Wed, Feb 09
|Online Event
The Black Women’s Health Study: 27 years and counting!
Join us for an intimate discussion with Dr. Yvette Cozier about the design and key findings of The Black Women's Health Study, a propsective follow-up study of the health of 59,000 Black Women from 1995 to the present.
Time & Location
Feb 09, 2022, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Online Event
About the Event
Black women are more likely to develop certain health problems than white women. Until the 1990’s, most of the studies of women’s health included only small numbers of Black women or none at all. Improving the health of Black women required more knowledge of the causes of these health problems and also more knowledge about how women stay healthy. More knowledge meant more research. The BWHS was begun in 1995 to play a key role in carrying out this research.
The BWHS gathers information on many conditions that affect Black women — breast cancer, lupus, premature birth, hypertension, colon cancer, diabetes, uterine fibroids — the list is long. The BWHS is a “follow-up” study, following the 59,000 women who enrolled in 1995 over time. When the participants entered the study, they provided information on factors that might influence health and disease, such as contraceptive use, cigarette smoking, and diet. At regular intervals, participants provide updated information on these factors and on any illnesses they develop.
Join us for a fascinating discussion with Dr. Yvette Cozier, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology, and the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice at Boston University School of Public Health. She is also a Senior Epidemiologist at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine where she is MPI for the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a prospective follow-up of over 59,000 African American women begun in 1995. As a social epidemiologist, Dr. Cozier’s overall research focus is on the influence of psychosocial and structural factors - including racism and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) – on health. She has also published on factors related to the development of cardiometabolic and immune-mediated conditions such as obesity, sarcoidosis, and lupus. Additional research interests include the role of attitudes about spirituality and religiosity on health.
BWHS website: https://www.bu.edu/bwhs/history/