Background
Perimenopause, menstrual cycle issues, polycystic ovarian syndrome, osteoporosis, and symptomatic menopause are the root causes of many of common health concerns among women. In spite of this, most women do not have access to easy-to-understand, accurate information. This lack of scientific information causes women to mistake the normal hormonal changes in their bodies for illness, to be unaware of simple things they can do to help themselves, and uncertain about when to seek medical specialist assistance.
Given plain language information, a woman can work in better partnership with her health care provider, and learn to cope with the hormonal changes that occur across her lifespan. For women as a whole, this translates to less need for surgery, fewer doctor visits, fewer medications to buy, and most importantly, improved quality of life.
Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research
Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has created a scientific, holistic body of knowledge focused on normal patterns of hormones for women in the entire population. CeMCOR has received international recognition for its education and research into changes in women's menstrual cycles and ovulation physiology and their effects on the bones, heart, breasts, and brain. Its solid foundation of scientific evidence has helped to generate new, more effective programs and practices, and will eventually create new national and international standards in women's health.
Since its inception in 2002, CeMCOR's Scientific Director, Dr. Jerilynn Prior has worked to distribute the results of CeMCOR's many research projects directly to women. Dr. Prior has reached out to women of all ages-both nationally and internationally-through Estrogen's Storm Season [1], other publications and the creation of a website (www.cemcor.ubc.ca [2]). CeMCOR's website has more than 1000 pages read each day by women and health care providers from around the world. In these ways, Dr. Prior has begun to reframe scientific knowledge of the menstrual cycles and ovulation in a scientific and women-centred context.
The Challenge
Dr. Jerilynn Prior will be 65 in 2008-although retiring from seeing patients, she is not willing to retire from research and teaching. Happily, the University of British Columbia is no longer requiring that she retire, however, it is time to start planning for the future of CeMCOR.
If leadership succession for CeMCOR is not assured, the body of knowledge created and communicated by this unique centre will likely disappear. In order to survive Dr. Prior's eventual retirement, CeMCOR must build an endowment fund now to make the recruitment of an outstanding clinician-researcher at the professor level possible, and continue Dr. Prior's legacy of providing much-needed endocrine research and leadership in the field of women's health.
This clinician-researcher would continue to build on Dr. Prior's accumulated knowledge and seek new research in women's health through CeMCOR. He or she would increase CeMCOR's profile as a global centre of excellence in menstrual cycle and ovulation research, education and health care by creating further ties with professional colleagues and interested stakeholders across Canada and around the world.
You Can Build CeMCOR's Endowment Fund
CeMCOR now seeks private partners to build an endowment for this important centre for women's health research. CeMCOR's focus on ovulation, and its affiliation with the UBC Division of Endocrinology, which studies hormones and health, make it unique in Canada and internationally. It is reframing our current women's health knowledge.
Since its inception, CeMCOR has helped millions of women to understand and cope with personal health issues as they progress through the natural stages of their lives. We hope that CeMCOR will be able to help millions more. Please join us in making this important initiative for women's hormonal health possible.
To become part of building CeMCOR's legacy, please donate today through this website [3]. As you donate, specify whether you wish your support to go toward current CeMCOR research or to build the CeMCOR Endowment Fund. If you need more information, please contact Maryn Ellis at the UBC Development Office. Tax receipts for charitable donations are available in both the USA and Canada.
Maryn Ellis, UBC Development Office
Suite 500, 5950 University Boulevard
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604-822-5345
Fax: 604-822-8151
E-mail: maryn.ellis@ubc.ca [4]
Toll-free in North America: 1-877-717-4483
CeMCOR gratefully acknowledges the support of:
You may make copies of our handouts and tools for personal use and for use in clinical practice. These copies must include our authorship. They cannot be reproduced for profit. Please contact us for any use beyond this.
Those of us at the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research integrate scientific and practical information for the benefit and empowerment of women. What is posted here is as wise and as accurate as we are able to produce. However, it lacks essential knowledge of your preferences, your life and health histories that are needed before treatment decisions are made. Please work with your primary care health provider to determine what is best for you. Remember we can't take responsibility (liability) for the personal health decisions that you make based on our information, suggestions, and advice.
Links:
[1] http://cemcor.org/help_yourself/books_videos/estrogens_storm_season
[2] http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca
[3] http://cemcor.org/donate
[4] mailto:maryn.ellis@ubc.ca