Center for Midlife Science: Improving Health, Enhancing Function

In the news: “How racism skewed estimates of heart disease in women”

Alexis N. Reeves, MPH

“Weathering” due to racist experiences can lead women of color to experience some medical conditions earlier than their white counterparts, often leading to these vulnerable women being left out of crucial studies. “I wasn’t expecting to see how much the selection [of study participants] changed these estimates. We’re overestimating the timing of onset of these diseases for everyone in SWAN, regardless of race. It basically amounts to only telling part of the story.”

» Read the full story with comments from Center affiliate Alexis N. Reeves, MPH at Science Magazine

» Read the original study with lead author Alexis N. Reeves, MPH at JAMA network open

Congratulations!: Aleda Leis, PhD, MS joins the Center for Midlife Science

Aleda Leis, PhD, MS

Former Center Doctoral Student Aleda Leis, PhD, MS, has joined the Center as a Research Investigator. Dr. Leis received her PhD in Epidemiological Science at University of Michigan in 2022, an MS in Biostatistics from Drexel University in 2015, BS in Mathematics from St. Bonaventure University in 2013.

“My research largely focuses on the measurement and analysis of comorbidity, and the differential risk for adverse events based on patterning of these conditions, with a particular focus on cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.”

» Read more at Dr. Leis’ SPH profile

Featured Publication: “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and incident diabetes in midlife women: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)”

Sung Kyun Park, ScD, MPH

“This study suggests that PFAS may increase diabetes risk in midlife women. Reduced exposure to these 'forever and everywhere chemicals' may be an important preventative approach to lowering population-wide diabetes risk.”

» Read the original study with lead author Sung Kyun Park, ScD, MPH at Diabetologia

Video now available: The MaryFran Sowers Memorial Symposium: Honoring the career of Dr. Siobán Harlow

Date: Thu May 12 2022 + Fri May 13 2022

Keynote: “Women’s Lives, Women’s Health Across the Lifespan”, Nancy Fugate Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN (Dean & Professor Emerita, Univ. of Washington School of Nursing; Co-Director, de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging)

Video of this event is now available for a limited time.

Sponsored by: Center for Midlife Science

Video: “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Women’s Reproductive Health”

“Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Women’s Reproductive Health: Findings from The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation” with Center Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ning Ding, PhD, MPH (School of Public Health, University of Michigan)

Sponsored by: Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD) Integrated Health Sciences Core

Video: “Structural Racism and Midlife Health”

“Structural Racism and Midlife Health” is a webinar series featuring papers in an upcoming special thematic issue on Racism and Midlife Health sponsored by Women’s Midlife Health, a BioMedCentral open-access journal, in collaboration with the Center for Midlife Science at the University of Michigan, and the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Board. Published manuscripts are available at https://womensmidlifehealthjournal.biomedcentral.com.

Watch the first in our “Structural Racism and Midlife Health” series: “This Is Our Lane: Talking with Patients About Racism” with Michelle S. Diop, MD, ScM, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School; and Sascha N. Murillo MD, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School; and “Structural Racism and the Impact on Incarcerated Midlife Women” with Juana Hutchinson-Colas, MD, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Moderators: Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School; and Gloria Bachmann, MD, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Video: “Structural Racism and Midlife Health”

Watch the second in our “Structural Racism and Midlife Health” series: “Disparities in Reproductive Aging and Midlife Health between Black and White women: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)” with Tené T. Lewis, PhD, Emory University; and Siobán D. Harlow, PhD, University of Michigan; and “Taking Action to Advance the Study of Race and Ethnicity: The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)” with Shawna Follis, PhD, MS, Stanford University School of Medicine; Monik C. Jiménez, ScD, SM, FAHA, Harvard Medical School and T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Lorena Garcia, MPH, DrPH, UC Davis School of Medicine. Moderators: Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School; and Gloria Bachmann, MD, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

About the Center

The Center for Midlife Science specializes in the study of multifaceted diseases and health conditions, including osteoarthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, sensory and physical function impairment, particularly their initiation and progression during the midlife. Our faculty and affiliates work to understand the course of development of these conditions, as well as the factors that contribute to variations in the course of development, such as genetics, environment and aging. The Center houses two 20-year cohort studies, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) and the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism Study (descended from the Tecumseh Community Health Study). Learn more about the Center.

Mary Fran Sowers Memorial Lecture

This special lecture honors Dr. Sower’s extraordinary scientific contributions to the field of women’s health and to inspire young scholars to transcend the boundaries between varying fields of research to advance women’s health. Dr. Sower’s unique insights into the breadth and depth of underlying physiological processes common to multiple diseases as well as her efforts to understand the linkages between ovarian and chronological aging has contributed substantially to the advancement of science. As a result of her contributions, women’s health grew from a peripheral field of study to a major discipline and we honor her legacy by inviting a groundbreaking researcher to present a lecture in her name. Learn more about the lecture.

News

Publications

Project: SWAN Genomic Analyses

SWAN Genomic Analyses performed dense genome-wide genotyping and imputation of genetic variants throughout the genome to the Haplotype Reference Consortium (HRC) reference panel in 1538 SWAN participants. This project enables SWAN to participate in genetic consortia focused on reproductive aging as well as risk factors for health and disease in women with data uploaded to dbGaP. We are also conducting gene-based analyses to assess the association of menopausal traits, including vasomotor symptoms, with genetic loci previously identified to be associated with age at menarche and menopause. (AG 017719)

Project: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Now in its 28th year, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation is a multi-site, multi-ethnic longitudinal, study designed to examine the health — physical, biological, psychological and social changes — of women during the midlife and as they age. The resulting research helps scientists, health care providers and women learn how mid-life experiences affect health and quality of life during the midlife and as they age.

Project: SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study

The SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study (MPS) was initiated in 2016 to examine health effects of multiple environmental chemical exposures, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), metals, phenols, phthalates, and organophosphate pesticide among midlife women. Funded through two R01 grants by the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences (NIEHS), the SWAN MPS specifically investigates 1) obesity, type-2 diabetes and related metabolic endpoints; and 2) reproductive health including sex steroid hormones, age at menopause and ovarian aging).