England's Women's Health Ambassador for England to give online public talk at 天美传媒
An event to showcase research and underline the importance of women鈥檚 health is to take place at BU.
On July 14th, The Centre for Midwifery and Women鈥檚 Health (CMWH) will be hosting a 3-hour free symposium,聽joined online by聽keynote speaker Dame Lesley Regan (the first Women鈥檚 Health Ambassador for England)聽and showcase BU women鈥檚 health research.
The Centre for Midwifery and Women's Health (formerly the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health) has a long history of excellent聽research in relation to childbirth and newborn health. The centre鈥檚 new name reflects the development of its research into women鈥檚 health across the lifespan.
Women account for 51% of the population yet face obstacles when it comes to getting the care they need. GOV.UK鈥檚 2021 survey, 'Women鈥檚 Health - Let's talk about it' revealed that 84% of approximately 100,000 surveyed women in the UK felt they were not heard by healthcare professionals.
Professor in Midwifery Vanora Hundley says, 鈥淲omen are the heart of the family so supporting women鈥檚 health has a public health impact on the whole family. Women have been neglected in research and as a Centre, we want to hold this event to underline the importance of women鈥檚 research and healthcare. There is an assumption that all bodies are the same, but there are biological differences that mean we need women-specific research not just in the traditional areas such as maternity.鈥�
The symposium takes place on 14 July. It will feature research conducted by The Centre for Midwifery and Women鈥檚 Health and support local and national strategies to tackle women鈥檚 health problems.
In the 2022 Women鈥檚 Health Strategy for England, Dame Lesley Regan said, 鈥淎lthough women usually live longer than men, they spend considerably more聽time in poor health. We must ensure that our goal is to prioritise quality and longevity聽of life鈥hen we get it right for women, everyone in our society benefits.鈥�
In 2021, The British Health Foundation reported that 鈥淎 2020 study reviewed 740 completed cardiovascular trials and found that 38.2% of clinical trial participants were women鈥� yet 鈥渃ardiovascular disease is the world鈥檚 biggest killer for both women and men and causes 26% of deaths in women in the UK.鈥� (Women鈥檚 Health Strategy: BHF Response to Call for Evidence, June 2021).
Speaking about this research, Professor of physiotherapy Carol Clark said, 鈥淭his shows the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and the consequence on health outcomes. The research conducted by the CMWH is vital to supporting the Women鈥檚 Health Strategy. Their research will provide key information to support increased female representation within clinical trials.鈥�
Clinical academic PhD student Rosie Harper says, 鈥淩esearch is fundamental to improving women鈥檚 health across the UK. Emerging researchers at 天美传媒 will highlight the key topics they are working on off the back of the women鈥檚 health strategy, helping to drive the agenda forward.鈥�
Professor Vanora Hundley, Professor Carol Clark, Dame Lesley Regan and PhD student Rosie Harper will be speaking at the Women鈥檚 Health Symposium alongside other professionals and students leading the way in women鈥檚 health research.
The Women鈥檚 Health Symposium is free to attend and accessible to the public online via Zoom. The event takes place on Friday 14 July, starting at 2 pm.
