The UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health

Research pioneer in breast cancer, Joe Gray, PhD, is co-leader of a new, $16.5 million effort to develop more effective, targeted therapies to vanquish various types of breast tumors

Follow the story of UCSF research pioneer in breast cancer, Joe Gray, PhD in his effort to develop more effective, targeted therapies to vanquish various types of breast tumors, including cancers that are particularly unresponsive to current treatments.

Women's sexual activity in later years influenced by partner issues, UCSF study shows

As a woman gets older, physical problems are less likely to influence whether she is sexually active than her partner's health or interest in sex, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente. The study also showed significant differences in the frequency of sexual activity, as well as sexual desire and satisfaction, among racial groups of middle-aged and elderly women. Study results appear in the June 24, 2009 online version of the "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society."

Marin IJ features Safe Motherhood Programs and Suellen Miller in Mothers’ Day story

Suellen Miller, CNM, PhD, was featured in a May 10, 2009, article in the Marin Independent Journal about her work as director of the Safe Motherhood Programs in the (UCSF) Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. The program provides LifeWraps—reusable neoprene garments that stabilize women in shock from obstetrical hemorrhaging—to help reduce maternal mortality in developing countries. Miller is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

Read the article in Marin IJ

Young Women’s Health Leadership Summit Brings High School Students to UCSF

May 10, 2009 Marin IJ features Safe Motherhood Programs and Suellen Miller in Mothers' Day story Suellen Miller, CNM, PhD, was featured in a May 10, 2009, article in the Marin Independent Journal about her work as director of the Safe Motherhood Programs in the (UCSF) Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. The program provides LifeWraps-reusable neoprene garments that stabilize women in shock from obstetrical hemorrhaging-to help reduce maternal mortality in developing countries. Miller is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_12336435

"This conference is about discovering who I am and how I am different from the person next to me," said Harriet Hu, a junior at San Francisco's George Washington High School and a member of the Youth Steering Committee of the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health (CoE) at UCSF. Hu's words opened the daylong Young Women's Health Leadership Summit, which brought together nearly 250 high school students, along with UCSF and community leaders, to UCSF Mission Bay on March 25.

"Finding that special something in you is what allows you to find your way in this world," said Nancy Milliken, MD, Vice Dean of the School of Medicine and director of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health. "All of us are here today to support that journey."

Read more about the Summit

Center of Excellence invites proposals for innovative Women’s Health Research Fund – due September 21, 2009

In 2007, the Mount Zion Health Fund awarded the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health one million dollars to establish a Women’s Health Research Fund in honor of its 10th anniversary. The object of this fund is to support innovative pilot projects, designed and directed by young investigators, which will lead to improvements in prevention strategies, screening and diagnostic testing, treatments, quality of life and cost-effectiveness.

Specifics about the application process are available at http://rap.ucsf.edu/. There are two application deadlines per year: March and September. The call for proposals for this cycle begins on Monday, August 17th with a due date of September 21, 2009.

Please contact Jennifer Vogler at the CoE for additional information: voglerj@obgyn.ucsf.edu or 415-885-7754.

These proposals are internal and do not have to be submitted to UCSF Office of Sponsored Projects.

Laura Johannes reports in the Wall Street Journal: For decades, surgeons performing a hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, typically cut out the woman's cervix as well. If it were left in, doctors reasoned, it could develop cancer.

Now, a growing number of gynecologists are marketing "cervix-sparing" hysterectomies if cancer isn't present. The chance of cervical cancer is fairly low, and Pap-smear screening will catch most cases, these doctors say. And leaving the cervix untouched reduces the risk of surgical damage to the bladder and nearby nerves, and may even allow a woman to enjoy a better sex life long term, say doctors who perform these procedures. Read more here.

Ob, Gyn & RS Physician-Scientist Receives Funding from the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Innovations Program

Rebecca Jackson, MD of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences has been awarded a grant from the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Innovations funding program. The study, for which she is PI, is entitled Development of an Interdepartmental, Clinically Relevant, Evidence-based, Patient Safety Curricula for Medical Students and Residents at SFGH. The study is funded for 2009-2010.

The Academy of Medical Educators at the UCSF School of Medicine seeks to promote constructive curricular change through the development of new or improved teaching programs and learning opportunities. Toward this end, the Academy’s Innovations Funding Program provides annual intramural grants that serve as a catalyst for the development of new curricular programs.

Study shows weight loss reduces urinary incontinence in obese and overweight women

A study led by UCSF in collaboration with researchers at Brown University and the University of Alabama in Birmingham has found that a behavioral weight-loss program can reduce urinary incontinence in overweight and obese women. Volunteer participants in the Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE) experienced significant weight loss and a significant reduction in the frequency of their incontinence episodes.

The study, published in the January 29th, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was a multi-center, randomized clinical trial led by Leslee L. Subak, MD, associate professor of the UCSF Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Urology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics.

"It has been well documented that behavioral weight-loss interventions decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, improve control of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve mood and quality of life," says Subak. "Our results suggest that a decrease in urinary incontinence can now be added to the extensive list of health benefits associated with weight loss and support inclusion of weight reduction as a first-line treatment for overweight and obese women with incontinence."

While a realtor’s mantra is location, location, location, Kathy Guerra is all about community: community services, community improvement, community livelihood. Kathy works for a local non-profit by day and volunteers for a range of community organizations in her spare time.

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