Kamala Harris Introduces Legislation to Support Uterine Fibroids Research and Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Thursday introduced the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act, legislation to initiate crucial research and education in relation to uterine fibroids and ensure women get the information and care they need. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-11) introduced this legislation in the House of Representatives.

“Millions of women across the country are affected by uterine fibroids, which can present serious health complications,” said Senator Harris. “Complications from uterine fibroids can lead to maternal mortality and morbidity, an ongoing crisis especially for Black women. We have an opportunity to change that with the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act. I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Clarke to ensure that women get the care, support, and knowledge they need.”

“This bill is an important first step towards making women’s healthcare a priority by addressing uterine fibroids. Many women who suffer from uterine fibroids have their condition go undiagnosed as a result of a lack of education about the disease. Each year, approximately 7 million women in the U.S. suffer the symptoms of fibroids and an estimated 330,000 symptomatic women reside in New York. This disease has ravaged the lives of women across the country, and increasing funding for research and public education related to fibroids is critical to reversing that trend. If we are serious about fixing inequities in our healthcare system, then we must treat uterine fibroids with the funding and attention it deserves,” said Congresswoman Clarke.

Uterine fibroids affect an estimated 26 million women between the ages of 15 and 50, across all racial backgrounds and socioeconomic levels in the United States. While this issue affects women across all racial backgrounds, Black women develop uterine fibroids earlier, have larger and a greater number of fibroids, and are three times more likely than white women to be hospitalized for uterine fibroids. Also, more than 80% of Black women and about 70% of white women develop fibroids by the time they reach menopause. Further, they are the leading cause for hysterectomy: 22% of Black women and 7% of white women with uterine fibroids have hysterectomies as a result of the condition.

Despite being the most common gynecological condition, there is a lack of awareness and prioritization about uterine fibroids as an important health issue. Some women who experience uterine fibroids have no symptoms; however, those that do experience: severe pelvic pain, iron-deficiency, anemia, miscarriages, infertility, and heavy bleeding. Building awareness around uterine fibroids is not only a health equity issue, but an economic imperative. Uterine fibroids cost our health care system an estimated $9.4 billion annually.

The Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act would:

• Provide $30 million annually for FY21-FY25 to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research on uterine fibroids.
• Direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand the Chronic Conditions Warehouse research database to include data on the services provided to women who experience symptoms of uterine fibroids.
• Create a uterine fibroids public education program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to disseminate information on the incidence and prevalence of uterine fibroids among women—including the elevated risk for women of color—and the available treatment options.
• Direct the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in consultation with medical societies, to develop and disseminate information regarding uterine fibroids to health care providers, including the elevated risk for women of color to develop uterine fibroids and the available treatment options.

In addition to Harris and Clarke, this legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Van Hollen (D-MD) and Booker (D-NJ) .

This bill is supported by: Black Women’s Health Imperative, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Sexual Health Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, CARE About Fibroids, HealthyWomen, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, National Black Nurses Association, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Association, National Organization of Black Elected Women (NOBEL Women), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, Society for Women’s Health Research, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), The Fibroid Foundation, and The White Dress Project.

“There is a vital need for more research to be done regarding Uterine Fibroids and the burden placed on various racial and ethnic groups. We also need to collect data to develop more effective interventions and evaluate therapies, especially among black women who are disproportionately and more severely impacted by uterine fibroids. That is why the Black Women’s Health Imperative supports the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act introduced by the Senator Kamala Harris. This legislation will increase NIH funding focused on Uterine Fibroids research and lead to a new evidence base for treatment and cure for women of color,” said Linda Goler Blount, President and CEO of Black Women’s Health Imperative.

“For far too long, we have simply accepted the unknowns about uterine fibroids when in reality, those unknowns represent a gap in research,” said Tanika Gray Valbrun, founder of The White Dress Project. “We’re grateful to Senator Harris for making uterine fibroids research a priority.” 

“One in three women have been silently coping with debilitating, sometimes life-threatening uterine fibroid complications for far too long. This Bill will provide vital research and education to move us closer to ending this suffering, and will provide women with a better quality of life,” said Sateria Venable, Founder & CEO, The Fibroid Foundation.

“NHMA strongly supports the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act because it will create needed research and education needed for us to better understand uterine fibroids and ensure that minority women can get information and care that they need for this condition,” said Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, FACP, President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.

Dr. Martha A. Dawson, RN, FACHE, President of the National Black Nurses Association said, “Uterine fibroid can have a significant impact on the quality of life for females suffering from this condition. She noted that both ‘physical and mental pain’ are results of this sometimes debilitating condition that impact women’s ability to work, gain promotion, and perform simple activities of daily family life. This bill is needed to help relieve the burden of women suffering from this disease.”

“Even as millions of American women suffer from debilitating fibroids, public awareness and research funding for this disease remains startlingly low. SWHR applauds Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) on her introduction of the Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act, which will expand federal research efforts and bring much needed attention to this overlooked disease. Greater public awareness of fibroids will spark essential conversations among women, their families, and their health care providers about menstrual conditions, which are often stigmatized and dismissed by society. Increased funding for fibroids research is crucial to discovering better treatment options for women with this disease. We are hopeful that this bill will help prioritize uterine fibroids as a critical women’s health issue,” said Kathryn Schubert, MPP, President & CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research.

“For the millions of women struggling with symptomatic fibroids, this is an important step toward highlighting a condition that has been in the shadows for far too long. Our mothers, sisters and friends, especially women of color, have suffered in silence from the debilitating impact of this condition that has received too little attention and too few research dollars from the federal government. We are deeply grateful for Sen. Harris’s action to step up and be a champion for women with fibroids,” said Jenny Rosenberg, Executive Director, CARE About Fibroids.

The Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act can be read HERE.

Dr. Keith Whitfield Selected as President of UNLV

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents voted to appoint Dr. Keith Whitfield as UNLV’s new president. He becomes UNLV’s 11th permanent president and the first Black president in the university’s 63-year history. 

Dr. Whitfield, currently the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs and a professor of psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit, will begin Aug. 24 and serve a four-year contract.

Prior to his time at Wayne State University, Whitfield was vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University and held appointments as professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, research professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. He also was the co-director of the Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research.

“Dr. Whitfield is a highly respected educator, researcher, and administrator. His experience boosting student success at Wayne State University will serve UNLV well. And his knowledge and understanding of leading a diverse student population – Wayne State University’s student population mirrors UNLV in terms of diversity – affords him the familiarity to tackle UNLV’s unique challenges head on,” said NSHE chancellor Thom Reilly. “I am confident Dr. Whitfield is the right person to lead the university at this time.”

As provost of Wayne State University, Whitfield is responsible for faculty hiring, promotion and tenure, and budget and policies for faculty and staff. He is also responsible for student affairs, including student success, curriculum, housing and other student related auxiliaries. Under his leadership, the university achieved remarkable gains in its graduation rate, increased overall enrollment, launched an innovation and entrepreneurship hub, and strengthened multiple business and philanthropic relationships. 

An active administrator and researcher, Whitfield has authored or co-authored over 200 publications and has earned funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the National Science Foundation. His current research focuses on the relationship between stress and longevity in African American families. He’s a member of the NIA’s National Advisory Council on Aging.

“This is truly, truly an honor. UNLV is a university that I have great respect for, and to be able to be a part of that is something I can’t express in words,” said Dr. Whitfield in his remarks to the Board of Regents following his appointment. “I’m going to make sure you see the kind of stewardship and momentum-building that you’ve seen from Marta Meana, and I’ll continue to lead this university to greatness.”

Dr. Whitfield was one of four finalists who interviewed with UNLV students, faculty, employees, and community members since Monday. The ad hoc UNLV President Search Committee, made up of 29 members, including members of the Board of Regents, UNLV faculty, classified staff, students, and community stakeholders, recommended Dr. Whitfield for the job on Wednesday.

“Dr. Whitfield is committed to and understands UNLV’s mission as a research institution and its relationship to Las Vegas and Nevada,” said Board of Regents Chair Mark Doubrava.  “His breadth of experience shows he has excellent management skills and is admired by students and faculty alike.”

The search committee used in-person interviews and live-stream technology to ensure an inclusive and transparent search process, while conducting the search in consideration for the health and well-being of all those involved.

“I want to thank everyone involved in the search, especially UNLV’s students, faculty, staff and community members who participated in-person and virtually,” said Regent Trevor Hayes, who chaired the ad hoc UNLV President Search Committee. “Chancellor Reilly and the hiring firm, Wheless Search and Consulting, gave us four outstanding candidates to choose from, and I believe the committee made an excellent decision in recommending Dr. Whitfield to be UNLV’s next president.”

The son of a U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel, Whitfield received a bachelor’s in psychology from the College of Santa Fe and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in life span Developmental Psychology from Texas Tech University and did post-doctoral work in quantitative genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

The NMAAHC wants your Black Lives Matter protest and Covid19 stories

Last month, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) launched “Voices Of Resistance And Hope,” a web portal where members of Black communities can share their experiences of life during the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

From the NMAAHC web page:

Voices Of Resistance And Hope

Sharing Stories In Times Of Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic and the mass protest movement for police reforms and social justice are affecting the lives of millions of people around the world. We want to know how these issues have affected you.

You are invited to be part of this online collection of personal stories from members of the African American community during the current crises in America. Upload your images, first-hand accounts, personal stories, essays, poems, photographs, short videos or observations. Your personal expressions can help to create shared experiences with others in the nation and reinforce what so many of us are longing for during these turbulent times — an opportunity to celebrate the American values of resiliency, optimism, and spirituality.

You can find out more about Voices of Resistance and Hope or share your story here: Voices Of Resistance And Hope

The National Bar Association Names CK Hoffler as its 78th President

John Lewis NY Times essay: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

By John Lewis

Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral.

• July 30, 2020

While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.

Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

The Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

[SOURCE: NY TIMES]