Assessing women's health
Posted on: October 17, 2014; Updated on: October 17, 2014
By Chris Horn, chorn@sc.edu, 803-777-3687
We’ve all heard this bit of folk wisdom about the dietary needs of pregnant women: they’re “eating for two.”
While technically true, the actual increase in food intake should be no more than 300 additional calories, says Kara Whitaker, a doctoral candidate in exercise science in the Arnold School of Public Health and one of 40 graduate students, faculty members and OB/GYN residents who will present in poster or oral sessions at this year’s Women’s Health Research Forum Oct. 24.
“Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is hard to lose and could push someone into an overweight or obese category. And there’s a risk to the baby and the potential for labor and delivery complications,” says Whitaker, who conducted a dissertation study of pregnant women in the U.S. and Canada to determine if OB/GYN doctors are discussing nutrition and exercise with their patients.
Research findings from basic, clinical and social sciences will be presented at the forum, which is coordinated by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the School of Medicine with assistance from faculty in other schools and departments to help with planning and implementation. There is no cost to attend the forum, which will be held in the Russell House theater and ballroom, but attendees must register by Monday Oct. 20.
The forum provides a valuable opportunity for research networking, says Judy Burgis, a professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology.
“It has allowed us to meet and collaborate with other scientists and researchers across campus, and it has provided an excellent venue for our OB/GYN residents to present their research projects,” Burgis says.
A keynote address, “Stress and Reproductive Mood Disorders: The Case of Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde,” will be delivered b y Susan S. Girdler, a professor of psychiatry and psychology and director of the Stress & Health Research Program at UNC, Chapel Hill.
“Mental Health Across the Lifespan” will be the focus of a panel discussion, led by Meera Narasimhan, associate provost for health sciences at UofSC and chair of the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science in the medicine school. The panel discussion will consider the various contexts that affect women’s mental health, contribute to mental health disorders and their implications for treatment and research.
“There is no health without mental health — mental, physical and social health are interdependent,” Narasimhan said. “Learning opportunities through these forums facilitate interprofessional education across health sciences and other allied disciplines, improve awareness and promote dissemination of information so that informed clinical decisions can be made in a thoughtful and collaborative fashion.”
If you go…
What: Women’s Health Research Forum
Where: Russell House Theater and Ballroom
When: Welcoming remarks, 8:45; keynote address, 9 a.m.; morning poster session, 10:15; panel discussion, 11 a.m.; afternoon poster session, 12:15 p.m.; selected oral research presentations, 1:45-3 p.m.; closing remarks, 3:15 p.m.
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