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Many women’s health researchers last week were stunned to learn that the Department of Health and Human Services had announced plans to wind down a massive, landmark study called the Women’s Health Initiative. After widespread outcry, the agency said it restored the funding – though the study’s standing remains unclear.
With so much health and biomedical research on the governmental chopping block these days, it can be tough to grasp what cutting various programs could ultimately mean for health care. With the Women’s Health Initiative, it’s not that hard: “Its loss would be a devastating blow to women’s health,” writes Jean Wactawski-Wende, a public health researcher at the University at Buffalo who has been centrally involved in the initiative since it began.
Launched in 1991, the Women’s Health Initiative aimed to help fill a knowledge void about women’s health born of the fact that women had been largely excluded from clinical trials. As I edited the piece, I couldn’t help noting that at 50 years old, I am the same age as the youngest participants of the Women’s Health Initiative were when it began.
In the article, Wactawski-Wende describes the contributions the initiative has made over the years in shaping health guidelines, particularly for older women, and the questions it’s still addressing today.
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Alla Katsnelson
Associate Health Editor
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The Women’s Health Initiative investigated the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy.
Kohei Hara/DigitalVision via Getty Images
Jean Wactawski-Wende, University at Buffalo
The landmark study, which enrolled more than 160,000 participants and has informed public health guidelines for women over 50, is still making tremendous contributions to women’s health.
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Politics + Society
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Andrew E. Busch, University of Tennessee
Donald Trump isn’t the first US president to try to negotiate a peace deal. But he appears to be doing it differently than others.
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Boaz Dvir, Penn State
46 states have enacted a law that aims to reduce sexual offenders’ ability to re-offend, but the results have been mixed.
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Science + Technology
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Brady Thomas West, University of Michigan
President Trump’s sudden cuts to hard-won federal grants are disrupting research and forcing scientists to face difficult choices.
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Chetan Jaiswal, Quinnipiac University
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Arts + Culture
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Josh Shepperd, University of Colorado Boulder
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Economy + Business
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Sophie Mitra, Fordham University
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Environment + Energy
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Alexandra Klass, University of Michigan
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Daniel B. Oerther, Missouri University of Science and Technology; William Schonberg, Missouri University of Science and Technology
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Health + Medicine
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Ian H. Stanley, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Anne Ritter, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
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