Women's Nutrition Research Program
The WNRP was established in 1997 in response
to the interests of the many researchers at the Pennington Biomedical
Research Center who were studying issues related to women’s
health. Primarily an education and outreach program the WNRP has
specifically targeted women’s health issues. There has been
a lack of attention to gender differences in regard to nutritional
needs, body composition, and the progression of chronic disease.
A working group with representation from several institutions and
area hospitals was formed to plan the program’s directions
and activities. Dr. Catherine Champagne was named coordinator of
the WNRP in 2003. The WNRP offers educational programs, including
the annual Irene W. Pennington Wellness Day for Women to address
women’s unique health concerns. The past 2003 and 2004 Wellness
Day for Women was attended by nearly 500 women, and consisted of
a full day of educational seminars, health-related exhibits, cooking
demonstrations, and a style show.
Mission Statement :
We seek to promote basic and clinical research related to nutrition and disease-prevention in women, and to encourage the inclusion of women in clinical trials performed at PBRC.
Goals :
- To coordinate research relating to women's health issues into one program at PBRC.
- To have regular meetings with faculty engaged in women's health research at PBRC to promote inter-disciplinary discussion, research collaboration, and mutual goals.
- To have regular interaction with investigators at other institutions both within Louisiana and nationally who are part of women's health research programs or who are performing women's health research.
- To promote PBRC's Women's Nutrition Research Program to the community at large by presenting information about women's health research at various public meetings.
- To develop a resource list of organizations, grants, Web sites, etc. relating to women's health research.
- To develop a list of community organizations that have an interest in women's health (e.g. Woman's Hospital, YWCA, etc.) and plan speaking engagements.
|
