Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

Starting the Foundation’s 2018 Outreach Efforts with Cardiovascular Disease!  For those of us who are avid followers of the Howell Foundation, we know that, during heart and health month, the first luncheon of the year will host the latest research efforts on heart disease. And if I may, a reminder of women and research:  If there is an example that specifically addresses the differences between men and women from a research perspective, it is heart disease; making the case for women's health research even clearer!  However, a survey conducted by Harvard Health brings light to the efforts that are still needed to continue bringing awareness of the differences between men and women, and heart disease.  Did you know that, although heart disease IS recognized as the leading cause of death amongst women, being diagnosed with breast cancer was listed as more of a concern to them than the risks of heart disease? With that interesting tidbit of information, a yearly...

We think and talk a lot about how symptoms of heart attacks differ in women, and that is a crucially important topic. As cholesterol medications become more widely used, atherosclerosis is predicted to decrease leading to a decrease in heart attacks. Furthermore, rapid emergency treatment of heart attacks means fewer heart attacks are fatal or debilitating. On the other hand, we do not devote as much time to discussions of heart failure.  "Almost 6 million Americans are living with heart failure, a condition in which the heart is not able to pump enough blood to support the other organs of the body.  Heart failure appears to strike men to a greater extent than women, but it is still a serious consideration in women", comments Dr. Carole Banka, Associate Project Scientist in the Department of Medicine at UCSD School of Medicine Did you know that: More American women die of heart disease than of all forms of cancer combined?  Most women do not know that hea...

As National Heart Health Month is here, it only seemed appropriate to sit and chat with Dr. Carole Banka, recently elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the Doris A. Howell Foundation.   Dr. Banka is known in the research community for being a champion of gender differences in research, which should lead to diagnosing and treating illness accordingly.   If you ever hear the words “were both genders included in the research/studies?” or “how did gender differences impact the outcome?” then you know it HAS to be her!    Carole L. Banka, Ph.D is currently Associate Project Scientist in the Department of Medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine.  She received her Ph.D. from UCSF School of Medicine and did postdoctoral training at UCSD School of Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute. She has held faculty positions at The Scripps Research Institute and the La Jolla Institute for Molecular Medicine where she was Director of Women’s Health Resea...

As February comes around, Heart Health awareness takes center stage. Education on the risks of heart disease in women is crucial for a long, healthy life.   You  have  probably  reviewed the statistics from the American Heart Association regarding heart health and women.  Here is a summary of the most relevant facts you need to remember: