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Advocates, healthcare providers, legislators, researchers, and venture capitalists are bringing the unique health needs of women to light – from vigorous policy debates on issues affecting women’s bodies to groundbreaking research on fertility and menopause to an explosion of women-centered technology. But much more needs to be done. Gender differences in heart disease, de...
For decades, new therapies were routinely tested only in men, and assumed to work the same way in women. The landmark NIH Revitalization Act, with its requirement that women be included in clinical trials, rang in a new era. But on the law’s 30th anniversary, progress remains incomplete. Research into many conditions that primarily affect women are underfunded, findings ar...
The health of women and girls is closely tied to their right to make informed decisions about sexuality, marriage, and child-bearing, but the US is stepping back from leadership in this area. For the first time, the State Department has eliminated detailed information about contraception and maternal health care in its annual country reports on human rights. And the curren...
Why is it that we think boys are good at math and girls are more empathetic?
Reproductive health, critical though it is, is not the sum of women’s health. The distinctive development of female bodies across the lifespan requires targeted study to uncover the pathways of acute and chronic conditions and the treatments that will control or cure them. Women generally live longer than men, but are at greater risk of osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, a...
Untapped market opportunities, coupled with the recognition that many diseases exclusively affect women, or affect them differently than men, are drawing venture capitalists into women’s health. These private equity investors, often entrepreneurial women, are motivated by a commitment to gender equity, a supportive regulatory environment, and awareness that there are profi...
Three of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning are now led by women with broad accomplishments in health-related fields. Elizabeth Bradley, Vassar College’s newly appointed president, has helped to strengthen health systems around the world; Paula Johnson, president of Wellesley College, has special expertise in women’s health and gender biology; Ka...
We know that men and women are different — but how exactly, and why? Though some differences lie in anatomy and biology, that’s not the whole story. How do our brains dictate our manliness or womanliness, and what differences between males and females exist only in our imaginations? Do boys really have more trouble in the classroom, do girls innately care more about beauty...
A society that dedicates resources to women is certain to be a healthier society. Ensuring equitable access to education, healthcare, and entrepreneurial opportunities can nurture family well-being and support thriving communities. Yet the pandemic dealt a bitter blow to global progress, sending 47 more million women into extreme poverty, escalating sexual violence, and un...
Since 2014, Aspen Ideas: Health has welcomed over 700 inspiring women leaders to our stages to share their bold approaches to better health. In honor of Women's History Month, we're taking a look back at some of the many highlights. From medical researchers and clinicians to entrepreneurs and activists, meet 12 change makers who are breaking barriers to reimagine a healthi...
Advances in women’s health have led to breakthroughs in breast cancer imaging, hormone therapy, and longer lives for many women. Yet much of medical research does not take into account gender differences, and women-specific health needs are often not addressed. Health outcomes for black women, in particular, fall far behind those of white women, and maternal mortality rate...
Women’s healthcare has entered a promising and transformative era driven by scientific and technological innovation. The growing sophistication and personalization of genetic testing, surgical techniques, treatments, and therapies for women are ushering new advancements in breast health, gynecologic care, fertility, oncology, depression, mental health, and more. Join our p...
In every leader's journey, there is a moment, or a series of moments, that stand out — a miserable failure, a grand success, a total surprise. The magic in that experience is rarely just the moment itself, but most often the way in which each leader responded to it. It is that response that shapes a person’s approach to challenge and change forever after. Come hear ten of...
Today, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, ending nearly 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion and sending the decision on whether to ban, restrict, or protect abortion back to the states. Public health and legal experts will discuss the implications of this controversial decision including how abortion access will change under sta...
The crisis of loneliness poses as grave a threat to public health as obesity or substance abuse. It cuts across generations and reaches around the world. Katie Hafner calls it “a quiet devastation” and the poet Emily Dickenson writes that it is “the horror not to be surveyed.” Millions of people live with sparse human contact and research tells us that lonely people are mo...
Here's a sneak peek of a few outstanding speakers confirmed to join us at Aspen Ideas: Health this summer.
The blood clots that nearly killed tennis star Serena Williams shortly after she gave birth were a grim reminder that neither resources nor fame offer full protection from the risk of giving birth while Black. “No one was really listening,” wrote Williams, describing her frantic effort to get medical attention. Maternal and infant mortality rates are far higher in the US t...
Best known to the public as the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, physician Deborah Birx is a clinical immunologist who has also served as US Global AIDS coordinator and a colonel in the US Army. Challenged to speak the truth about COVID-19, she balanced candor and political pragmatism to get out accurate information. Her new book, Sile...
Meet and talk with two women helping to lead the charge and empower parents, schools, and communities against gun violence — often without even using the word “gun.”
Female athletes seem to get faster and stronger every year, thanks to more sophisticated sports science, improved training techniques, and the growth in competitive opportunities made possible by greater public and sponsor interest. Yet the bias towards studying male athletes endures, women earn less than their male counterparts, and the hurdles of sexism, racism, ageism,...