VCU National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
Over the past decade, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has invested considerable faculty and clinical expertise, funds, and facilities to both consolidate and expand a range of existing women’s health care, research, and education programs. Most significantly, the VCU Institute for Women’s Health was established in 1999 to improve the health of women through health education, research, clinical care, community outreach, and leadership development. The Institute was created to bring these diverse activities under a single umbrella, create synergy within VCU, and foster coordinated alliances with the greater community. In September 2003, VCU was awarded a designation as a National Center of Excellence (CoE) in Women’s Health by the Office of Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The VCU CoE includes the following five areas:
Clinical Services
The VCU Women’s Health Center (WHC) at Stony Point, established in 1993, is an award-winning model program providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary outpatient women’s health services. The WHC was developed with input from the Women’s Health Community Advisory Council, established in 1987 by the chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The WHC received the National Association of Professionals in Women’s Health Award in 1998 for the best comprehensive outpatient women’s health services in the United States, and the Platinum Award in 2002 from Professional Research Consultants for its innovative design to meet the privacy and confidentiality needs of women. Among the services that are offered in a “one-stop shopping” mode are: obstetrics & gynecology, primary care medicine, bone densitometry, breast imaging and breast health clinic, surgical oncology, reproductive endocrinology, maternal fetal medicine, psychiatry, genetics, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and nutrition. The WHC offers a range of health education and health promotion classes, such as a weight loss program offered by a registered dietitian; prenatal classes; and other wellness programs such as smoking cessation, healing touch and massage therapy. Health care providers at the WHC serve as preceptors for medical students, residents, nurse practitioners, and midwifery students, who rotate through the Center.
The VCU Medical Center in downtown Richmond likewise offers complete women’s health services, and the main hospital will soon devote a complete surgical floor to women. At the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a graduate of the VCU Women’s Health Residency Track directs the Women’s Health Center, which provides primary gynecologic and preventive care.
Clinical Services
Catherine. Nichols, M.D. Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology – Co-Director
Wendy Klein, M.D., Associate Professor, Dept of Internal Medicine – Co-Director
Research
As one of the top 100 research universities in the US, VCU received more than $185 million in extramural funding for research for FY2003 and is on track to exceed this level for FY2004. VCU faculty attract more than $15 million per year in external funding for research that predominantly or exclusively affects women (breast cancer, fertility, pregnancy, child care, osteoporosis, etc) or with problems central to the health of women (psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, aging, cardiovascular disease, etc). The projects range broadly from molecular genetics to clinical interventions to health systems analysis. VCU has particular research strengths in the areas of psychiatric and behavioral genetics, drug and alcohol abuse, cancer, reproductive health, and aging; interdisciplinary programs of research exist in each of these areas. VCU researchers conduct many clinical trials at the Women’s Health Center at Stony Point and in the women’s health clinics at the VCU Medical Center. VCU has been awarded a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) grant from the National Institutes of Health, which provides support, mentorship, and training for faculty pursuing biomedical research in women’s health.
Research:
Robert Downs, M.D. Professor, Internal Medicine – Co-Director
Elizabeth Fries, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept of Psychology – Co-Director
Gena Britt, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychiatry - Associate Director
Professional Education
VCU is one of the most comprehensive institutions for health sciences in the United States and is one of only 20 academic medical centers with programs in almost every health-related discipline. In the School of Medicine, the Women’s Health Residency in Internal Medicine was established in 1997 to address the complex medical issues across a woman’s lifespan with attention to physiologic, hormonal, and psychosocial factors. In addition to meeting all Internal Medicine board certification requirements, this highly successful program provides additional training in Breast Health, Bone Health, Reproductive Health and Mental Health.
The VCU Institute for Women’s Health provides continuing medical education through the annual Women’s Health Conference: Clinical Insights for the Practitioner. This highly successful program provides physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals with evidence-based presentations on a broad range of topics relevant to women’s health across the lifespan. This conference attracts over 400 attendees from throughout the region.
Director of Professional Education
Wendy Klein, M.D., Associate Professor, Dept of Internal Medicine
Community Outreach
The goal of the Community Outreach component is to develop and implement a comprehensive community outreach strategy. Because VCU has broad community representation and alliances in women’s health activities, it is our intention to use our current programs as springboards to strengthen partnerships and to expand efforts. Our CoE partners with many agencies in the community to offer accessible women’s health screening services and educational outreach throughout the Richmond area. Our plan is to strengthen these existing partnerships and merge our efforts to reach out to the communities in which the greatest health disparities exist.
The Women’s Health Network for Consumer Health Outreach, which provides bilingual and culturally sensitive health education, was established in October 2001 through a contract from the National Library of Medicine. The Network addresses women’s health needs in three ways: training in using the Internet for consumer health information needs, maintaining a Website, and sponsoring monthly speakers on health topics. VCU is also a founding partner of Women’s Health Virginia, a statewide initiative to promote and improve the health and well-being of women and girls in Virginia. The VCU Institute for Women’s Health has also hosted numerous community events, including health fairs, health promotion screening, and seminars at churches, schools, retirement communities, and the YWCA.
The Women’s Health Resource Center at Stony Point was created to encourage women to make informed decisions about their health and to provide tools for women to become active partners in their care. In partnership with VCU Libraries, this resource center is a part of the “Community Outreach Information Network” (COIN), with a mission of increasing access to high quality health information by providing comprehensive, exemplary health education resources and programs to women and their families.
Director of Outreach
Sheryl Garland, MHA, Vice President for Outreach, VCU Health System
Leadership:
Established in 1992, the Women in Medicine & Science Faculty Organization seeks to advance the professional goals of women physicians and scientists at the VCU. The Organization began the Pathways to Leadership Conference in 1992 to nurture and develop leaders among women in biomedical sciences and received the Women in Medicine Leadership Development Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Organization has recently been expanded and the name changed to the Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine (WISDM) Faculty Organization. The VCU School of Medicine Faculty Mentoring Guide has become the model used at more than 50 academic medical centers throughout the US and Canada. In 1995, the Dean of the School of Medicine established the Committee on the Status of Women and Minorities, which monitors the progress of women and minorities in the achievement of their full potential. This standing committee serves as a resource to the Dean’s office with regard to issues of recruitment and retention, promotion and tenure, committee representation and School of Medicine policies and procedures.
Director of Leadership
Carol Hampton, MMS, Associate Dean for Faculty and Instructional Development
For more on the VCU Institute for Women’s Health, please call (804) 327-8843 or go to www.womenshealth.vcu.edu
About VCU and the VCU Medical Center: Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, Va., Virginia Commonwealth University is ranked nationally by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research institution and enrolls 26,000 students in more than 160 undergraduate, graduate, professional and doctoral programs in the arts, sciences and humanities in 11 schools and one college. Forty of the university’s programs are unique in Virginia, and 20 graduate and professional programs have been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best of their kind. MCV Hospitals, clinics and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the leading academic medical centers in the country. For more, see www.vcu.edu.
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