Home / Drs. Coker and Bush will be talking about WHY with Dr. Greg Davis on WUKY at 5:45 p.m. today.

Drs. Coker and Bush will be talking about WHY with Dr. Greg Davis on WUKY at 5:45 p.m. today.

'WHY' Aims to Improve Women's Health Through Research

By  & UK NOW • 4 HOURS AGO
Health conditions and medications affect women’s bodies differently than men’s, so it’s important that we understand the specifics of women’s health. Heart attacks often present differently in women than men, for example. And we’re learning that medication, such as the common sleep aid Ambien, is metabolized in women’s bodies differently than in men, meaning that women and men need different doses.  This week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine we take a closer look at the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science's Women’s Health & You.  (WHY) is the new name for the Kentucky Women’s Health Registry. While the name has changed, the mission remains the same – improving women’s health through research.
Dr. Greg recently sat down with Doctors Ann Coker and Heather Bush about WHY.  The first voice you’ll hear in this interview is Dr. Coker.
WHY provides women the opportunity to help reduce the gap for women in medical research by responding to survey about their health. Participants also receive information on health issues and research opportunities of interest to them. Since 2006, more than 17,000 women across Kentucky have joined.

As a co-founder of WHY, I encourage women to make good health an ongoing priority. We are offering new memberships in WHY as a way for women to actively engage in their own health and help researchers learn more about the specifics of women’s health over time. 

Dr. Heather Bush, a UK biostatistician and WHY co-founder, emphasizes that the program incorporates many aspects of women’s well-being throughout the lifespan.

“It’s not just about physical health, but how life experiences influence our wellbeing across our lifespan. Our health changes over time and by domains including physical, emotional, social, sexual and intellectual health. WHY is unique in measuring changes in health over time and across this range of health domains.”

Becoming a member of Women’s Health & You (WHY) is simple. Initial participation takes only 5-10 minutes to complete a confidential electronic survey and become a part of a group of women who are changing the way we approach the female-centric health issues.

To see how membership in WHY changed one woman’s life and help, visit http://bit.ly/WHYvid.

If you have any questions, please call 859-218-4869 or email us at WHY@uky.edu.