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9/19/2011 8th Annual Women's Health Research Conference
Conference slides and presentations NOW AVAILABLE -Click on the link in right hand column Thank you all for your contributions to another successful conference! We would like to express our sincere thanks for everybody's contribution to the 8th Annual Women’s Health Research Conference on September 19th, 2011. The conference drew over 250 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, clinicians, researchers, students and community members from the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, University of St. Thomas, College of St. Catherine, Minnesota International Health Volunteers, Hennepin County Medical Center and Minnesota Department of Health. There were over 50 high-quality abstracts that displayed current women’s health or gender specific research as well as multiple community and university organizations that displayed at the university and community partner women’s health resource fair. The conference evaluations were overwhelmingly positive! As you know, the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health is committed to strengthening gender-based research at the University of Minnesota. This vision is only possible with the commitment and contribution of members such as you.
Our conference will focus on presentations that inform the audience about the latest evidence-based methods to address numerous perinatal health concerns of women and infants. Each speaker will be a leader in developing evidence-based models for identifying and addressing the health of women and children. We have identified several topics of critical importance to perinatal health and leading researchers/practitioners to address each of these topics.
Serious birth defects cause 1 in every 5 deaths in children under one years old. Fetal development in the very earliest stages of pregnancy, in some cases before the woman realizes that she is pregnant, is impacted by maternal nutrition, substance use, weight, and exercise. Research in the past several years has highlighted the need to pay attention to the health care needs of women before they become pregnant, in order to improve pregnancy outcomes for mother and child. With over a third (36%) of pregnancies in Minnesota unintended, it is vital for women and health care professionals to value the health care needs of women before they become pregnant to ensure lower incidences of adverse birth outcomes. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) there are over 2,000 babies born every year in Minnesota that have serious birth defects. The March of Dimes reports that birth defects could decrease by 70 percent if women simply took folic acid before and during pregnancy. The Quick Health Data Online (QHDO) statistics for Minnesota states that only 35.3% women used multi-vitamins in the month before pregnancy. In 2005, 1 in 8 births in the US was preterm. Over 6,000 babies are born each year to mothers who are HIV positive. In 2009, there were 6,552 persons in Minnesota living with HIV/AIDS, of which 23 percent are women. Sixty-four percent of these women are considered in their child-bearing age (13 – 44 years old). It is important for women with HIV who want to conceive understand the management of HIV while being pregnant. Reducing tobacco use can also improve birth outcomes. Tobacco use during pregnancy has been linked to stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm birth, and respiratory problems for the developing fetus. The QHDO statistics reported about 26 percent of Minnesota women also used tobacco three months prior to becoming pregnant and 9.9 percent continued tobacco use during their pregnancy.4 Another critical need for information lies in the area of perinatal mental health. Maternal depression is the number one complication during pregnancy, and occurs in 10-15 percent of new mothers in the general population and is as high as 20-25 percent for low income, minority and teenage mothers. According to Minnesota PRAMS, in 2007, 11.4 percent of women reported having postpartum depression. The Wilder Foundation found that in Minnesota, more than 10,000 children are born and cared for by mothers with depression. Despite the tremendous impact on mothers and families, maternal depression often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Untreated depression leads to poor prenatal care, increased smoking and substance use, low birth weight and preterm delivery. Given the negative maternal and child effects and barriers to receiving care, maternal depression is an urgent and unmet public health in Minnesota. Learning objectives for this years conference: • Describe national priorities in women's health research. • Outline the depth and breadth of research on women's health that is
currently being conductedin this region. • Identify opportunities for interdisciplinary research.
• Describe 2 methods for integrating preconception care (well-woman)
messages into existing healthcare services for women of
reproductive age.
• Name 2 simple evidence-based measures/lifestyle changes that
impact maternal & child outcomes.
• Describe how health issues for women during & following pregnancy
impact women later in life.
• Describe 2 types of supportive (non-medical) interventions for women
with perinatal depression.
• Describe 1 change they will make in their clinical practice to
incorporate (well-woman –preconception messages in order to
improve overall health for women and to improve patient outcomes
during and following pregnancy.
Presented by:
University of Minnesota
Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health
A Nationally Designated Center of Excellence
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
The Center for Leadership Education in Maternal & Child Public Health
University of Minnesota Medical School
Center for Health Equity
University of Minnesota Medical School
Program in Health Disparities Research
Sponsored by:
University of Minnesota
Office of Continuing Medical Education
The University of Minnesota is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. It is the policy of the University of Minnesota Office of Continuing Medical Education to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its sponsored educational activities. All participating speakers, course directors, and planning committee members are required to disclose to the program audience any financial relationships related to the subject matter of this program. Relationships of spouse/partner with proprietary entities producing health care goods or services should be disclosed if they are of a nature that may influence the objectivity of the individual in a position to control the content of the CME activity. Disclosure information is reviewed in advance in order to manage and resolve any possible conflicts of interest. Specific disclosure information for each speaker, course director, and planning committee member will be shared with the audience prior to the speaker’s presentation. Funding for this activity was made possible in part by the HHS, Office on Women's Health. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators at HHS-sponsored conferences, do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
This conference was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (1P60MD003422) to the University of Minnesota Center for Health Equity.
The Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (grant numberT76-MC00005-55).
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