It's been more than 30 years since the U.S. Congress passed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act, which required the inclusion of women in federally funded research. Where do we stand now?
To explore this question, Northwestern University will host a Women-in-STEM panel discussion commemorating the 30th anniversary of the landmark legislation from 3 to 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday (Jan. 19) at MATTER, Chicago's health care incubator (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza #1230, Chicago). The event also will feature pre-recorded remarks from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
Media interested in attending either virtually or in person must register with Kristin Samuelson prior to the event.
The event, "Breaking Barriers: Celebrating 30 Years of the NIH Revitalization Act and Women's Health Research," comes on the heels of first lady Jill Biden's announcement in late 2023 that she will lead a new initiative to boost federal government research into women's health.
"So much of what we know today in science and medicine is built on decades of research focused on men," said panel discussion moderator Nicole Woitowich, executive director of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "For decades, women were discouraged, and in some cases banned, from participating in clinical research. This led to huge gaps in our understanding of how sex and gender inform health and disease.
"Many of the drugs we commonly use today were developed and tested in studies comprising mostly men. It took an act of Congress to mandate that women be included in clinical research and for tides to slowly change. We need a culture shift in the research community - one that emphasizes the influence of sex and gender in health."
In addition to Woitowich, panelists at the event will include:
- Vineet Arora, dean for medical education at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
- Shikha Jain, associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois Cancer Center and president, CEO and founder of Women in Medicine
- Annabelle Volgman, dean for medical education and director of the Rush Heart Center for Women at Rush Medical Center
- Janice Phillips, assistant director of Illinois Department of Public Health
"There are still knowledge gaps in diseases or disorders in which women are disproportionately affected, such as lung cancer, Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis," Woitowich said. "And research studies still routinely fail to analyze data by sex or gender, which is particularly important when it comes to examining how drugs may be metabolized differently."
Woitowich said it also is important to consider the health of women across their lifespan - how hormonal changes from puberty, pregnancy or menopause influence research outcomes, which is particularly relevant for pregnant women who are often excluded from clinical trials.
"Today, in 2024, we still can't tell pregnant women if it is safe or not to take some of the most common prescription drugs because there has not been enough research."
The event is being cosponsored by Chicago's three Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program hubs - The NUCATS Institute, Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) and University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS).
