American College of Women’s

Health Physicians

Dedicated to Advancing the

Art and Science of Women’s
Health
Visioning Exercise
Assume that:

We achieve Universal healthcare ACCESS . . .

(Be careful what you ask for)

. . .what will Women’s Health CARE Look Like?

Why do we need a New,
Interdisciplinary Vision of
Women’s Health?
“BIKINI MEDICINE”:
Women’s Health is not limited
to the breast and uterus
 Lung cancer - most frequent cancer killer in
women
 Colon cancer kills more women than any
gynecologic cancer
 Domestic violence - cause of most women’s
injuries
 Abuse and poverty – the two main
contributors to depression in women
 Cardiovascular disease - number one killer of
women
 50% of women die of heart disease
 4% die of breast cancer
Osteoporosis and Hip Fracture: “Why
aren’t orthopedic surgeons trained to
treat osteoporosis?”

 In a 2004 study, only 3% of women

discharged after a hip fracture were given a
prescription for osteoporosis treatment, and
after 23% of these suffered another
fracture, they were still not discharged on
appropriate medication.
 Within the first 6 months after sustaining a
fracture, only 19% of women over 67 had
a DEXA scan or a prescription for an
osteoporosis drug
Cardiology (2005 Data)
 Women are still 10 times less likely than men to
be referred for a cardiac catheterization after a
positive Thallium stress test.
 Women are still 40% less likely than men to be
diagnosed with MI, even if troponin levels are
elevated.
 In a managed care database of 9,000 patients,
only 12% of high risk women attained the optimal
level of cholesterol.
 Only 34% of women fitting criteria for treatment
actually received a prescription for lipid-lowering
medication.
 60 % of doctors are aware of the new NCEP lipid
guidelines for women, but only 25% of doctors
actually implement those guidelines.
American College of Women’s
Health Physicians
MISSION

To advance the FIELD of Women’s Health

and to promote the INTERESTS of
Women’s Health Physicians
American College of Women’s Health
Physicians
March 1995: Eleven women physicians created
an organization with the goal of improving
the Art and Science of Women’s Health.
Some goals:
 Universal Health Care as a Women’s Health
Issue
 Translation of sex-and gender-specific
research into clinical practice
 Improvement of education in sex-and gender-
specific women’s health to providers
 Establish the medical specialty of Women’s
Health
ACWHP Guiding Principles
ACWHP is committed to developing
models of research, medical
education, clinical practice, and
organizational functioning that
include explicit attention to sex-and
gender-based knowledge, skills,
and values.
What have we done so far?
ACWHP.org (50,000 hits so far)
 Created web-based curricula in Concept Map
format (work in progress)
 Several books published by our members

 Sponsored three national educational

conferences for physician CME
 Women’s Health Educational Conferences

 ACWHP Journal Review Tape Series

 “In This Case” sex-and gender-based one

page case presentation series
Other Physician Organizations
(AMWA, AMA, ACOG, ACP, PNHP)

Many have created Women’s Health

Competencies
Others have advocated for Universal
Access
Few have implemented gender-specific
education
None have specifically advocated for sex-
and gender-specific education
Other Gender-Specific Work
 Marianne Legato has edited a 2-volume
text, Principles of Gender-Specific
Medicine
 Journal of Women’s Health was created
by the Society for Women’s Health
Research
 Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
created as a division of ACOG
So what can we do to Fix this
“Gap” in Medical Education?
 We can advocate for more sex-and gender-specific
research
 We can demand that those research results are
taught to healthcare providers across all
specialties, and that we have a certifying process
that is visible to consumers
 We can advocate and expect that gender-specific
medicine is delivered in all clinical venues
 Continuing to work toward a specialty?
Other Ideas
 Fundraising Campaign
 $xM from xM Women
 Possible help from NWHAT and NCWO here

 Create a Curriculum with “Clout”

 Under larger collaborative umbrella organization
(AMWA?, NWHAT?)
 How do we get it validated and functionalized?

 Give up “Intellectual Property” idea

 ACWHP will host a Strategic Vision meeting in March,
2009
 Looking for creative minds (MD and non-MD) to
help us form new strategies
 In An Ideal World. . .
1. Women’s Health has a “home” with budget and
staff in every Medical School, Residency, and other
training institution
2. Research, training, and clinical care delivery is sex-
and gender-specific
3. We create teachers of these programs and sex-and
gender-appropriate curricula
4. Board-certifying exams or Certificates of
Qualification validate the abilities of Women’s
Health Providers to the consumer
5. This information is infused into all specialties,
clinical venues, “best practices”, and electronic
record recommendations
Join us!
ACWHP
Membership applications available online
at:
ACWHP.org

YES! I support the Mission, Purposes,

Objectives, and Guiding Principles of
the American College of Women’s
Health Physicians