We realize that Thursday nights are jam packed with all sorts of great TV shows, but hopefully you were able to set the DVR for the WTTW series Health Secrets:  What Every Woman Should Know.  The 4-part TV series was hosted by Paula Zahn and sponsored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Alberto Culver.  Each one-hour program was aimed at addressing women's health needs at all stages of life. Topics ranged from vaccinating young girls (and boys) against HPV to Oncofertility to the importance of clinical research participation to the serious risk of heart disease and stroke in women.  No doubt each show was full of important and useful health information!  If you missed the series or do not get WTTW, you can watch segments from all the shows and obtain any information you need online at http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=1,57.

Over the past 4 weeks, an underlying theme was made pretty apparent - we just don't know enough.  In order to achieve the goal of personalized medicine, we must first better understand the differences in health and illness in men and women.  As we continue to conduct research that will bring about the next medical breakthroughs we need to focus on the necessity of educating the population about the clinical research process and why participation is key.  The Illinois Women’s Health Registry (https://whr.northwestern.edu), highlighted in show #3, serves as a resource for research and education that advances scientific knowledge of sex- and gender-based differences in health and disease.  If you want to observe what a powerful tool this Registry is becoming, please view the video below.

[video http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=72,9,2&pid=Fan7kByLCJDnJJaChFFiamvET7d_zFi9 here]

Both Drs Woodruff and Bristol-Gould are featured, in addition to a Registry participant who was interviewed about her experiences while enrolled in a knee osteoarthritis study.

If you haven't already enrolled, please get involved today.  https://whr.northwestern.edu