At Anschutz Medical Campus:
Raising the Bar for Women's Health

There have long been gaps in knowledge about diagnosing and treating diabetes and cardiovascular disease in women, and health research has often neglected distinctions between the sexes. Just 25 years ago, women were often excluded from clinical trials for fear it would harm their reproductive capabilities.

Betsy Mangone So in 2004, three accomplished researchers launched the Center for Women's Health Research (CWHR) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. It has had huge success in its seven years, not only because of the outstanding talent of the physicians and researchers, but also because of dedicated community volunteers, philanthropists, and leaders who serve on the CWHR Advisory Board and dare to dream big.

"I would like the center to be the national center for women's health research," says board chair Betsy Mangone. "I would like the center to have the resources to grow and offer its research results to Denver, the rest of Colorado, and communities across the country."

A Focus on Peer Advocacy
The board has raised $3 million for the center to date. "The thing that sets us apart is the community-support aspect of the center. We have 16 board members, and we are all out there raising money," says Mary Sissel, immediate past advisory board chair and current member.

Some board members are motivated by personal or family health issues, some by their core beliefs. Sissel says she is motivated by her desire to help women become economically self-sufficient and the need to educate women who don't have access to health care. "I got involved without any personal story," she says. "But I talk about the center everywhere I go. And I always hear personal stories."

These stories include "Jacqueline's Gift," a gift to CWHR by Karen and Steven Leaffer in honor of their stillborn infant, a victim of the peripartum cardiomyopathy Karen had developed late in her pregnancy. The advisory board was so touched by her story, they matched the Leaffers' gift dollar-for-dollar.

When Mangone got involved with CWHR, she said, no one even had to ask her to give, because she believed so firmly in the mission. "Our diabetes research is huge for me personally because diabetes is everywhere in my family, inter-generationally," says Mangone. "I know the research will help future generations of my family."

Looking Ahead
Mary Sissel Energized by their fundraising success, advisory board members are in the process of endowing their first chair, which they believe will be a tipping point for CWHR to attract other scientists. The board is also working with a new CWHR scientific council composed of top cardiovascular and diabetes physicians and scientists, all women. "We had the first launch meeting with this prestigious group in February and are raising money to support that council, which is made up of extremely energetic, motivated women," Sissel says.

As it does every year, the board plans a major fundraising luncheon featuring a nationally prominent speaker; this year's Oct. 5 luncheon featured award-winning author and diabetes advocate Mother Love.

"We've really just started. There is so much more around the corner for us," Sissel says. "I am every bit as excited about this as I was in 2004 because we are just beginning to move toward our potential."