang |
| Institution: | NIAAA |
This project will be a two-phase initiative. The first phase, "Creating Buy-in" will consist of a 1½ day conference for invited participants to focus on research presentations, panel discussions, and media presentations aimed at raising awareness about the onset and the impact of alcohol use among adolescents aged 9-15 years. This conference will be held in Washington, DC in March, 2000. The second phase will be developing effective state-oriented programs on outreach, education, coordination, and data gathering.
| Title: | Increasing Access to Internet Resources to Improve the Well-Being of Adult Care givers as well as Older Women who are Geriatric Daycare Clients |
| Award: | $24,850 |
| Contact: | David Gamse |
| Institution: | Jewish Council for the Aging |
This program is a novel approach to introduce seniors and their caregivers to use the worldwide web to improve: 1) the quality of life for older women who attend a medical-model geriatric daycare program, 2) the quality of life of the program clients' at-home caregivers, and 3) the quality of a geriatric daycare program overall.
| Title: | Preventive Hormone Therapy Decision Making on the World Wide Web |
| Award: | $157,830 |
| Contact: | Marcia Ory |
| Institution: | NIA |
This project extends prior work relating to physician practice and patient decisions regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are two major goals: 1) the development of a computerized support system that can be distributed over the world wide web and designed to assist women in their decisions regarding HRT, and 2) the evaluation of the impact of the support aid on decisions that women make regarding HRT.
| Title: | Lactation in the Workplace |
| Award: | $23,225 |
| Contact: | Susan Stickland |
| Institution: | Office of Disease Prevention |
NIH is conducting a two-year pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of a worksite lactation program for promoting and facilitating breast feeding among NIH female employees aged 18 to 44 with children under one year of age. Services available through the program include prenatal education classes, telephone support while on maternity leave, consultation concerning return-to-work issues, and access to breast pumps. If the pilot program proves to be successful, it will be expanded to reach all NIH employees on and off campus.
| Title: | Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences Projects
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| Award: | $35,000 |
| Contact: | Rodney Cocking |
| Institution: | National Science Foundation |
The Future Directions for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at NIH project is an 11-month priority-setting activity intended to produce a framework of information that will stimulate greater collaborative research on behavioral and social science issues across all NIH institutes. The second project, Future Directions for Behavioral, Cognitive, and Neuroscience Research on Aging, will culminate in a public workshop late in 1999.
| Title: | Training Preceptors in Human Research Ethics |
| Award: | $130,325 |
| Contact: | Milton Hernandez |
| Institution: | NIAID |
This training (T15) program is to develop an annual six-week course to train preceptors in research ethics at the University of New Mexico. The target trainees will be faculty, staff, and students from the schools of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health who are involved in human subjects research. The trained preceptors will then go on to teach others in the university through: 1) dissemination of ethics information, 2) interactive intervention ethics rounds, and 3) outreach ethics programs. The investigators also plan to package parts of the program for transmission to rural sites.
Analytic Projects on Women's Health (NCHS, CDC)
$150,000
Contact: Dr. Kate Brett
ORWH provided funding to the National Center for Health Statistics for a project designed to define the issues and assess the impact on women in areas of health care that have been identified as having disparities in health status based on racial and/or ethnic factors. Six areas have been identified: infant mortality, cancer screening and mammography, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV infection/AIDS, and immunizations. Written reports will be developed to focus on "an analysis of race differences among women for selected health indicators." If sufficient funding is available, one page brochures will be distributed.
A second report will be generated on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), to incorporate data from a variety of sources, including NHANES III and HRT prescription data from ambulatory care data systems. This publication is intended for a wide audience but may result in peer reviewed publications as well.
Behavior, Cognitive, & Sensory Sciences Board (NRC/OBSSR)
$35,000
Contact: Dr. Virginia Cain
The ORWH is supporting the National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences' Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences. The purpose of this Board is to "address policy issues impacted by the behavioral, cognitive, and sensory sciences" (Board brochure). They interact with government agencies; sponsor workshops; organize policy forums or seminars on policy-making entities; advise the NAS/NRC on the need for new investigations or activities.
Visible Embryo Project of the Carnegie Collection at the Human Developmental Anatomy Center (NICHD)
$50,000
Contact: Dr. Steve Klein
The goal of this project is to complete 15 cases by the end of 1998. As of June, 1998, ten cases have been completed. The ORWH provided funding in support of five cases which includes reconstruction of five organ systems; ectoderm, circulatory system, neural tube, gastrointestinal system, and one of the following if present, notochord, mesonephros, somites. In addition to the technical collection of data, the Center has hosted 16 researchers on site who have used the Collection for purposes of (1) determining what is the normal development of an embryo or organ at any particular stage, sometimes with emphasis on spatial relations; (2) histological assessment of sections of a particular specimen; (3) gathering of information on the background and history of the collection; (4) surface and volumetric reconstructions; (5) devising surgical procedures; and (6) descriptive anatomy.
Center for Alternative Medicine in Women's Health at Columbia University
(Office of Alternative Medicine, NIH)
$100,000
Contact: Dr. Geoffrey Chung
The aims of this project are to (1) develop a research agenda for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in women's health; (2) assist in development of research; and (3) to foster collaborative research. Three main research tools are utilized, the survey, clinical trials and prospective outcomes monitoring, and ethnobotanical field investigations. Educational activities include an internet site, CME courses, and lectures and round tables. Various surveys have been completed, including a survey of the focus groups submitted to The Journal of Women's Health; a telephone survey of 303 women, with a report submitted to Archives of Family Medicine; a national, bilingual (Spanish) survey is proposed to include ~2500 women aged 18-80; and an analysis 14,445 responses to a magazine survey in Prevention magazine is nearly complete.
Clinical research has included the effects of a Chinese herbal treatment for hot flashes, which is a double-blind, randomized, crossover, placebo controlled trial conduced at the Taoist Health Institute in Washington D.C. and the Women's Health Research Center in Laurel, MD. Ayurvedic treatment and outcomes of irritable bowel syndrome is proposed, with the protocol design in the final stages. The effectiveness of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of uterine fibroids is a methodology study on the effects of TCM on fibroid size and patient symptoms.
The ethnobotanical field investigations include studies on the plants used by New York city practitioners, compare to use in other countries, and to train graduate, medical, and premedical students in the techniques of ethnobotany. A small pilot study in New York city is underway.
Consent Field Test (NCI)
$100,000
Contact: Dr. Sheila Taube
ORWH provided funding in support of the Consent Field Test. Human specimens are critical for research on disease etiology, development of new diagnostic tools, development of new therapies, and understanding how to prevent diseases. It is important that specimens are obtained from adequate numbers of women and minorities to assure that they are appropriately represented in medical research. There has been significant discussion about the need to obtain informed consent from patients undergoing surgical procedures so that tissues left-over after the diagnosis has been made can be stored and used for research in the future. A working group of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC) has developed a model consent that can be used in the routine care setting and can be applied to any disease research. It is important to field test this consent form and the consent process in a variety of settings to determine its acceptability. Fifteen to twenty institutions are being invited to incorporate the model consent for collection, storage and use of human specimens into their surgical consent procedures.
Clinical Research Fibromyalgia RFA (NIAMS, NIDR)
$250,000
Contact: Dr. Susana Serrate-Sztein
ORWH, the Rheumatic Diseases Program (NIAMS), and the Chronic Disabling Diseases Program (NIDR) are co-sponsoring basic and clinical research on fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Research grant applications that explore the mechanisms of disease origins and clinical expressions of FMS will be considered. In addition the studies on the relationship between FMS and Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are included in this initiative. The broad aims are to increase understanding of the pathogenesis, including the biological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying clinical presentations of fibromyalgia syndrome with direct emphasis on development of more effective diagnostic tests and new therapies for FMS and related disorders.
Decision-Making Processes in Women's Health (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research)
$100,000
Contact: Dr. Carolyn Clancy
ORWH is providing funds to AHCPR to support a cohort study on decision-making and patient preferences regarding hysterectomy. This study follows a cohort of women with dysfunctional uterine bleeding, chronic pelvic pain/endometriosis, leiomyoma uteri, or uterine prolapse in women who have not yet undergone (or made a decision to undergo) hysterectomy. Information garnered from this study will be used to develop a decision-assisting tool to aid diverse groups of women make informed choices regarding a potential hysterectomy. Cost-effectiveness analyses of hysterectomy and alternatives and in the formulation of conference-based clinical guidelines will be reported as well.
Lactation in the Workplace (Office of Disease Prevention, NIH)
$46,500
Contact: Dr. Susanne Strickland
The ORWH has provided funding in support of a two-year pilot program on Lactation in the Workplace at the National Institutes of Health, for employees between the ages of 18 and 44 with children under one year of age. This pilot will include (1) instruction and counseling for the mothers; (2) provision of appropriate facilities and equipment for mothers to express and store breast milk; and (3) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.
Lupus: A Patient Care Guide for Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals (NIAMS)
$40,000
Contact: Dr. Steven J. Hausman
This support is for the production and distribution of a book directed at nurses and health care workers on the subject of Lupus. Lupus is a type of immune system disorder known as an autoimmune disease, in which the body harms its own healthy cells and tissues. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, hearts, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. Many more women than men have the disease (the ratio is nine to one women to men). It is also three times more common in African American women than in white women and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent. This book provides an overview of lupus erythematosus and the elements involved in caring for patients with this disease. It focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Lupus Guide is intended primarily for nurses and other health professionals who work on an ongoing basis with lupus patients. It provides the tools these professionals need to positively influence the care provided to this important group of patients. The Lupus Guide covers general background on lupus, new advances in research, laboratory tests used to diagnose and evaluate lupus, care of the lupus patient, psychosocial aspects of lupus, and patient education, including 16 "patient information sheets" that can be copied and given to patients. Nurses, nurse educators, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, minority health care providers, home health aides, occupational therapies, health educators, medical social workers, dietitians, and educators of allied health professionals.
Museum Project (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
$50,000
Contact: Dr. Arthur C. Jackson
Funding from ORWH is being used to support the development of a prototype women's health exhibit into a full scale, traveling exhibit for science museums. The Maryland Science Center is carrying out the work on this project on behalf of the National Health Sciences Consortium. The displays will be interactive and educational. There is a prototype on calcium that allows the user to assess, and modify their diet to attain adequate calcium intake. A second prototype is on hormone replacement treatment issues. Other topics under discussion include eating disorders, mammography, and puberty. Visual exhibits include "The Venus Sculpture", "Prevention Area Icon", and "Since You Were Born".
Osteoporosis Clearinghouse (NIAMS)
$50,000
Contact: Dr. Joan McGowan
ORWH is one of the co-sponsors of this project, to "establish an information clearinghouse on osteoporosis and related bone disorders to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding on the part of health professionals, patients, and the public through the effective dissemination on information" (NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 [P.L. 103-43]). The National Osteoporosis Foundation, the Paget's Foundation, and the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation will develop public and professional education campaigns and disseminate information based on recent research findings on osteoporosis and related bone disorders.
Pregnancy Labeling Focus Groups (FDA/OWH)
$25,000
Contact: Audrey Sheppard
The goal of this project is to analyze the pregnancy section of prescription drug labeling, including both preclinical and clinical information. Specifically, models of word choices, design, and categorization provided by the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA will be analyzed, a template will be tested using focus groups. Ten focus groups geographically distributed in the U.S., with participation of approximately 1200 individuals, including general practitioners and peri/neonatal, obgyn and pediatric specialists. The results of this study will be to revise the labeling contents and ultimately will be used for all Centers in the FDA.
Women's Health in the Baccalaureate Nursing School Curriculum (HRSA)
$20,000
Contact: Dr. Irene Sandvold
The ORWH is providing support to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the analysis of survey data on women's health content in baccalaureate nursing programs. These findings will be correlated with results of previous studies and other information, including information on the nursing schools, the curriculum, faculty, students and graduates, content in women's health, clinical applications of the learning, and population needs. A report will be prepared to disseminate the findings, "Women's Health in the Baccalaureate Nursing School Curriculum: Report of a Survey and Recommendations". This report will provide recommendations on best practices, a core curriculum, and enhancement of continuing education. In addition to the written report, oral presentations will be made to public health professionals with feedback from these groups to be included in the final written report, which will be available in the internet and in disk form.
Women's Health in the Dental School Curriculum (HRSA)
$12,344
Contact: Betty Hambleton
Partial support is given by the ORWH for "analytical activities to expand the perspective of women's health to oral health, development of a report outlining the principles of women's health and oral health, and the framework for integrating these into the training of new dentists" (Inter-agency agreement, p. 1). The American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) will carry out this survey of 54 U.S. and 10 Canadian dental schools, with the overall goal of inclusion of women's health issues in dental curricula. This information will be correlated with other essential information on the school itself and the current curricula. If other databases exist, the information will be merged with the present report. An oral presentation was planned for the International Conference on Women's Health, June 21-23, 1998. Feedback from this presentation will be included in the final, written report.
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