UK Hosts Annual Symposium for Promotion of Women’s Heart Health

In a generation that promotes equal opportunity for all genders, it’s crucial to not overlook the gender differences that affect health.  

Women are less likely to survive a cardiac event than men. In fact, cardiovascular disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women each year, killing one American woman every 80 seconds. 

Two faculty members at the University of Kentucky have advocated for expanded research of cardiovascular health in women. For the fifth year, Analia Loria, Ph.D., and Frederique Yiannikouris, Ph.D., both assistant professors in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutrition Sciences at the UK College of Medicine, will host the Healthy Hearts for Women Symposium, featuring exemplary scientists from UK and other universities across the nation who will present research and new findings in women’s heart health and translational cardiovascular medicine. 

The Symposium will be held 8:30 a.m.- noon, Friday, Feb. 1 in the Karpf Auditorium of UK Chandler Hospital's Pavilion A. "The National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association are funding research, recognizing the importance of understanding the cardiovascular differences between men and women and the impact of those differences in treatment," Loria said. "We wanted to replicate this at the University of Kentucky by bringing to the table ongoing research and therapies in development."

It's very important to understand how sex affects the underlying mechanisms as part of the process to find better and more adapted treatment, which should make a huge difference in term of human health outcomes, Yiannikouris added. 

Speakers and presentations include: 

• Introduction by University of Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto
• Sandra T. Davidge, Ph.D., University of Alberta, “Impact of pregnancy complications on maternal and offspring cardiovascular health”
• Heather M. Bush, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, “WHY what happens to you matters for your heart: Quantifying the effect of violence using Wellness, Health & You”
• Dr. Martha Gulati, University of Arizona, “Women & Cardiovascular Disease: Is there really a sex difference?” 
• Ming C. Gong, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, “Sex differences in aortic aneurysm” 

The symposium is sponsored by the Department of Pharmacology and Nutrition Sciences in the UK College of Medicine, the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute and the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center.