New York, NY — May 2002 — The Partnership for Women’s Health at Columbia University has officially become The Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University. The name change was announced at the Annual Gala and Athena Awards held on May 8, 2002, at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan.

"Our new name reflects the commitment that we have always had to improving the health of both women and men," says Dr. Marianne Legato, founder and director of the Partnership and professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. "Gender-specific medicine focuses on the physiology of both women and men to understand the unique ways in which each experience disease, so that we can find better ways of treating everyone."

The Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University is a unique collaboration between academia and the private sector dedicated to advancing the study and practical use of gender-specific health information. The Partnership supports research that uses gender as a variable and develops comprehensive educational materials and programs that deliver new knowledge to the health care community and to the public.

In its educational efforts, the Partnership uses its own publications, online resources, academic articles and scholarly presentations. For example, the Partnership’s Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine (http://www.mmhc.com/jgsm) is the first and only peer-reviewed medical journal to focus exclusively on gender-specific medicine. The bi-monthly publication contains original research and reviews of relevant subjects, and is indexed in the worldwide databases, MEDLINE and EMBASE.

The Partnership provides a valuable resource for health care professionals, the general population and the business community. In the last two years, the Partnership has led successful trips to Israel and Japan and helped educate both populations about the importance of gender-specific medicine.