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The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is a long-term national health study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, or NHLBI. The original WHI study began in the early 1990s and concluded in 2005. Since 2005, the WHI has continued as Extension Studies, which are annual collections of health updates and outcomes in active participants. The second Extension Study enrolled 93,500 women in 2010 and follow-up of these women continues through another extension that will conclude in 2020. NHLBI intends to fund the next Extension Study for the follow-up of WHI participants through 2027.
As with the original WHI study, the main areas of research are cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures. While WHI continues to focus on strategies to prevent the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women, the breadth and richness of the WHI data allow for the exploration and investigation of many more research questions on women’s health and aging.
To learn more about the original WHI study that began in the early 1990’s, including specific details about the three clinical trials and the observational study, visit the WHI program page on the NHLBI website.
An organizational chart provides further information detailing the roles of individual WHI Steering Committee members. Please continue reading the next section to learn more about former PIs and key contributors to the Women’s Health Initiative over the past three decades.
The WHI study consisted of 40 Clinical Centers, several with additional satellite locations, during the recruitment and active intervention phase of WHI (1993-2005). During the WHI Extension Studies, the Clinical Centers were consolidated into 10 Regional Centers in 2010, as shown on the map. The WHI Clinical Coordinating Center (CCC) is located at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, WA. The tables below show the investigator names and locations of the original Clinical Centers and the current Regional Centers. Visit the Contacts page for CCC and Regional Center contact information.
Institution | Location | Project Officer |
---|---|---|
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute | Bethesda, MD | Jacques Rossouw, M.D., 1993-2014 Shari Ludlam, M.P.H., 2014- |
Institution | Location | Principal Investigator |
---|---|---|
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | Seattle, WA | Ross Prentice, Ph.D. 1993-2010 Garnet Anderson, Ph.D. 2010- |
Region | Regional Center or Regional Center Site | Institution | Principal Investigator |
---|---|---|---|
Northeast | Buffalo, NY Boston, MA | University at Buffalo Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D. JoAnn Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H. |
Southeast | Winston-Salem, NC | Wake Forest University | Mara Vitolins, Dr.P.H. |
Midwest | Columbus, OH | The Ohio State University | Rebecca Jackson, M.D. |
West | Stanford, CA | Stanford University | Marcia Stefanick, Ph.D. |
CCC | Seattle, WA | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | Garnet Anderson, Ph.D. |
Institution | Location | Principal Investigator |
---|---|---|
Fisher BioServices | Rockville, MD | Oguz Mandaci |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | Wayne Rosamond, Ph.D |
Region | Insitution | Location | Principal Investigator |
---|---|---|---|
Northeast | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Bronx, NY | Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D. 1994-2010 |
Northeast | Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Boston, MA | JoAnn Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H. 1994-2010 |
Northeast | George Washington University | Washington, DC | Valery Miller, M.D. 1994-1996 Judy Hsia 1996-2005 Valery Miller 2005-2007 Lisa Martin, M.D., F.A.C.C. 2008-2010 |
Northeast | MedStar Research Institute | Washington, D.C. | Barbara Howard, Ph.D. 1994-2015 |
Northeast | Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island | Pawtucket, RI | Annlouise Assaf, Ph.D. 1993-2008 Charles Eaton, M.D. 2008-2010 |
Northeast | State University of New York, Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Maurizio Trevisan, M.D. M.S. 1994-2003 Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D. 2003-2010 |
Northeast | Research Foundation SUNY, Stony Brook | Stony Brook, NY | Dorothy Lane, M.D., M.P.H. 1994-2010 |
Northeast | University of Massachusetts | Worcester, MA | Judith Ockene, Ph.D. 1994-2010 |
Northeast | University of Medicine and Dentistry | Newark, NJ | Norman Lasser, M.D., Ph.D. 1993-2010 |
Southeast | Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | John Foreyt, Ph.D. 1994-1998 Jennifer Hayes, Ph.D. 1998-2007 Aleksandar Rajkovic, M.D., Ph.D. 2007-2009 Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar, Ph.D. 2009-2010 |
Southeast | Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Dallas Hall, M.D., 1993-1998 Sally McNagry, M.D., 1998-1999 Nelson Watts, M.D., 1999-2001 Larry Phillips, M.D., 2001-2010 |
Southeast | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | Albert Oberman, M.D., M.P.H., 1993-2000 Cora Lewis, M.D., M.S.P.H., 2000-2010 |
Southeast | University of Florida | Gainesville / Jacksonville, FL | Marian Limacher, M.D. 1994-2019 |
Southeast | University of Miami | Miami, FL | Marianna Baumn, Ph.D., 1994-1999 Mary Jo O’Sullivan, M.D., 1999-2010 |
Southeast | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | David Sheps, M.D., N.S.P.H. 1994-1998 Barbara Hulka 1998-1999 Gerardo Heiss, M.D. M.P.H. 1999-2010 |
Southeast | University of Texas | San Antonio, TX | Robert Schenken, M.D. 1994-2003 Robert Brzyski, M.D. 2003-2010 Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar, Ph.D. 2010 |
Southeast | University of Tennessee | Memphis, TN | William Applegate, M.D. 1993-1999 Karen Johnson, M.D., M.P.H. 1999-2010 |
Southeast | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem/ Greensboro, NC | Gregory Burke, M.D., M.S. 1993-1998; 2002-2004 Electra Paskett, Ph.D. 1998-2002 Denise Bonds, M.D. 2004-2007 Mara Vitolins, Dr.P.H. 2007-2010 Sally Shumaker, Ph.D. 2010-2019 |
Midwest | Medical College of Wisconsin | Milwaukee, WI | Jane Kotchen, M.D., M.P.H. 1994-2010 |
Midwest | Northwestern University | Chicago/ Evanston, IL | Philip Greenland, M.D. 1993-2000 Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., RD 2000-2010 |
Midwest | Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | Rebecca Jackson, M.D. 1994-2010 |
Midwest | Rush University Medical Center | Chicago, IL | Henry Black, M.D. 1993-2007 Lynda Powell, Ph.D., M.Ed. 2000-2010 |
Midwest | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | James Liu, M.D. 1994-2001 Margery Gass, M.D. 2001-2009 Michael Thomas, M.D. 2009-2010 |
Midwest | University of Iowa | Iowa City/ Bettendorf, IA | Robert Wallace, M.D. 1993-2010 |
Midwest | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | Richard Grimm, M.D. 1993-2001 Karen Margolis, M.D. 2001-2010 |
Midwest | University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | Catherine Allen, Ph.D. 1994-2004 Gloria Sarto, M.D. 2004-2010 |
Midwest | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | Lewis Kuller, M.D., Dr.P.H. 1993-2018 |
Midwest | Wayne State University | Detroit, MI | Susan Hendrix, D.O. 1994-2008 Michael Simon, M.D. 2008-2010 |
West | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | Seattle, WA | Maureen Henderson, M.D., Dr.P.H. 1993-1999 Shirley Beresford, Ph.D. 1999-2010 |
West | Kaiser Foundation Research Institute | Oakland, CA | Robert Hiatt, M.D., Ph.D. 1994-1998 Bette Caan, Ph.D. 1998-2010 |
West | Oregon Health & Science University | Portland, OR | Barbara Valanis, Dr.P.H. 1994-1999 Cheryl Ritenbaugh, Ph.D. 1999-2004 Evelyn Whitlock, M.D. 2004-2008 Yvonne Michael, Sc.D. 2008-2010 Erin LeBlanc, M.D. 2010 |
West | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | Marcia Stefanick, Ph.D. 1994-2010 |
West | University of Arizona | Tucson/ Phoenix, AZ | Thomas Moon, Ph.D. 1993-1994 Cheryl Ritenbaugh, Ph.D. 1994-1998 Tamsen Bassford, M.D. 1998-2005 Cyndi Thomson, Ph.D., R.D. 2005-2010 |
West | University of California, Los Angeles | Torrance, CA | Rowan Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D. 1994-2010 |
West | University of Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | J. David Curb, M.D. 1994-2010 |
West | University of California, Davis | Sacramento, CA | John Robbins, M.D. 1993-2010 |
West | University of California, Irvine | Irvine, CA | Frank Meyskens, Jr., M.D. 1994-1999 Allan Hubbell, M.D. 1999-2010 |
West | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | Howard Judd, M.D. 1994-2006 Lauren Nathan, M.D. 2006-2010 |
West | University of California, San Diego | LaJolla, CA | Robert Langer, M.D. M.P.H. 1994-2005 Andrea LaCroix Ph.D. 2005-2010 |
West | University of Nevada | Reno, NV | Sandra Daugherty, M.D., Ph.D. 1994-2000 Robert Brunner, Ph.D. 2000-2010 |