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. WSDM 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. WSDM 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.
WSDM Mission
To advance human health across the lifespan through research and education in women’s health, biology of sex differences, and gender medicine.
RESEARCH GOALS
- Improve our understanding of women’s health across the lifespan.
- Advance knowledge in biology of sex differences that influence health, and investigate the influence of gender on biology and role of gender medicine in health outcomes.
- Allow Stanford to become the national and international leader in women’s health and gender-based medical research.
WSDM Seed Grant Proposals
The Third WSDM Seed Grant Workshop will be held on October 24, 2015. Representatives from every Department in the School of Medicine will present how their department’s vision and mission interfaces or overlaps with the WSDM Center’s vision and mission. The group will identify issues and facilitate collaborations regarding sex/gender and women’s health that need more study. See the slideshow from the 2014 workshop. The seed grant awards will be announced in December, 2016.
Other WSDM Research at Stanford
Both Stanford University and Stanford University School of Medicine have a long history of support for biological sex differences research. The following programs are a few examples of the breadth and depth of expertise at Stanford.
- The Clayman Institute for Gender Research, 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.
- Multidisciplinary research programs in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, which focus on reproductive biology, stem cell biology, prenatal diagnosis, obstetric care, and diseases of the female reproductive tract. These research findings have translated into improvement in delivery of care to women.
- The Stanford Prevention Research Center in the Department of Medicine has conducted some of the most important clinical trials of women’s health, including three major trials of post-menopausal 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 postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), menopause, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.
