Dr. Jill Biden Wants Women's Health Research To Go 'Beyond' Menopause
The Women's Health Health Lab, held on May 15, 2024, gathered celebrities, medical experts, female athletes, and others to discuss the most pressing health topics facing women today. Special guests included First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, actresses Julianna Margulies and Kristin Chenoweth, and athlete Midge Purce.
The event was sponsored by AbbVie, the American Heart Association, Amgen, EltaMD, Northwell Health's Katz Institute for Women's Health, Rykä, and Sensei.
After welcoming remarks from Hearst's Lisa Ryan Howard, WH EIC Liz Plosser, and the Katz Institute's Dr. Stacey Rosen, MD, the day kicked off with a panel on female heart health. Professionals from Northwell Health and the American Heart Association encouraged women to advocate for themselves and not ignore symptoms of cardiovascular distress.
Then, during a panel with WH's Liz Plosser and Dr. Stephanie McNally, MD, from Northwell Health's Katz Institute for Women's Health, Julianna Margulies recalled her experience going through medically-induced menopause at just 28 years old.
"I would be on the set of ER and I would literally sweat all my makeup off," she said. "The night sweats were to the point where I would have to change my sheets, put towels down, change my pajamas. I could not believe what I was in store for."
Audiences were then educated on bone health, thanks to a panel of experts including Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri, MD, ONEYOGAHOUSE founder Anna Haddad, and a patient living with osteoporosis. Dr. DeSapri told attendees to consider their bone health when thinking about menopause. "One in two women over the age of 50 will sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture," she explained. "I don't use that as fear—I use that as motivator."
After a quick movement break from Sensei, dermatologist Dr. Elyse Love, MD, CP Skin Health scientist Deon Hines, Melanoma Research Foundation CMO James Merrick, and Peloton instructor/New York Times bestselling author Tunde Oyeneyin discussed the importance of protecting Black and Brown skin.
Tunde, a 2023 WH cover star, shared her journey trying to find a sunscreen that works for her.
"You don't know that SPF is ashy, you don't know it's a problem for people with deep skin tones if you aren't experiencing the problem yourself," she said.
Then, WH EIC Liz Plosser returned to introduce 2023 WH cover star Dr. Jill Biden, who spoke about going beyond menopause when discussing women's health. Last year, she and her husband President Joe Biden launched the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, she said, to help better understand the science behind chronic conditions that plague women. She also highlighted a March 2024 executive order which aims to further include women in research that uses federal funding.
"Together, we will build a health care system where women aren’t an after-thought, but a first-thought," she said. "Where we leave doctors’ offices with more answers than questions."
Guests then had a short break and were taken upstairs for lunch. While they ate, they heard supermodel and Every Mother Counts founder Christy Turlington Burns, Clinton Foundation vice chair Chelsea Clinton, and Northwell Health's Dr. Dawnette Lewis, MD, discuss the current maternal health crisis facing America. Maternal health is an issue that's only getting worse in the United States, the group noted: Chelsea shared a harrowing statistic, revealing that women today are 50 percent more likely to die in childbirth than their mothers were.
Shortly after, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth dazzled audiences during a panel alongside Headache Center of Hope founder Dr. Hope O'Brien, MD, sharing her experience with chronic migraines—and how she receives Botox injections to help ease her symptoms. Kristin began dealing with painful chronic migraines when she was just 25 years old, she exclusively told WH in an interview after the panel. The migraines ultimately became so bad she was "facing retirement."
"I got a migraine in the middle of the show," she recalled. "At intermission, my understudy was put on, and I was out of that show for three weeks. In my world, that's fireable."
Finally, a group of female athletes and women in sports—including NFL senior executive Sam Rapoport, New York Giants offensive assistant Angela Baker, Team USA athlete Sunny Choi, Northwell Health's Dr. Laura Braider, MD, and soccer player Midge Purce—discussed how women's sports are more popular than ever (and how fans can best support them).
During the panel, Angela shared how she stays true to herself while working in a male-dominated industry.
"To me, strength is staying true to my coaching philosophy, sticking true to who I am, even though it might not be in line with everybody else in the business," she said. "Just sticking true to all the things that I believe in [and] the impact that I know that I can make."
Guests were then invited to visit activations from the American Heart Association, EltaMD, and Rykä.
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