The Wake Forest School of Medicine hosts the Women’s Health Research Day each spring at the Bowman Grey Center for Medical Education in downtown Winston-Salem. This year’s event took place on May 23 and was packed full of presenters and content highlighting both the accomplishments and visions of women as both researchers and subjects in health science studies. Each year’s agenda is developed and sponsored by Wake’s Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) and School of Medicine

This year’s fortuitous theme – Health Equity for Diverse Populations of Women – dissected three primary and current issues affecting women in health science research: reproductive and maternal-infant health, psych-social well-being, and chronic illness. The day commenced with a greeting and welcome from the School of Medicine Dean Dr. Ebony Boulware and a keynote addressing women’s health disparities in North Carolina by the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity’s Associate Director Dr. Allison Caban-Holt. Proceeding were multi-disciplined research practitioners covering some the following topics:

• Long term effects of the legal regulation of pregnancy for women and children
• Links of cardiovascular events and disease to maternal mortality
• Cancer disparities in women including young adult and BIPOC constituents
• Chronic pain inequities in women’s health – past, present, and future

The Women’s Health Research Day is open to all internal and external partners of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist organization. In attendance were about 150 faculty (including at least one 😉 librarian), students, staff, post-docs, residents, fellows, and primarily local practitioners, nurses, and allied health professionals. Registration is free and includes breakfast and lunch. I encourage anyone interested in this topic to set a reminder for May 2024 to visit the WIMS site and check out next year’s agenda!