National Health Organization Advancing Women’s Health Research Honors Three Scientists Aiming to Reduce Sex Disparities in Health with First “Edge Awards”
Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) funds “next generation of leaders in health research.”
Greenwich, CT (October 21, 2022) – Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) today announced its three recipients of the 2022 Edge Awards that are each leading needed research at their institution exploring the role of sex and gender in health outcomes.
“We are thrilled to honor these innovators in health research,” said WHAM Founder and CEO Carolee Lee. “Their dynamic research that investigates sex differences in health is just the type of research WHAM was created to champion and accelerate. We hope that by recognizing research in this space we can drive a larger conversation about the need for an increase in funding for women’s health research.”
Each awardee will receive $25,000 from WHAM.
2022 WHAM Edge Award Recipients:
- Dr. Cecilia Lindestam Arlehamn, Research Assistant Professor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI)
Dr. Lindestam Arlehamn’s research focuses on T cell responses directed against self-proteins with implications for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Lindestam Arlehamn’s laboratory is now endeavoring to elevate its research by assessing for potential sex-based triggers in female-biased Alzheimer’s disease and male-biased Parkinson’s disease.
- Dr. Leilah K. Grant, Mary Ann Tynan Research Scientist, Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dr. Grant’s research focuses on the effect that time-restricted eating can have on preventing cardiovascular disease in at-risk perimenopausal women. Time-restricted eating has been studied minimally in midlife women, the population at particular risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Dr. Gael Chetelat, University of Caen-Normandy, BrightFocus Foundation
Dr. Chetelat’s research focuses on sex-specific risk profiles associated with Alzheimer’s disease in support of developing sex-specific diagnostic procedures for early detection and personalized interventions.
“Women are greatly understudied and often disproportionally affected by diseases, including lung cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s to name a few,” said Lee. “In addition to the health impacts, the economic consequences of this failure are vast. Not only are we not helping millions of women facing health issues that take them out of the workforce early, but we are also driving up health care costs with missed diagnoses. By working to accelerate knowledge of sex and biological differences through women’s health research, we can improve health for all.”
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About WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters)
WHAM works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health research by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health in four primary disease verticals – autoimmune disease, brain health, heart health and cancer. WHAM commissioned the RAND Corporation to conduct a data driven study, The WHAM Report, which quantifies the economic opportunity for investing in women’s health, looking across diseases that impact women differently and differentially. Learn more at www.thewhamreport.org and www.whamnow.org.
