Howell Foundation on board with largest health institutions throughout CA in research trial aimed to address the controversy surrounding mammograms

• Led by UC San Diego Health, UC Davis Health, UCSF, UCLA Health, UC Irvine, and Sanford Health, mammography screening research trial to determine which strategy produces the most benefit and least harm for women
• “It’s important for women to have confidence in good scientific research” – WisdomStudy.org
• Howell Foundation supporting the efforts of the WISDOM trial with the celebration of the WISDOM event on June 26th

Help us make history and register for the event.

San Diego, CA; May 2018.- In an effort to bring women’s health research issues to the forefront, the Doris A. Howell Foundation announced it is partnering with UC San Diego and its fellow research organizations in the WISDOM (Women Informed to Screen Depending On Measures of risk) trial.  The study aims to clarify breast cancer screening guidelines regarding frequency and age at which women should receive their screening mammograms.

Howell Board Member and Principal Investigator, Dr. Andrea LaCroix comments: “Screening guidelines for breast cancer have changed many times over recent years and seem to be in a constant state of flux. The WISDOM trial’s goal is to test annual screening versus a personalized schedule based on a woman’s clinical and genetic risk factors for breast cancer. The study should determine which strategy produces the most benefit for women and the least harm.”  Dr. LaCroix is Professor and Chief of Epidemiology in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. 
In order to inform women in the community regarding  guidelines for screening and personal factors for breast cancer risk, the Howell Foundation will be hosting an event on June 26th, 2018, at Liberty Station.

Presented by Andrea Z. LaCroix, PhD, Professor and Chief of Epidemiology and Director of the Women's Health Center of Excellence; Lisa Madlensky, PhD, Director of the Family Cancer Genetics Program at Moore’s Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health; and Barbara A Parker, MD, Breast Medical Oncologist and Senior Deputy Director of Cancer Medicine at UC San Diego Health's Moore’s Cancer Center, the  event will focus on informing the audience about current breast screening guidelines, and the research currently being conducted to establish the guidelines based on personal history and genetics. For more information about the event, please visit www.howellfoundation.org.

“There are many different guidelines by different organizations, and this adds a lot of confusion for women regarding their own health”, comments Dr. LaCroix. “The trial is comparing yearly screening to a personalized screening approach.  The personalized screening will provide a mammogram timeline based on participant’s individual risk factors (age, personal and family history, genetic tests for genes (mutations and variations) linked to the development of breast cancer),”she concludes.

Kathleen Franklin, Co-Chair of the Howell Foundation states the study is critical to advancing knowledge about women's health and breast cancer screening.  "We at the Howell Foundation are passionate about making a long-term, positive impact on women’s health.  It is with this in mind that we are giving our full support to the effort of the WISDOM Trial.  This study is crucial to determining the best way to screen for breast cancer.  Is it to do annual mammograms, or would a more personalized approach — driven by the data attached to each woman’s genetic makeup, family history and risk factors — deliver better results?  It is with pleasure that the Howell Foundation gives its support. "

“The WISDOM Study is designed to end the confusion about breast cancer screening. By comparing two safe and accepted screening recommendations, we can discover the best screening guidelines for ourselves, our sisters, our daughters, and future generations of women,” comments Tracy Layton, Project Manager for the study.   “We need women to join the study and share their data, so we have enough information to make informed decisions for future screening recommendations.

Together, we can discover the best way forward.”

If interested in joining the study, and for more information on the WISDOM trial, please contact Trial Coordinator, Ms. Vedeline Torreon, at vtorreon@ucsd.edu.

Help us make history and register for the event.
                                                                                                                                                                           


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About the Doris A. Howell Foundation:

For the past 23 years, The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research has been dedicated to keeping to women we love healthy by making a long-term, positive impact on women’s health.  To date, it is the premier organization advancing women’s health.

The organization does so by funding scholarships to students researching issues affecting women’s health; providing a forum for medical experts, scientists, doctors, and researchers to convey timely information on topics relevant to women’s health, and by funding research initiatives that improve the health of under-served women and increase awareness and advocacy in the community; bringing women's health research to a full cycle.
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Summary & Design prepared by Carolyn Northrup and revised by Carole Banka, PHD with information from the following sources:

• www.wisdomtrial.org
• https://health.ucsd.edu/news/features/Pages/2018-01-03-six-minutes-can-save-your-life-contribute-to-science.aspx

Shutterstock images licensed to Carolyn Northrup