Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

Can you believe that it’s been almost 25 years since we started awarding research scholarships to undergraduate research students? Many are witnesses of the Howell Foundations growth: Our Board of Directors, Advisory and Legacy Councils, friends and especially our donors help us make sure awareness of the need for women’s health research continues to grow. Most importantly, you have been an integral part of our mission to “Keep the women we love healthy.”  We are extremely proud of your strive in the field of women’s health.  We are encouraged by your dedication and commitment.  Every time we see your publications, or we have the opportunity to follow your career, or we have you as a guest speaker at our events, our work to keep the women we love healthy comes full circle. As you may know, we lost our beloved Dr. Howell in 2018.  Now, more than ever, we are committed to keeping her legacy of care alive, specifically in the area of women’s health research....

The question is why are we passionate about women's health research? The need.  Women are not small men. The exclusion of female subjects in current research efforts may result in the misdiagnosis and consequently, erroneous medical treatment of women.  In the era of personalized medicine, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach on the basis of results from male research subjects places women at a higher health risk.  We seek to end the bias at a research level. What we do:   The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research is dedicated to making a long-term, positive impact on women’s health. It is THE premier organization advancing women’s health research. To that extent, the organization: Funds unique undergraduate  research scholarships  and  graduate nursing  research grants  to scientists researching  issues affecting  women’s health.  Presents the latest medical research  ...

Pictured Above: Dr. Brooke Emerling, winner of the Howell Fast Pitch Contest Award; Kathleen Franklin, Howell Foundation Board Member; and Dr. Carole Banka, former Howell Foundation Board Member and Fast Pitch judge.   Actually, we all are winners when it comes to learning about the latest research in metastatic breast cancer (MBC).  While efforts have reduced mortality rates by more than a third, the work in finding the cure has doubled. There are currently more than 150,000 women living with stage IV metastasized breast cancer in the US. The Susan G. Komen Foundation held it second Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference in March, where patients, providers and researchers came together to paint a picture of the current status and advancements in treatments for MBC.  Moderated by Farideh Z. Bischoff, Ph.D and CEO of FreMon Scientific, the program included presentations from a panel of experts in the field: Keith Wilner MD, Executive Director of Oncology at Pf...

Actually, no, it is not (good try mom!).   Even though the complexities of how the brain functions have not been fully discovered, exercising it should be part of our daily routine. Just ask author, speaker and recent addition to the Howell Board of Directors, Ruth Curran, MS. When I heard of all the incredible work Ruth has done throughout her career, the first thing that came to mind was “Brainiac.”   No, not the supervillain, superman-hating enemy in the comic books, more like an exceptionally -intelligent- woman kind of brainiac. Ruth, a Master in Science, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2004 in a car accident. With a very particular perspective on life, she focused on the restoration of her cognitive capabilities by studying, writing and developing methods to improve her brain. On this path to recovery and becoming herself again -- and with much frustration in between-- she became very interested in the connection between the brain and her daily activi...

Donors and Board Members are not only proud, but inspired by the research topics of all our scholars.  Dr. Howell’s reasoning behind setting up the Howell Undergraduate Scholarship program was to get young scientists excited about a career in women’s health.  As a pediatric oncologist, she realized that women were taking care of everyone in their family but themselves. As best stated by Susan Baxter, Executive Director, California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB): “The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women's health was one of the first nonprofits nationwide that supported undergraduate researchers. We've been very grateful for our partnership.  Together, the Howell Foundation and CSUPERB have given $855,000 in awards to 200 students since 2001; the great majority, 87% of them, graduate and go on to apply successfully for medical school, graduate school or work in the bio medical field.” We had the opportunity of meet...

Because women's health starts with research!  “It’s important for women to have confidence in good scientific research” – WisdomStudy.org Women make a series of decisions based on the information provided from their screening.  Wouldn't you want to know what the best option is? If you haven't done so already, learn more about the impact this important research will have on women in our community. In support of the WISDOM ( W omen I nformed to S creen D epending O n M easures of risk) trial, The Doris A. Howell Foundation celebrated its Health and Happiness Series in June with the presentation “Improving Benefits and Reducing Harms from Breast Cancer Screening: The WISDOM Trial,” hosting three renowned specialists in the areas of oncology, epidemiology and genetic testing.  Led by UC San Diego Health, UC Davis Health, UCSF, UCLA Health, UC Irvine, and Sanford Health, the mammography screening research trial is searching to determine which strategy produces...

It is always a pleasure and an honor to work with wonderful women.  Dr. Skaidrite Krisans, or Skai-- as we called her-- always had a great sense of humor. Her energy and love for life was just contagious. "Skai was a fitness buff and was always willing to try the next new workout," comments Kay Pierce, Treasurer of the Foundation.  "For a while she did the Perfect Workout-- moving very slowly while lifting weights.  I would meet her at her gym and join her in this work out… years ago…" She continues to talk about Skai. "She loved her trips to Italy and improving her working knowledge of the Italian language.  She took pride in the fact that after the first two trips she was treated like a local in Italy.  In other words, she would go in and buy an espresso and get the locals price and her husband would go in later in the day while she was in her Italian language school and he would get the 'tourista' price. It took them some time to figure out tha...

How does one become addicted? Does addiction start with a bad habit? What happens in our brain when we suffer from addiction? What is the correlation between the science, the physiology and the psychology of addiction?  Are there any differences between men and women when discussing addiction? We hope you will join us on August 17th at the upcoming Howell Foundation Health Lecture Luncheon with guest speaker Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross  "Addiction: It's not just drugs and alcohol". There are many forms of addiction.  One can be addicted to food, to tobacco, to relationships, to video games, to cell phones. But the one element that accompanies addiction is the stigma associated with it: the perception that it is a weakness.  Understanding the science behind addiction becomes a key issue on being able to set an action plan to treat the behavior. According to Healthline.com , "Addictive substances and behaviors can create a pleasurable “high” that’s physical and psy...

Bottom line: YOUR health starts with research.  When your doctor discusses alternative treatments for Alzheimer's Disease, it started with research.  Just last week, we learned about one the latest breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s Disease research.  From Science Daily, “the inheritance of small changes in DNA alters the expression of the PM20D1 gene and is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.” When you know about the differences between men and women, and heart health, it started with research.   Today, not only do we know about the differences between men and women when dealing with heart disease, but thanks to organizations like Be There San Diego and the Howell Luncheon Series, we now have an insight on new technology being developed to prevent and monitor heart health. When you discuss mammography screening guidelines for breast health, it started with research.   As a matter of fact, our own Dr. Andrea Lacroix wi...

Kathleen Franklin (left) and Abigail de Agostino (right) are the new Howell Foundation Co-chairs.  They are responsible for leading our team into ensuring that women are informed on the importance of women's health research! “I have written about both, Kathleen and Abigail before,” comments fellow Howell Board Member Carolyn Northrup.  “I am excited about the growth the Foundation is experiencing and am delighted to be collaborating with them. I truly admire their passion for women’s health!” If there is someone who clearly understands the need for women’s health research, it’s Kathleen Franklin .  Serving on the Board of Directors of the Howell Foundation since 2006, she has seen first-hand the efforts the Foundation has put forth to keeping the women we love healthy.  "The Foundation has come a long way since I joined the Board over 10 years ago!" Kathleen Franklin is retired Superintendent of a large territory of parks and beaches in the Malibu area. ...

Going from red to pink in 30 seconds and a call to put my money where my mouth is! I was sitting on the couch just last week when a sensitive issue on women’s health came up:  Research was showing that breast cancer survivors had a higher risk for heart disease . Great...  Just GREAT!  I was immediately reminded of the struggles I had to go through to make sure I got the preventive care I needed after my diagnosis.  Because of the type of insurance coverage, I depended on ‘official’ published guidelines.  That meant that if I wanted additional screening, I had to either wait because of these suggested “guidelines”, or pay out of pocket to get a mammogram for my peace of mind (which doesn’t come cheap!).  What if I have a history of breast cancer in my family? I don’t. And yet I still was diagnosed with it.  Much has been said about screening for prevention; however one can also ascertain that inappropriate or unnecessary screening...