2006 Gala Dinner

SWHR's 13th Annual Gala Dinner on May 8 at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., focused on health literacy, which is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand health information and services needed to make appropriate decisions. Low health literacy affects people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, income level, and geographic location. Women seem to be affected more than men, possibly because women interact more with the health care system. 

The gala showcased SWHR's public education and health literacy outreach programs, which have become an integral part of its mission over the past several years. From lung cancer to arthritis and from irritable bowel syndrome to the topic of women’s participation in clinical trials research, the Society has raised public awareness of many key and often neglected or misunderstood health issues.

SWHR employs a wide range of tools to reach the public, including public service announcements, dedicated Web sites, print brochures, and wide ranging media campaigns that leverage the exposure of its health messages through radio, television and consumer publications. 

Demonstrating SWHR’s efforts, the gala featured two videos: one highlighting recent public education campaigns and one featuring a new collaborative project with the Discovery Health Channel that includes a new television public service announcement (PSA) and a Web site interactive feature that provides important information on sex differences in health in an informative and entertaining format. 

“I’d like to express how excited we are to work with the Society for Women’s Health Research to put a voice to the important issue of sex differences in health,” said Eileen O'Neill, executive vice president and general manager of Discovery Health Channel and FitTV, who unveiled the new PSA and Web interactive. “We are in a unique position to provide information on a variety of issues related to the physical and mental well-being of our viewers. Topics like the differences between women’s and men’s health are substantial issues that rise to the forefront of our efforts to date.”

In addition to partnering with the Discovery Health Channel, SWHR has been working with Verizon on health literacy, beginning with last year’s “Her Healthy Life” campaign.

“We are proud of the ongoing success of the ‘Her Healthy Life’ campaign, which was launched last October by the Society with Verizon’s support and which educates women about simple steps they can take to improve their health,” said Terri Dean, senior vice president for Global Communications for Verizon Business. “We look forward to future projects that focus on women’s health literacy while leveraging the innovative technologies and tools that are transforming our world.”

SWHR looks forward to continued work with both the Discovery Health Channel and Verizon to deliver key health messages to women of all ages. SWHR is already planning a future project with Verizon that will focus on health disparities faced by minority women.

In addition to highlighting its health literacy and public education outreach, SWHR presented the first annual Society for Women’s Health Research Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women’s Health, which recognizes a woman scientist or engineer for her contributions to women’s health and encourages women to work on issues uniquely related to women’s health.

The 2006 gala was a tremendous success, as SWHR met its fundraising goal.  The event was well attended by the nation’s health policy leaders. Several members of Congress were on hand, including Senator Russ Feingold and Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Sandy Levin, Jim McDermott, and Stephanie Tubbs Jones. The Society appreciates their continued leadership on health and research. The gala was also attended by many leaders from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services and other key agencies.