Welcome to the Women’s Biomedical Research Institute. We are one of the few research institutes in the country whose primary focus is studying female- and sex-specific biology. Many gaps in knowledge remain in understanding what drives health and disease for women across their lifespan, leading to a continued inequitable health burden for women.

One in eight women will suffer from preeclampsia, leading to increased risk for maternal morbidity and an increased lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease. One in every 10 women will be burdened by endometriosis. Between 20-50 percent of women will have fibroids, and 5-25 percent of women will suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome. All women will experience menopause, with many women having to endure difficult symptoms and most suffering from negative impacts on their cardiovascular and neurological health. Of the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, 80 percent are women. Women are 50 percent more likely to die than men a year after a heart attack. Sixty-six percent of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Cancers of female organs (cervix, uterus, ovary, and breast) continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality for women.

To meaningfully change how we treat and prevent these conditions, it is imperative to understand the very biology that drives these diseases. The Women’s Biomedical Research Institute at Mount Sinai will attend to this critical need by driving this important research, with the goal of meaningfully impacting and improving health for women throughout their lives.

At the Institute, we are involved in a variety of bench-to-bedside research projects, and we will continue to expand that research portfolio. We are, for instance, exploring how vaginal microbes, which are implicated in preterm birth and other adverse reproductive outcomes, are mechanistically involved in modifying the cervicovaginal environment. Through this work, we can reveal novel insights that we hope will produce new therapeutics to improve reproductive outcomes. We are exploring the role of extracellular vesicles and nanoparticles in reproductive, maternal, and fetal health. We are studying how shifts in immunity may drive preterm birth, endometriosis, and other reproductive disorders. In these and other research projects, the Institute is committed to leveraging innovation, discovery, and synergy to advance women’s health. We believe that through making concerted efforts to understand female and sex-specific biology, we can make meaningful improvements in women’s health across the lifespan.

I am often asked why we need a research institute focused on female and sex-specific biology. The simplest answer is that women make up more than 50 percent of the population, and we have not appropriately attended to them. We have not done enough research to know how to prevent diseases that specifically affect them. We do not know enough about female and sex-specific biology to meaningfully optimize their health. However, we can change this. I am hopeful that through this Institute, collaboration, innovation, focused discovery, and an unwavering commitment to women’s heath, we will make a difference for women in this generation and those to come.