Mission, Vision & Initiatives

Women’s Health Research at Yale is an interdisciplinary research center within the Yale School of Medicine. For all persons to live healthier lives, there is a dramatic need to advance studies on the health of women and the role sex and gender play in health outcomes. Our goal is to change the landscape of science and medicine by examining health differences between and among women and men, integrate those findings into professional practice and clinical education, and shape public policy to advance health.

Our center is supported by the Yale School of Medicine, community partnerships and valued donors. With your help we can use science to lead healthier lives.

WHRY’s Pilot Project Program has been recognized as a national model for launching new research on the health of women and uncovering sex and gender differences that affect health outcomes.

Our “seed” grants generate the data required to obtain larger external grants that focus on disorders of high morbidity and mortality in women, and conditions with meaningful clinical differences between and among women and men.

WHRY brings scientists from different fields together to address complex medical conditions. Our principal investigators are Yale faculty with unique expertise. They have an enduring commitment to research excellence. And they have tremendous reach in influencing their fields of research. These partnerships provide the expertise necessary to advance research beyond what is possible within a single discipline.

WHRY’s communications efforts meet a long-term need for the public to have a clear and trusted source for current, accurate, and accessible health information. To achieve this goal, the center leverages many outlets. These include print and electronic newsletters, videos, social media, and traditional news media.

WHRY prepares students and junior faculty to carry this work forward and engage their future colleagues and mentees. We fill the unmet need for medical students and undergraduate students to understand and appreciate the importance of studying women and how sex and gender affect health. The center also prepares students and junior faculty to advance this work in their own careers.

Women’s Health Research at Yale uses its stature on the national stage to bridge needs observed in our local communities with larger, national efforts. In doing so, the center helps marshal resources to address broad health problems. The most prominent example of this initiative is the center’s partnership with Elevate. Yale’s new policy laboratory, Elevate implements evidence-based interventions for socially and economically disadvantaged women, children, and families.