Bournemouth University to host England’s Women’s Health Ambassador for England
On July 14th, The Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) will be hosting a 3-hour free symposium, joined online by keynote speaker Dame Lesley Regan (the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England) and showcase BU women’s health research.
The Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (formerly the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health) has a long history of excellent research in relation to childbirth and newborn health. The centre’s new name reflects the development of its research into women’s health across the lifespan.
Women account for 51% of the population yet face obstacles when it comes to getting the care they need. GOV.UK’s 2021 survey, ‘Women’s Health – Let’s talk about it’ revealed that 84% of approximately 100,000 surveyed women in the UK felt they were not heard by healthcare professionals.
Professor in Midwifery Vanora Hundley says, “Women are the heart of the family so supporting women’s health has a public health impact on the whole family. Women have been neglected in research and as a Centre, we want to hold this event to underline the importance of women’s research and healthcare. There is an assumption that all bodies are the same, but there are biological differences that mean we need women-specific research not just in the traditional areas such as maternity.”
The symposium takes place on 14 July. It will feature research conducted by The Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health and support local and national strategies to tackle women’s health problems.
In the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy for England, Dame Lesley Regan said, “Although women usually live longer than men, they spend considerably more time in poor health. We must ensure that our goal is to prioritise quality and longevity of life…When we get it right for women, everyone in our society benefits.”
In 2021, The British Health Foundation reported that “A 2020 study reviewed 740 completed cardiovascular trials and found that 38.2% of clinical trial participants were women” yet “cardiovascular disease is the world’s biggest killer for both women and men and causes 26% of deaths in women in the UK.” (Women’s Health Strategy: BHF Response to Call for Evidence, June 2021).
Speaking about this research, Professor of physiotherapy Carol Clark said, “This shows the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and the consequence on health outcomes. The research conducted by the CMWH is vital to supporting the Women’s Health Strategy. Their research will provide key information to support increased female representation within clinical trials.”
Clinical academic PhD student Rosie Harper says, “Research is fundamental to improving women’s health across the UK. Emerging researchers at Bournemouth University will highlight the key topics they are working on off the back of the women’s health strategy, helping to drive the agenda forward.”
Professor Vanora Hundley, Professor Carol Clark, Dame Lesley Regan and PhD student Rosie Harper will be speaking at the Women’s Health Symposium alongside other professionals and students leading the way in women’s health research.
The Women’s Health Symposium is free to attend and accessible to the public online via Zoom. The event takes place on Friday 14 July, starting at 2 pm.