February 2, 2006
Former federal official to discuss emergency contraception and women’s health
Dr. Susan F. Wood, former assistant commissioner for women’s health and former director of the Office of Women’s Health at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will discuss Women’s Health: Emergency Contraception and the FDA at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Hogness Auditorium at the Health Sciences Center. The free lecture is open to everyone. Wood will be speaking about the importance of science and medical evidence in health policy decision-making by federal agencies. She resigned from the FDA in August 2005 to protest the FDA’s decision to once again delay over-the-counter status for Plan B emergency contraception. Though the FDA’s own scientists have approved OTC status, it has been continually delayed since 2003. She will also focus on areas such as inclusion of women in clinical studies; regulatory research on topics such as cardiovascular disease and medications used during pregnancy; and developing outreach campaigns for women regarding menopausal hormone therapy, safe medication use and diabetes. Wood was previously the director for policy and program development at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. From 1990 to 1995, she worked for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. She received her Ph.D. in biology from Boston University Marine Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., where she carried out basic research on the biochemistry of vision. This event is co-sponsored by UW School of Medicine, the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. No registration is required. For more information, contact Vee White at veewhite@u.washington.edu.
