Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

March 27, 2007

Office of Research On Women’s Health: Podcasts, Videocasts & Online Courses

The National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) has launched a podcast hosted by its director, Dr. Vivian Pinn. Titled “Pinn Point on Women’s Health,” the monthly podcast will discuss the latest news in women’s health research and will include conversations with NIH staff on a variety of subjects.

First up: Pinn talks about the HPV vaccine. Listen here. (The NIH also provides this handy guide on how to listen and subscribe to podcasts.)

The ORWH ensures that NIH-funded studies address women’s health and that women and minorities are appropriately represented in biomedical and biobehavioral research. Check out the 2007 NIH Research Priorities for Women’s Health.

In 1993, the ORWH started a seminar series that brings together researchers, health care providers and women’s health advocates. Videocasts of each seminar are available here.

And in collaboration with the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health, the ORWH offers online courses at the Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health website. The free site was developed to offer researchers, clinicians and academics a basic scientific understanding of the major physiological differences between the sexes, the influences these differences have on illness and health outcomes, and the implications for policy, medical research, and health care, according to the ORWH.

The current course is The Basic Science and the Biological Basis for Sex- and Gender-Related Differences. Registration is required, but this page notes that your real name and contact information are required only if you wish to receive continuing education credit. You can proceed with each of the six lessons at your own pace, but you’ll have to ace the quizzes within each lesson to get credit.


February 7, 2007

Veronica Mars and the Mystery of Medical Misinformation

Update: The episode summary has been changed so it now reads: “Veronica (Kristen Bell) is hired by Bonnie (guest star Carlee Avers, “Commander in Chief”), a promiscuous classmate, to find out who secretly slipped her RU-486, causing her to have a miscarriage.” It previously read: “.. to find out who secretly slipped her the morning after pill, causing her to have a miscarriage.”

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I used to be a big fan of Veronica Mars, but I’ve let it go some since our heroine — the first female teen since Buffy who is routinely the smartest, toughest person in the room — graduated from high school and moved on to private investigation at a nearby college. The show still has grand moments, but it hasn’t been as consistently solid or satisfying.

Which explains why I’ve got more than a few episodes TiVo’d that I have yet to watch, so I’m going to direct your attention to Ann’s post on Feministing about last night’s episode, titled “There’s Got to be a Morning After Pill,’ and how 1.) the episode summary on the CW website incorrectly identifies emergency contraception as being capable of causing a miscarriage; and 2.) the show itself does a major disservice to viewers by inaccurately portraying how RU-486 works.

I’m stunned that the CW, a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros. that actively courts young viewers, would permit the airing of such a false and potentially dangerous episode. Comments can be sent to feedback@CWTV.com.

And you might want to include these links, available from the Emergency Contraception Website, maintained by the Office of Population Research at Princeton University and the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals:

- Does emergency contraception cause an abortion?
- How are emergency contraceptive pills different from the abortion pill (Mifeprex, also referred to as RU-486)?