A Groundbreaking Collaborative Effort
New Women’s Health Network First of its Kind

Ground has been broken and strides are being made in the field of women’s health care.

Approximately 200 people attended an inaugural event announcing the new Women’s Health Network April 9. Two members of the Texas Medical Center community co-founded the network.

Dr. Joey Weiner, assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and one of the group’s co-founders, said the Women’s Health Network aims to foster interdisciplinary and interinstitutional education and research in women’s health. At the initial startup, the network is designed to interest health professionals in fostering a women’s health collaboration.

The group’s broad goals are to have community involvement, making sure that all women have access to health information and care.

Dr. Kathryn Peek, research professor and director of Texas Woman’s University’s Institute for Women’s Health, and the group’s other co-founder, said this new network seeks to increase high-quality research and education initiatives for women’s health in Houston; increase attention and resources directed toward research, clinical care, and preventive care for women; increase career opportunities in women’s health for both men and women; and decrease the number of women who do without health information, preventive services and medical care when they need it.

"The Texas Medical Center is home to the world’s largest cancer center, pediatric program, and between St. Luke’s, Methodist and Hermann, the largest cardiovascular centers," said Dr. Richard Wainerdi, Texas Medical Center president. "We have some great programs in women’s health at various institutions, but they have never before collaborated. Over the next few years, I would like to see this group grow into the largest women’s health care program in the world, adding to the other world’s largest programs that make their homes here."

Dr. Wanda Jones, deputy assistant secretary for health in the Office of Women’s Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, was one of the kickoff event’s keynote speakers.

"What we’ve consistently seen and heard across the nation, particularly in the last five years, is that women want simple access to health care. As is stands now, the system is extraordinarily fragmented. Specialists from different areas are not performing the necessary networking, to treat the woman as a whole," Dr. Jones said. "At the national level, we want to build a base for new models of health services’ delivery, health professionals’ training, and the entire system’s approach to women’s health."

Dr. Jones said there needs to be a way for women to take ownership of even the simplest things to preserve, promote, and protect their health.

"The model that this new network is launching is perfectly consistent with this national goal – having health professionals network, get to know each other, build trust, take the time to understand the issues, and gain strength – bringing the community to the process sooner than later."

To reach their goals, the network will hold a monthly seminar series through December. Meetings will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the street-level conference room at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library, 1133 John Freeman Blvd. Refreshments will be served. The seminar dates and topics are:

May 14 – Adolescent Girls’ Health

June 11 – Women’s Health Information Resources

July 9 – Summer Break

Aug. 13 – Women with Physical Disabilities

Sept. 10 – Violence Against Women

Oct. 8 – Breast Cancer

Nov. 12 – Women and Aging

Dec. 10 – Cardiovascular Health in Women

To date, eight months’ worth of funding has been secured from Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories and the Region IV Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health.

"At the end of this eight-month period, we’ll back off and construct a report, which will convey lessons learned, and start our strategic planning for the next three to five years," Dr. Peek said.

Dr. Peek sees phase two starting in 2003, focusing attention on community outreach.

Women’s Health Network participants are invited from all local health care institutions and agencies. For further information and updates, subscribe to the Women’s Health Network listserv by sending an e-mail to http://listserv@lib40.library.tmc.edu. Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message, type "Subscribe WHN <first name> <last name>," or phone (713) 794-2482 or (713) 873-3561.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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