Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology

History/Background                                                    

Mission                                          

Principles of Healthcare for Women                         

Overall Goals

Connors Center Leadership

History/Background

The Division of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital was formed in 1997 and is committed to the discovery, dissemination, and integration of knowledge on women’s health and sex and gender-based differences; applying this knowledge to the delivery of care; and developing the next generation of trainees in women’s health research and clinical care.

Related to the work of the Division of Women’s Health, the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology was established at Brigham’s and Women’s Hospital in 2002 to develop collaborative efforts in women’s health. The Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology has a commitment to improving the health of women and transforming their care through the discovery, dissemination and integration of knowledge of women’s health and sex and gender-based differences and the application of this knowledge to the delivery of care.  The Connors Center leads work across the institution, developing interdisciplinary research, clinical, training, policy and global health leadership initiatives.  The Division of Women’s Health is the academic home for forty-six faculty across thirteen specialties with a primary research or clinical interest in women’s health.  Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, serves as Executive Director of the Connors Center and Chief of the Division of Women’s Health.

In 2005, Brigham and Women’s Hospital named Women’s Health as one of its five Centers of Excellence and strategic areas of focus along with Cancer, Cardiovascular, Neurosciences and Orthopedics/Arthritis.  In addition to the traditional fields of obstetrics, gynecology, and breast and gynecological cancers, the Women’s Health Center of Excellence is unique in its integration with the other four Centers.  The Connors Center has worked collaboratively to develop clinical, research and educational programs in cardiovascular disease, neurology, bone and joint diseases, lung cancer, breast cancer survivorship, and women’s mental health.  The Connors Center also invests in training the next generation of leaders in the field of women’s health and sex and gender-based differences, encompassing research and clinical care.

Mission

The Division of Women's Health and the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital are committed to improving the health of women and transforming their medical care.

Principals of Healthcare for Women

• Gender-Specific Care: Understand the differences in health between men and women and apply that knowledge to the delivery of care
• Accessibility: Remove anything that makes it difficult for women to come to the practice
• Cultural Competence: Understand women’s health and how our communities affect our health
• Integrated Care: Provide care across specialties, using teams of staff who support multiple specialties and technology
• Collaborative Communication: Communicate with women in a way that is understandable and makes them comfortable to ask questions and get the information they need to stay healthy
  

Overall Goals

• Conduct research on sex- and gender-based biology, and on the impact of sex and gender on disease on outcomes and the delivery of care;

• Build awareness of issues related to women's health and gender biology among clinicians, patients and the general public;

• Educate leaders with the experience and skills to have a major impact on improving the health of women; and advocate for changes in public policy to improve the health of women.

Connors Center Leadership

Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, Chief of the Division of Women’s Health, is a practicing cardiologist, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Executive Director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Dr. Johnson is leading the development of an innovative interdisciplinary clinical, research, education, policy and global leadership program in women’s health.  She has fostered the development of a research program focused on discovering how disease is expressed differently in women and men, and integrating leading-edge research about women’s health into the delivery of care.  Dr. Johnson is an internationally-recognized expert in the area of defining and understanding the quality of cardiology care for women and minorities, with a particular research focus on understanding disparities in health and health care.  She founded and leads the Center for Cardiovascular Disease in Women at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is dedicated to developing new sex- and gender-specific strategies for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of coronary heart disease in women.  Dr. Johnson has led work to improve the health of women globally by launching a unique interdisciplinary global women’s health fellowship for U.S.-trained physicians to enhance training and develop research essential to improving women's health, and currently serves as the interim director for the fellowship.  She is co-leading a pioneering effort with the Harvard Initiative for Global Health to develop a program that brings together the promising leaders in the field for training, networking, mentoring, research, and launching their work to improve the health of women to the next level.  Dr. Johnson serves as chair of the Boston Public Health Commission.

Jill Goldstein, PhD, Director of Research

Janet Rich-Edwards, ScD, Director of Developmental Epidemiology

JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, Co-Director, Connors Center; Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine

Elinor Mody, MD, Medical Director, Fish Center for Women’s Health; Director, Orthopedic and Joint Disease Center, Women’s Health Division

Alisa Goldberg, MD, MPH, Director, Family Planning Fellowship