A galactic roller coaster week for women’s issues

It’s been a galactic roller coaster week for women’s issues.

Literally, from the highest point above Earth to the swamps of DC. Some say that the good news is that we are at least talking about what we value and where we need to go.

Perhaps, the most important lesson is that we need to stay UNITED.

We may have different ‘viewpoints’, but we share the same values to live and work well and safely in any environment. Together-we can achieve extraordinary goals.

On a personal note, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) inspired me to develop the first women’s health fellowship in the Nation and to then join the HHS Office on Women’s Health as their Sr Medical Advisor. Working with committed public health professionals across all the agencies to protect and advance the health of women around the world was a dream come true.

These offices in Women’s Health need to be respected and valued for what they have accomplished during the past 30 years since their inception.

Early in my career, I met astronaut, Alan Shepard, during his book event at the Smithsonian. I told him about my other dream to work at NASA and to explore space. He asked me about my ‘discipline’ and encouraged me to follow my heart. I applied to be an astronaut and had the privilege to work at NASA for 18 years evolving women’s health issues into a sex/gender based/translational focus–working with brilliant colleagues across many disciplines.

Sharing 2 articles which capture highlights from this wild journey:

https://lnkd.in/eBSg4RsZ

https://lnkd.in/eMq9YNqy

I hope our future explorers will learn from our history to chart a course where Everyone has the opportunity to follow their destiny across the stars!