The University Record, January 28, 1998

Women's Health Services receive national recognition

From left, Valerie Press and Anjel Vahratian, administrative assistants at the Women's Health Resource Center, keep the center open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays with the help of many volunteers like Juliet Nimako and Kate Beauregard. Photo by Bob Kalmbach

By Dave Wilkins
Health System

The Women's Health Program at the University of Michigan has been designated a National Center of Excellence in Women's Health.

Only 12 health centers nationwide have received that designation from the U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health. The federal office provides funding to support the development of integrated women's health care at each of the centers, which serve as models to be duplicated at other sites across the country.

"The National Centers on Excellence . . . reflect the progress that is being made in improving women's health by fostering new research, integrating clinical services and weaving women's health curricula into the training of health care professionals," said Assistant Surgeon General Susan J. Blumenthal, who also is deputy assistant secretary for women's health.

The National Center of Excellence in Women's Health at the U-M is dedicated to developing new scientific information, educating future generations of clinicians and researchers, and delivering quality health services that meet the needs of women. Programs that provide the highest quality health services for women are provided through Turner Geriatric Clinic, the U-M Breast Care Program, the Women's Mental Health Initiative, the Comprehensive Adolescent Health Care Program, the Pediatric Sports Medicine Program and the Minority Health Care Initiative, among others.

The Centers of Excellence program promotes:

  • an integrated "one-stop shopping" approach to the delivery of health services, with an emphasis on prevention and early detection.
  • a multidisciplinary research agenda on women's health issues.
  • coordination between clinical services in academic medical centers and their local communities and alliances with business and consumer groups, scientific organizations and policymakers.
  • educational programs for the public and health care professionals and a focus on women's health in medical school curricula.
  • recruitment, retention and promotion of women in academic careers.