https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-rss/?keywordId=1473&orgId=109460&title=Latest+Blog+Posts A selection of the latest research, academic, and other newsworthy developments at Women's Health Research at Yale en-us Copyright 2026 Yale School of Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 01:25:51 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/opinion-pregnancy-and-preeclampsia-a-dangerously-disproportionate-risk-for-black-women/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/opinion-pregnancy-and-preeclampsia-a-dangerously-disproportionate-risk-for-black-women/ This past January, Dr. Janell Green Smith, certified nurse-midwife and maternal health advocate, died at 31 years of age from childbirth-related issues. Dr. Green Smith was admitted to the hospital because of severe preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related blood pressure disorder that can cause organ damage and be fatal to both mom and baby. She gave birth via cesarean section to her daughter in late December, but less than a week later, she passed away from postoperative complications. Why didn't I know that U.S.-born Black women face a higher risk of preeclampsia than any other group? Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/insights-from-my-year-with-womens-health-research/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/insights-from-my-year-with-womens-health-research/ It’s hard to believe that my time as the author of the “Why Didn’t I Know This?” Women’s Health Research at Yale Blog has come to an end. Through both challenges and successes, I have learned so much through my first experience with scientific writing. First and foremost, I've discovered that I can dive deeply into researching medical topics and emerge with a workable understanding of the material, and I can translate that knowledge into accessible, engaging content for others. Wed, 20 Aug 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/how-hematologist-oncologist-becomes-mentor-for-the-next-generation-of-womens-health-leaders-my-qanda-with-dr-kelsey-martin/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/how-hematologist-oncologist-becomes-mentor-for-the-next-generation-of-womens-health-leaders-my-qanda-with-dr-kelsey-martin/ Throughout my year as a Women’s Health Research at Yale Fellow, I’ve had the privilege of learning from hematologist-oncologist Dr. Kelsey Martin. Every few weeks, Dr. Martin guided me and the other Fellows through seminars about a different topic in women’s health, from the psychology of addiction to sex differences in emergency medicine. It quickly became clear just how passionate Dr. Martin is about both women’s health research and mentoring undergraduate students. Mon, 28 Jul 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/our-number-one-killer-the-sex-gap-that-costs-womens-lives/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/our-number-one-killer-the-sex-gap-that-costs-womens-lives/ Why didn’t I know, until recently, that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of both women and men in the United States? Mon, 16 Jun 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/after-decades-of-misunderstanding-menopause-is-finally-having-its-moment/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/after-decades-of-misunderstanding-menopause-is-finally-having-its-moment/ Last spring, actor Halle Berry made headlines when she boldly shouted, “I’m in menopause!” outside the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., challenging the silence that has long surrounded this inevitable life stage for women. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/four-in-five-challenges-and-advancements-in-autoimmunity/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/four-in-five-challenges-and-advancements-in-autoimmunity/ Little did I know that my mother’s and grandmother’s experiences are emblematic of a much larger phenomenon: About 80 percent – or four in five – people with autoimmune diseases are female. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 05:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/whats-in-a-presidential-memorandum-explaining-the-one-establishing-the-white-house-initiative-on-womens-health-research/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/whats-in-a-presidential-memorandum-explaining-the-one-establishing-the-white-house-initiative-on-womens-health-research/ Last November, President Joe Biden made women’s health a federal priority by signing a presidential memorandum to launch the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Yale's own Dr. Carolyn M. Mazure was part of the ceremony. Tue, 20 Feb 2024 05:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/how-the-fight-or-flight-hormone-affects-womens-hearts-differently/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/how-the-fight-or-flight-hormone-affects-womens-hearts-differently/ A recent study finds women and men's hearts are affected differently by exposure to the "fight or flight" hormone, noradrenaline. The difference in heart electrical activity may be a factor in arrhythmia susceptibility. Thu, 09 Feb 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/black-women-excluded-from-critical-studies-due-to-weathering/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/black-women-excluded-from-critical-studies-due-to-weathering/ Researchers theorize Black women age earlier and faster as a result of being "weathered" by a lifetime of racial discrimination and race-based stressors. As a result, many Black women are excluded from clinical research studies after reaching age-based milestones earlier. Thu, 01 Dec 2022 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/blackness-maternal-mortality-and-prenatal-birth-the-legacy-of-slavery/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/blackness-maternal-mortality-and-prenatal-birth-the-legacy-of-slavery/ Because of racism rooted in enslavement, Black women face specific burdens in seeking out medical care that persist today. Mon, 16 May 2022 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/to-why-didnt-i-know-this-re-menopause/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/to-why-didnt-i-know-this-re-menopause/ Menopause doesn’t really seem to be a thing we talk about in normal conversation or by societal convention. But there are important health reasons to discuss this topic early in life. Thu, 02 Dec 2021 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/sex-and-gender-and-covid-19-vaccine-side-effects/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/whr/news-article/sex-and-gender-and-covid-19-vaccine-side-effects/ Most reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are minor, and severe reactions are very rare. But women experience side effects more often than men, a trend that does not surprise medical researchers. Mon, 05 Apr 2021 04:00:00 Z