Women’s health expert to address state issues

Dr. Gloria Sarto, co-director of the UW National Center of Excellence for Women’s Health, will address the health, safety and well-being of Wisconsin women in a free presentation on Thursday, Feb. 24.

Sarto has played a pivotal role in the evolution of national policy to improve women’s health. She was a founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Women’s Health Research, now known as the Society for Women’s Health Research, which has helped bring national attention to the fact that many diseases affect women differently than men, and that women largely have been excluded from clinical trials.

She is the immediate past president for the society and serves on the board of directors of the National Center for Genome Resources, and chairs the Advisory Council of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the American College of Surgeons.

An obstetrician-gynecologist, Sarto has held many national leadership positions. She is the first woman elected president of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Her many honors include the American Medical Women’s Association’s Lila A. Wallis Women’s Health Award for lifetime achievement in women’s health and research. In 2001, the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association gave her its highest recognition, the Medical Alumni Citation Award.

In addition to performing groundbreaking genetic research, Sarto has chaired two departments of obstetrics and gynecology. As chair, she was committed to improving the training of physicians to provide care to women throughout their lifetimes and dedicated to the career development of women, particularly women of color.

Her presentation is one of a series of colloquia that are part of Wisconsin Women = Prosperity, a nonpartisan, statewide initiative that Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton directs. The program works to improve the status of women and to drive economic growth for Wisconsin by increasing women’s success.

Sarto is the second speaker in the spring portion. The series continues March 31 with Louise Root-Robbins, coordinator of the UW System Status of Women Initiative and co-director of the University of Wisconsin System Sloan Project for Academic Career Advancement. Beloit College political science professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti will present April 28.

All the presentations are 4-5 p.m. at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. A reception follows each talk.

The colloquia are sponsored by the Joint Center for Public Policy and the Status of Women, an effort of the Women’s Studies Research Center and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

For information, contact Terry Shelton, (608) 262-3038, shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.