Press Conference June 29, 1:00PM EDT

Greenwich, CT (June 24, 2021) – On Tuesday, June 29, Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) and BrightFocus Foundation will host a joint press conference to announce a new partnership to increase funding for women-focused Alzheimer’s disease research. This partnership is grounded in new data that shows investments in women’s health research, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), produce higher returns than ADRD research that is not targeted to women.

The medical research gender gap holds back our health and our economy. Alzheimer’s disease cost our economy $305 billion in 2020. Women are 66% of patients, yet only 12% of research dollars focus specifically on women. WHAM, with support from BrightFocus Foundation, commissioned the RAND Corporation to assess the economic impacts of accelerating women’s health research. The WHAM Report ADRD study found that doubling current research funding focused specifically on women, adding $280 million, would generate $930 million in returns to the economy, a 15% higher return than general research yields.

The press conference will include speakers from WHAM and BrightFocus Foundation, Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton, Director of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science, a leading Alzheimer’s researcher whose recent $37 million NIH grant is funding a phase 2 clinical trial of a regenerative therapeutic to regenerate the aging female brain, as well as Dr. Sharyn Rossi, Director of Scientific Programs in Neuroscience at BrightFocus Foundation. Additional prominent researchers and economists will be announced. These leaders will discuss how gender gaps in medical research are holding us back, how the new data released in the WHAM Report’s ADRD study will impact research, and how WHAM and BrightFocus are working to accelerate women’s health research.

WHO:

• Stacy Pagos Haller | President and CEO, BrightFocus Foundation
• Carolee Lee | Founder and CEO, WHAM
• Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton | Director, UA Center for Innovation in Brain Science, University of Arizona
• Dr. Sharyn Rossi | Director of Scientific Programs, Neuroscience, BrightFocus Foundation

WHEN:

• 1:00 PM EDT, Tuesday, June 29, 2021

WHERE:

• Conference Call Registration: https://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/7CF3ANGZP452SGXO

WHAT:

• Press conference announcing a partnership between BrightFocus Foundation and WHAM to accelerate funding in women’s health research, detailing the impacts for researchers and economists of new data that shows women’s health research outperforms general ADRD research.

About BrightFocus Foundation

Founded in 1973, BrightFocus funds exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases. A 501(c)(3), BrightFocus works to save mind and sight. For more information, visit brightfocus.org.

About Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM)

WHAM works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health issues and to improve the inequities and bias in research by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health in four primary disease verticals – autoimmune disease, brain health, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The first WHAM Report, focused on Alzheimer’s, shows the impact of accelerating sex and gender-based health research on women, their families, and the economy. For more information, visit whamnow.org and thewhamreport.org.

Contact Information:

WHAM CONTACT:

Christine Koronides
christinekoronides@rational360.com
415-235-1479

BRIGHTFOCUS CONTACT:

Michael Buckley
mbuckley@brightfocus.org
202-330-1913