September 29, 2006

Women's health research event

The third annual "Improving the Health of Women through Research at Massachusetts General Hospital" celebration will feature a broad range of research projects and a presentation by a recognized national leader in the field. The keynote event for this year's program will be a talk "Perspectives on Women's Health in the 21st Century" by Vivian W. Pinn, MD, director of the Office of Research on Women's Health and associate director for Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Oct. 4 at noon in the O'Keeffe Auditorium.

"The program has grown and matured to incorporate new disciplines — 23 research areas are represented this year— and encompasses both clinical and basic research," says Anne Klibanski, MD, director of the MGH Neuroendocrine Unit and chair of the MGH Women's Health Research Committee, part of the Women's Health Coordinating Council. "This diversity embodies a multidisciplinary approach that is critical to women's health research." Throughout the week of Oct. 2, accepted research posters will hang in the White, Bigelow and Ellison corridors, seven of which are receiving awards of merit.

"We are particularly excited that Dr. Pinn is the speaker at this year's events, says Klibanski. "She has been a pioneer in women's health research, and in her current position she has been responsible for leading a number of important NIH initiatives to foster and improve women's health. In addition, she was a resident in Pathology here at the MGH during her training and welcomes the opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues."