Center for Research and Education in Women's Health

The Center for Research and Education in Women's Health (CREWH) was established at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1997 to promote the health of women of all ages. CREWH is innovative in focusing on the prevention rather than the treatment of disease. It breaks ground in the range of disciplines it unites: the many UMASS schools and departments it draws on include Public Health, Exercise Science, Nutrition, Anthropology, Women's Studies and Nursing.

News

The Center for Research and Education in Women's Health (CREWH) is pleased to announce its biweekly brown-bag lunches. Lunches are run as a working group to facilitate faculty development of grant-funded research and publications in women's health. These lunches involve strategic discussions on: 1) grant and  manuscript writing, 2) responding to reviewer comments on grant  applications and manuscripts, 3) advice regarding protocols for  ongoing projects, 4) brainstorming regarding topics for new grant  applications. Participants work as a team to create a culture of support facilitating research in women's health. Drop-ins are encouraged. Please contact Lisa Chasen-Taber at lct@schoolph.umass.edu or 413-545-1664 for dates and times.

The Center’s Mission

CREWH promotes women's health by conducting multidisciplinary research projects and by educating practitioners, advocates and women themselves in four primary ways:

• Research: Scientific research related to promoting and improving the health of women and girls across the life span.
• Education: Seminars and conferences on women’s health for the University, area colleges, and interested people in the broader community.
• Training: Internships and fellowships with the University, area hospitals, and community agencies.
• Community Outreach: Research and education partnerships with organizations and individuals interested in women’s health.

CREWH faculty members are well known in their fields and often serve as officers of professional societies. They include Lisa Chasan-Taber, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Director of CREWH, Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Assistant Director of CREWH, Philip C. Nasca, Professor of Epidemiology and past President of the American College of Epidemiology; Priscilla Clarkson, Professor of Exercise Science and past President of the American College of Sports Medicine; and Patty Freedson, Professor of Exercise Science and past President of the New England chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The Center attracts an equally impressive fund of talent from outside the campus. Research collaborators include the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Baystate Medical Center, and UMass Memorial Hospital. Community collaborators include the Holyoke Health Center, and the UMass Extension Service.

In addition to the immediate gains in scientific knowledge they foster, the Center's research projects provide many benefits. They encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange of ideas. They support the development and management of grants. Through the Center's Graduate Student Fellowship Program, they fund pilot studies. In addition, they provide a means for community practitioners to help shape research objectives.

For participants that include health care providers, health agencies, students, and laypersons, the Center's educational programs disseminate research findings and relate them to current practice at the individual and provider level. The programs include an annual seminar series, recently sponsored by Cigna Healthcare of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Center also serves local, state, and national media as a resource on women's health issues.

Current Areas of Interest

Current areas of research and educational programming include, but are not limited to, the following:

Physical Activity

Our researchers are currently examining guidelines for physical activity by pregnant and postpartum women. We are studying how exercise might be used to reduce insulin resistance in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the role played by estrogen and progesterone in mediating sex differences in exercise metabolism. We are also looking at sex differences in muscle fatigue and the response to muscle damage and recovery.

Nutrition

Members of our group have been looking at diet, nutrition, and women’s health. Projects include determining ways to reach pregnant and postpartum women to offer effective nutrition education. Community based extension education programs provide information to help people make healthy choices.

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is the second leading cancer killer of American women. Currently, the most effective means of reducing the impact of breast cancer is early detection and treatment. CREWH researchers are actively involved in studies concerning the effectiveness of breast cancer screening and intervention to increase women's participation in screening.

Healthy Aging

By the year 2030, one in four American women will be over the age of 65. This graying of the baby boom generation has led to our targeting programs and activities to the entire life span of a woman. We are working to promote older women's health through a variety of initiatives including research on menopause, hearing loss, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

The incidence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea is increasing in women. In addition, twenty-five percent of all women in America will have a concern related to their fertility at some point during their reproductive lives. Some members of our group are actively involved in studies to promote a woman's ability to protect herself from sexually transmitted diseases while others are concerned with approaches to the treatment of infertility.

Domestic Violence

Violence toward women is a concern in all segments of society and domestic violence in particular has a devastating impact on women and their families. Our group has evaluated domestic violence in Holyoke and made suggestions about improved policies and programs.

For More Information

Please contact :

The Center for Research and Education in Women’s Health
Director, Lisa Chasan-Taber, Sc.D.
403 Arnold House
University of Massachusetts
715 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Phone: (413) 545-1664
Email: lct@schoolph.umass.edu