Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health

Mission

The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health is "dedicated to the cultivation and advancement of multidisciplinary science in women's health and to the promotion of the well-being of women through research, education and community outreach."

Research

According to the institute, LWBIWH facilitates interdisciplinary and collaborative women's health by:

Providing opportunities for research and educational diversity about gender differences, socioeconomic division, geographic nuances, ethnic diversity and the concerns of special populations.

Maintaining ongoing method procedures related to analysis of strengths and weaknesses of women's research expertise across the Texas Tech University System.

Identifying both federal and private funding opportunities that match the LWBIWH mission and goals.

LWBIWH Areas of Excellence Researchers

Ovarian and Breast Cancer, Maurizio Chiriva Internati

Maurizio Chiriva Internati, DBSc, TTUHSC Department of Internal Medicine in Lubbock, led a team who recently published the results of three and a half years of research in the Public Library of Science. The focus of this study was the testing of a treatment vaccine for ovarian cancer. Internati’s team includes both TTUHSC as well as national and international researchers. Results indicate that prophylactic and therapeutic vaccinations can induce long-standing protection against ovarian cancer and delay tumor growth. This study is the preface of a human Phase I/II clinical trials in which will be conducted through TTUHSC and the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health. Internati has expanded his immunotherapy work to also address breast cancer. Given its potential to impact women worldwide, Internati’s work has been chosen as one of the Laura W. Bush Institute’s Research Areas of Excellence.

Green Tea and Tai Chi, Leslie Shen

Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology in the TTUHSC School of Medicine, is investigating whether the combination of green tea supplements and low-impact, weight-bearing exercise, like tai chi, provides greater synergistic benefit to improve bone health in post-menopausal women with low bone mass. According to published studies, antioxidants in green tea may be beneficial to osteoporosis. Scientific evidence also suggests tai chi can reduce oxidative stress.

CPRIT Grant

In May 2010, LWBIWH researchers were awarded a $1.67 million grant to launch the Access to Breast Care for West Texas (ABC4WT) project. The project aims to increase breast cancer screening rates and preventive care in the underserved populations of West Texas. ABC4WT will work to "close the gap" between screening, diagnosis and treatment by helping women navigate the health care system to access breast screening and diagnostic services.

The three-year grant includes a variety of initiatives to overcome the barriers faced by women in West Texas. Women living in this region often fail to receive the necessary mammography and other screening services due to barriers such as finances, geography and lack of child care or means to travel to screening locations. Additionally, Hispanic, rural and other medically underserved women in West Texas experience a higher incidence of advanced breast cancers.

The grant was sponsored by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). CPRIT was founded in 2007 when Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to form the institute and authorized the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund ground-breaking cancer research and prevention programs and services in Texas. CPRIT's goal is to expedite innovation and commercialization in cancer research and to enhance access to evidence-based prevention programs and services throughout the state.

Women's Health Fellowship Program

The Women's Health Fellowship program is housed in the Women's Health Division at TTUHSC. Those who are selected to be the Women's Health fellow have completed a residency in internal medicine, family medicine or Ob/Gyn. The fellowship was created to increase clinical competence in providing primary care to women and train individuals who will pursue a career in academic women's health. In addition to a clinical curriculum emphasizing gender-specific disease and pathophysiology, the fellow is also provided with research funding, along with the opportunity for national certification in clinical densitometry (ISCD) and menopause management (NAMS). The fellow also obtains training in a variety of gynecological procedures (endometrial biopsy, cystometrics, bartholin cysts, vulvar biopsy, etc.), and attends at least one national Women's Health meeting during the training year.

Hablando de la Salud de la Mujer

In partnership with the Northwest Texas Healthcare System of Amarillo, Hablando de la Salud de la Mujer is an annual event that launched in 2003 and is put on by LWBIWH. The event is geared specifically for Hispanic and Latina women because they are known to experience a high prevalence of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, cervical cancer, and increased breast cancer mortality. Hablando de la Salud de la Mujer is designed to educate, motivate and initiate healthy lifestyle changes. It is presented in both Spanish and English and includes a keynote speaker, educational sessions, and health screenings.

WISE Woman Program

LWBIWH Amarillo, along with Amarillo community organizations, makes up the WISE (Women Inspiring Serving and Educating) Woman Program to reduce, through education and referral, the incidence of undiagnosed or late diagnosed breast cancer in medically underserved women living in Amarillo.

Jenna Welch Women's Center

The Jenna Welch Women's Center of the LWBIWH is named to honor Laura Bush's mother, Jenna Welch, and the "special bond between mothers and daughters and the important influence these relationships play in women's health and wellness." The center delivers medical care for women and their families, clinical research, medical education and community partnerships. The Jenna Welch Women's Center opened its doors in March 2010.

JWWC Objectives and Initiatives

Women's Wellness

The JWWC provides medical care services including physical examinations, gynecologic care, global women's wellness assessment, and risk prevention for chronic conditions such as substance abuse, infectious disease, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Adolescent Health

The JWWC offers tailored teen services including a "teen-friendly" examination room and resource area.

Chronic Pelvic Pain

Approximately 15 percent of gynecology visits are made for symptoms of long-term pelvic pain. JWWC providers coordinate multidisciplinary medical care for diseases such as endometriosis, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, intestinal chronic pain conditions and urologic chronic pain conditions. The center also offers patients minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical procedures and the most current medical therapy available.

First Trimester Pregnancy Loss

According to the JWWC, many women lose pregnancies during the first 12 weeks and often experience bleeding, pain, fear and feelings of stress. The JWWC operates with the goal of preventing a repeat pregnancy loss and the pain that accompanies it.

Minimally Invasive Total Hysterectomy

Thousands of women undergo a hysterectomy each year. JWWC Director Leslie Chupp, M.D., performs minimally invasive total hysterectomies. With three small incisions, many times recovery time and length of hospital stay are markedly reduced.