Women are different from men. Historically, research focused on conditions related to reproduction, that is, sex-specific conditions. Indeed, a women’s body adapts to changing conditions of pregnancy, and this adaptability affects a woman’s risk, symptoms and outcomes from disease beyond the pregnancy throughout life. This leads to differences between women and men in presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, bone and muscle health, lung disease, immune-related diseases and cancers.

Because women have been excluded from clinical studies and female animals and cells were studied infrequently in basic sciences experiments, there are major gaps in our knowledge of why and how women are at greater risk for some diseases or respond differently to treatments than men.

The interdisciplinary and translational environment at Mayo Clinic allows researchers to fill these gaps in knowledge. The research journey that includes laboratory based studies of cellular mechanisms, tissues, organ systems, to medical practice and treatment outcomes. Utilizing the latest technology, encouraging innovation, team science, and training the researchers of the future, investigators associated with the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Research Center are poised to making discoveries that can be translated to improved health care for women.