Women’s Health Research at Yale Pilot Projects

Assistant Professor, Neurology

Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease – the most common cause of dementia – are women, meaning Alzheimer’s affects women significantly more often than men.

Through a Women’s Health Research at Yale funded Pilot Project, Yale neurologist Dr. Carolyn Fredericks studied what predisposed women to be more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s compared to men by evaluating the relationship of a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease to brain circuitry in both sexes.

Using a technique called connectome-based predictive modeling that allows researchers to visualize communication within the brain, Fredericks and her team successfully modeled which parts of the brain had activity that was “working together” to achieve an outcome – and how that tightly correlated activity related to how much of the protein tau was in the corresponding regions. Tau is an important protein in brain health, and when it malfunctions, such as folding onto itself or becoming detached and forming tangles, it contributes to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Over the two-year investigation, Fredericks and her team successfully developed a method for using functional connections in the brain to model and predict the location of tau in brain networks of individuals with amyloid deposits, or preclinical disease.

Data from this pilot project were crucial in The Fredericks’s Lab application and subsequent R01 award from the National Institute on Aging to further investigate sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more.

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Sterling Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Cellular and Molecular Engineering and of Chemical Engineering

Endometriosis – one of the most chronic, widespread, and debilitatingly painful conditions unique to women – impacts more than 6.5 million women in America alone and can also interfere with a woman’s ability to become pregnant.

Through an interdisciplinary Pilot Project, Yale power duo biomedical engineer Dr. W. Mark Saltzman and gynecologist Dr. Hugh Taylor are developing and testing a novel drug delivery method for an already FDA-approved medication to treat endometriosis much closer to the source.

The Saltzman-Taylor team is working to determine if a specific estrogen-blocking drug can treat endometriosis with delivery through a manufactured, degradable implantable device. The three phases of this pilot study include determining the proper dose of the estrogen blocker; discovering the optimum placement in the body for a degradable implant; and examining the intervention’s efficacy and safety.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Ovarian cancer is the nation’s deadliest gynecological cancer, often diagnosed late. Because symptoms are difficult to decipher from other common conditions such as bloating, pelvic pain, and urinary urgency, many cases are not caught until an advanced stage, when treatment options are few. CA125 is one single but very large and complex glycoprotein molecule. First identified in 1981, CA125 has been used as a biomarker for ovarian cancer for more than four decades.

Yale chemist Dr. Stacy Malaker is an expert in mass spectrometry—a powerful technique scientists use to measure and identify molecules—and one of a handful of chemists examining glycoproteins at this magnitude.

To save more lives, Malaker used her Women’s Health Research at Yale Pilot Project to pioneer a new workflow to better detect and analyze Kglycoproteins. It’s called GlycoFASP (Filter-Aided Sample Preparation)—a novel process to achieve enrichment through digestion utilizing filters.

This is a tremendous step forward in developing more sensitive biomarkers – chemical indicators of disease in the body – that can effectively detect ovarian cancer at an early stage, where survivability jumps to almost 95%.

The translational Pilot Project has helped infuse more than $2.25 million of additional funding into the Malaker Lab to continue to examine and sequence glycoproteins in order to develop new precision-based diagnostic methods. Read more about Malaker’s pioneering work.

Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

One of the leading causes of premature delivery during pregnancy is intra-amniotic infection (IAI). This occurs when bacteria infect the placenta, the amniotic fluid, and the membranes that line the uterus and maintain the structure of the amniotic sac. Once IAI has been diagnosed, delivery must occur quickly, which puts infants at risk of both short and long-term health challenges. While the pregnant woman can be given antibiotics to treat the infection, one of the biggest challenges has been getting the medication past a protective biofilm and to the area surrounding the fetus.

Dr. David Stitelman and his team are studying the use of biodegradable synthetic particles called nanoparticles, which are about the size of the head of a pin. These nanoparticles can pass through the biofilm and deliver the antibiotics directly to the amniotic fluid, membranes, and placenta.

If the research team is successful at tailoring a nanoparticle to deliver the correct dose of antibiotics to treat the infection, they will be well positioned to continue trials on the path to a new treatment for IAI and improving the health of women and children. Learn More.

Professor of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Pamela Kunz is conducting one of the first studies to examine sex differences in side effects when treating patients for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), a rare form of cancer often found in the gastrointestinal tract. Sex differences have been found in where cancers start and in survival rates yet understanding the side effects of treatment is limited. This research focuses on analyzing clinical trial data to determine the extent of sex differences in NEN chemotherapy and radiation treatment side effects that contribute to poor quality of life, worse outcomes, and increased costs of care.

Additionally, Dr. Kunz is examining gene variations associated with these cancers that may predict how a patient will respond to a treatment. This effort is designed to tailor therapy to specific persons, and thus reduce side effects, and improve therapy outcomes and the lives of patients who are on long-term treatments. Learn more.

Reshma Narula, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology (Vascular Neurology)

Samit Shah, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)

Heart disease and stroke, where blood flow to the heart or brain is impaired, are the leading causes of death among women and affect more than 6 million women in the United States. Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) and coronary vasospasm — which cause dynamic narrowing of blood vessels in the brain and heart respectively are both more common in women and both routinely underdiagnosed.

In this 2025 Women’s Health Research at Yale Pilot Project, Yale vascular neurologist Dr. Reshma Narula and Yale interventional cardiologist Dr. Samit Shah are collaborating to establish a link between these two underdiagnosed syndromes.

The interdisciplinary team will analyze more than a decade of comprehensive electronic health data to assess the prevalence of RCVS and identify potential links with coronary vasospasm and other forms of ischemic heart disease. The goal is to highlight common risk factors for dynamic cerebral and coronary vascular dysfunction in young women, which would improve clinical awareness, guide diagnostic testing, and lead to targeted therapies. Read more.

Assistant Professor in Dermatology

Autoimmune-based skin conditions such as scleroderma and lupus primarily affect women – up to 80 percent of autoimmune patients overall are female. These complex disorders are linked to hand vasculopathy, a condition where impaired, reduced blood flow to the hand and fingers leads to severe pain, tissue damage, sores, ulcers, and in extreme cases, amputation. Current treatments rely on medications that dilate blood vessels throughout the entire body, often causing debilitating side effects like severe headaches and low blood pressure, forcing patients to choose between managing symptoms or enduring medication side effects.

As a physician-scientist, Yale dermatologist Dr. Jeff Gehlhausen has long treated and studied hand vasculopathy, most commonly seen in women. His two-year Pilot Project will test the efficacy of local botulinum toxin injections, commonly called Botox, at the site of the hand vasculopathy, potentially relieving symptoms without the debilitating systemic side effects.

If successful, the new approach addresses a significant gap in women’s health. This project aims to generate data for larger clinical trials and eventually FDA approval of this novel application. Learn more.

Sandra Springer, MD, Professor of Medicine and Sheela Shenoi, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine

The time of release from incarceration to transitional housing is a particularly difficult adjustment period, and obtaining medical care and medications is often overwhelming. Consequently, women returning to the community often forgo the care they need, despite having a significantly higher prevalence of chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, addictive behaviors, and mental health conditions.

In a community-oriented Pilot Project, Yale infectious disease experts Dr. Sandra Springer and Dr. Sheela Shenoi will explore how a mobile model of healthcare can lead to improved outcomes as women rejoin the community from correctional institutions leveraging Springer’s mobile medical unit and mobile retail pharmacy InMOTION.

Springer was awarded an Avant Garde Award by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) in June 2022 that resulted in the development of the first legalized mobile retail pharmacy/mobile clinic combination in the United States. The goal of InMOTION is to increase healthcare access and remove barriers by bringing healthcare and medications directly to individuals. Working closely with the Connecticut Department of Correction, InMOTION will offer primary and holistic care along with prescription fulfillment where women are living to test the feasibility of mobile medical care to prevent disruptions in care for this population and thus a better outcome.

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Dr. Sarah Yip is using a new technique known as connectome-based predictive modeling that relies on data and machine learning to try to predict the likelihood of relapse for those recovering from substance use disorder. Dr. Yip is determining how pathways in the brain respond to the sensation of pain and pain relief from opioids and how these connections differ between men and women. This study is one of the first to use a brain map of connections to investigate the neurobiology of pain and analgesia while investigating sex differences at the same time.

This study is designed to determine gender-specific treatments for substance misuse and with predictive modeling identify those who may be more likely to relapse into addiction so that these individuals can be provided prevention resources.