This year Women’s Health Research at Yale celebrates its 25th anniversary. But the center has never been about looking back. WHRY has always looked toward the future, challenging science to explore women’s health, to consider the differences between and among women and men, and to acknowledge the intersection of social and biological variables when it comes to health.
The words, “better science, better lives” underlining WHRY’s name, are more than a slogan. They point to a mission, one that addresses health challenges and seeks to help everyone lead healthier lives.
For example, WHRY studies took on the complicated but critical area of addictions. First focusing on smoking, the greatest preventable cause of mortality in the U.S., our early work determined the biological and psychological reasons why women and men smoke, and how science-based approaches must be different for women and men to increase success when quitting smoking. As use of social media grew, WHRY supported research designed to understand why women are more likely to become addicted to internet platforms and to help shape thoughtful public policy. Now, as the use of CBD grows preferentially among women, WHRY is funding a study to understand how this unregulated substance affects mood and brain functioning in women.
An ongoing WHRY study is investigating the concurrent relationship of pain and opioid effects on the brain. The opioid crisis claims more than a 100 thousand lives a year and leads to an estimated $35 billion in health care costs – placing enormous strain on families, economies, and health systems. The primary way women are introduced to opioids is in seeking care for pain; further, women are more likely than men with pain to receive these agents. This study is unique in investigating how the sensations of pain and pain relief relate to opioid misuse.
At the same time, a study on the effect of medications other than opioids for the control of pain is also in progress. In particular, the use of high-potency steroids for control of pain after caesarean section is being studied with women who are recovering from opioid dependence. This work seeks to reduce exposure to opioids for both these mothers and their infants and to provide an alternative in pain management for all women.
When the nation has faced concerns over addiction or many other health problems, WHRY has been there to initiate the research necessary to shape interventions that improve health. This all started twenty-five years ago with a grant from The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation. With your support, WHRY will continue our mission well into the future.