Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

Pictured above: Betty Brayshay, Brad Benter, Carole Banka, Steve Dahms, Carolyn Northrup and Dr. Doris Howell Board members from the Doris A. Howell Foundation gathered yesterday to work on new and creative ideas to discuss the importance of women's health news and research across the board...pun intended! So why is this so important? Just this week gender equality was all over the news; this time on the difference in pay between male and female nurses.  THAT translates into research as well.  Recent studies have shown that there is still a lack of female representation in preclinical studies and clinical trials, not to mention the differences when it comes to prescribing medication... we all have heard about how ambien affects women differently than men. As a result, if women continue to receive the same medical treatment as men, the women we love are at great risk of being unhealthy.  In other words, women are NOT men with ovaries. But what does it mean f...

For those who attended the first Howell Luncheon of the year, Dr. Coleman introduced the concept of translating brain signals into data that allows concrete --and at some point -- life-saving actions for healthcare providers. The summary of the presentation provides a brief insight into the advancements of utilizing technology as applied to the medical sciences. It is commonly said that a "healthy mind is a healthy life".  Many healthcare professionals can't stress enough the health benefits of good nutrition and exercising -- and that includes exercising the brain.  It's about keeping our cognitive functions sharp.   Among the many commonly used phrases, my favorite will always be "the brain is a muscle..  exercise it!" --especially if you happen to have teenagers around! But on a serious note, and on the subject of keeping our brain healthy, recent research shows that meditation helps build and maintain the gray matter in your brain.  According...

Pictured with Dr. Howell, 2 of the 12 C-SUPERB Scholars, Anna Leighton and Andres Bermudez during the Foundation's Lecture on Telemedicine in February. Howell-CSUPERB Students Present their Fields of Research during Foundation’s first Luncheon of the Year. Scholars to Start their Research in Women’s Health in Spring &Summer 2015 CSUPERB and the Doris A. Howell Foundation:  Proud of our Scholars!  Twelve biology students will now have the research experience required to complete their related studies in women’s health.   Receiving a total of 30 applications, the Howell Foundation, partnering with the CSUPERB program, chose students from 12 CSU campuses to receive scholarships worth $42,000 last year.  The scholarship awards were announced on November 25th, 2014, and the students are expected to start their studies during Spring and Summer. “The opportunity that the Doris A. Howell Foundation offers is time .  With our scholarships, stude...

It is thought by many that the day to recognize gender equality officially started back in 1908, when women  oppression and inequality led them to be more active in demanding change.  Back then, a march of 15,000 women through the streets of New York created the attention needed to establish the first National Women's Day observance in 1909 by the Socialist Party of America; which was typically celebrated at the end of February. By 1910, during an international Women's Conference in Copenhagen, it was proposed that women all over the world should celebrate on the same day.   After women from many countries supported the idea, what started as a 'socialist' observance finally became a true international, recognized holiday in 1913, when the date to demand equality for women was set for March 8th. It has taken over a century for women to finally take center stage.  Even though the line of gender inequality is becoming finer, gender-related statistics still sho...

This study of the National Sleep Foundation paints a pretty clear picture on how lack of sleep affects women and their health, how they cope and a few recommendations on how to get a good night's sleep. Led by a panel of experts, the study concludes that women are not sleeping well, affecting all aspects of their lives.  As a coping mechanism, women tend to sacrifice sleep in order to "do it all" without realizing that biological factors, in addition to lifestyles, have an impact on their sleep and as a result, on their health. As to why women need more sleep than men, researchers point out that women typically multi-task, using more of their brain and needing more sleep at the end of the day than men-- around 20 minutes more.  So the "5-more-minutes" actually might have some science to it! As "Sleep Awareness Week" comes to an end, a summary of the most interesting facts of women and sleep below.  --------------- About the ...

  The Howell Foundation held its first luncheon of the year with the presentation “Telemedicine:  Bridging the Gap Between Science and Technology”, hosting Dr. Todd Coleman as the key note speaker.   His presentation focused on merging the most recent wireless technologies to medical care. Dr. Coleman, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT, was encouraged by his mentor to go “do a post-doctoral study in something wildly different”.  He decided to start his post-doc studies in Neuroscience.  “I was happy with the opportunity to learn more about how the brain works” he commented during his presentation. The new focus of his field of study was how to merge recent wireless technologies and biology to best serve the human being through an interactive, non-intrusive process:  how can the machine talk back to the human and engage?   By understanding how the brain works and utilizing the concepts of analytics, Dr. Coleman, his laborato...

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give   ~Kahlil Gibran In recognition of the many donors that make it possible for students to accomplish their dreams, UCSD celebrated the community's donations  at their annual Hearts and Scholars dinner in February at the Estancia, La Jolla.  The Doris A. Howell Foundation was recognized as a Cum Laude in their 2014 Honor Roll of Scholarship Donors. It was certainly a pleasure celebrating the gift of education with 2014 UCSD scholars Angela Zuo, Erica Birkholz, Stephanie Myers and Orysya Stus; all making progress and well on their way to advocating for women's health through their fields of study. We are proud of all our Howell Scholars.  If you would like to make a donation towards empowering students to fulfill their passion for research, please contact the Doris A. Howell Foundation today: www.howellfoundation.org.                          ...