2007 Gala Dinner

Prevention was the theme of SWHR’s 14th Annual Gala Dinner on April 30 at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C.  The highlight of the evening was a special Society video, “The Promise and Power: Prevention in Women’s Health.” Produced by Hurd Studios of New York, the video covered the vast spectrum of prevention, touching on the many ways disease can be stopped before it strikes: lifestyle modifications, medications, vaccines, genomics and proteomics. 

The video celebrates the health gains prevention and prevention research have yielded, and it shows the promise that lies ahead through continued research and proper utilization.

“Prevention is an important part of health and an important part of our work,” said SWHR president Phyllis Greenberger, as she introduced the video. “That is why we chose it as the theme of this year’s gala. The world of prevention is vast and holds the potential to significantly reduce our burden of disease.”

The gala was attended by nearly 700 individuals, including many prominent supporters from government, industry and allied organizations. SWHR broke a fundraising record for the event, which will support its scientific, advocacy and education programs in the coming year.

Following opening remarks by Greenberger, Michael Dey, president and general manager of Women’s Health Care for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Sheri McCoy, a company group chair for Johnson & Johnson and worldwide franchise chair of Ethicon, welcomed attendees to the Gala.  Wyeth and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies served as the Gala’s corporate dinner chairs.

As part of the Gala’s short program following dinner, Elizabeth Petri Henske, M.D., of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa., has been awarded the second annual Society for Women’s Health Research Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women’s Health for her work in the field of sex differences research and women’s health.  Henske was presented the award by SWHR board chair Nanette Wenger, M.D., and William A. Hawkins, president and chief operating officer, of Medtronic, Inc. 

The closing speaker of the gala was Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and chairman and CEO of Revolution Health, a new health company whose goal is to give consumers more choice and control over their health care, enabling all of us to live healthier, better lives.

Case referred to America’s women as the CEOs of health care, given their predominant role in selecting and ensuring the care of their families, from children to spouses to aging parents.  Case says his new company aims to empower consumers with the information they need to take charge of their own health care.

The Society for Women’s Health Research is developing a partnership with Revolution Health to provide its members with unique and important content on women’s health and on how women’s health differs from men’s.