At the same time, it will catalyze an expansion of medical school curriculum in women's health and support the advancement of women to academic leadership positions. Called the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, it will be directed by Andrea Dunaif, chief of the Division of Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Benjamin Sachs, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, will be co-director. Dunaif and Sachs also co-direct the Harvard Center for Women's Health, which was established in 1998 to bring together Medical School faculty at the affiliated hospitals interested in developing clinical, academic, and research programs in women's health. Appointment specialists will inform callers of participating institutions and ask where they prefer to receive care.
Black women have the highest rates of death from stroke.
While breast cancer death rates have declined among white women, they have increased for black women. The Harvard Medical School National Center of Excellence in Women's Health is one of six model centers awarded contracts this year.