Research

The differences between men and women are well-known: we think and act differently at almost every level. However, medical researchers are now realizing that those same sex differences extend to every cell in the human body. When it comes to the way our bodies fight off and process disease, sex truly does matter. WH@S strives to ensure that researchers at Stanford who are looking at disease processes are routinely asking the question of sex differences. A gender- and sex-based approach to the study of illness across the life span is critical as we seek to understand why the sexes develop, respond to, and manifest disease in very different ways.  WH@S seeks to create a new paradigm for understanding, preventing, and treating the health problems of women, by physician-researchers who are trained across disciplines and across the life span.

Goals

WH@S seeks to expand knowledge of women’s health and gender-based issues, by promoting an environment of inquiry and discovery through research. Our goals are to:

• Provide patients with an opportunity to participate in clinical research relevant to women’s health
• Increase women’s enrollment and participation in clinical research
• Promote and conduct multidisciplinary cutting-edge research into issues of women’s health and gender- and sex-based biology
• Increase communication and collaboration between basic science and clinical departments
• Serve as advocates for increased funding for women’s health research

Bibliographies of women's health research as conducted and published by Stanford staff and faculty are available on this site.

Other Women’s Health Research at Stanford

Both Stanford University and Stanford University School of Medicine have a long history of support for women’s health research.  The following programs are a few examples of the breadth and depth of expertise at Stanford.

• The Institute for Research on Women and Gender, founded in 1974, along with its component, the Stanford University Women’s Health Research Center, is one of the nation’s most prominent academic centers focusing on issues critical to the lives of women.
• The Multidisciplinary Research Program in Women’s Health and Gender-Based Biology in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics seeks to promote the exchange of ideas among researchers, leading to multidisciplinary collaborations that contribute to studies of gender differences in clinical and molecular medicine. 
• The Stanford Center for Research on Disease Prevention in the Department of Medicine has conducted some of the most important clinical trials of women’s health, including three major trials of postmenopausal hormone therapy for cardiovascular disease. 
• The Stanford University Women’s Wellness Program in the Department of Psychiatry examines the relationship between hormones and mood. The program promotes clinical research, and specializes in the treatment of psychiatric disorders which affect women, including post-partum depression, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), menopause, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.

Center for Research on Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine (CRWHRM)

The Stanford Center for Research on Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine was created in 1996 to provide the infrastructure for research in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and to serve as an informational resource on women’s health research and mentoring at the School of Medicine.  The CRWHRM also houses an NIH Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Development Center and an NIH U-54 Specialized Cooperative Center in Reproductive Research.. The CRWHRM is the GYN/OB research arm of WH@S; other research conducted through WH@S will involve multiple disciplines and body systems.

Clinical Trials and Research Projects

The CRWHRM is currently conducting many clinical research studies in reproductive medicine. New studies are starting all the time. For further information about ongoing clinical trials in reproductive medicine, contact:

Tasha Kalista-Ladhari
Clinical Trials Coordinator 
Stanford University Medical Center 
300 Pasteur Drive, Room HH333 
Stanford, CA 94305-5317 
E-Mail: tkalista@stanford.edu
Phone: 650-725-9977