NWHRC Milestones

1988: NWHRC is founded and produces first issue of the National Women's Health Report.

1991: National Institutes of Health (NIH) launches Women's Health Initiative (WHI). This multi-year study was designed to examine the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. WHI results have yielded important information on how women can best prevent death and disability and improve quality of life.

1992: Congress passes the Mammography Quality Standards Act. Act imposes standards for mammography personnel, equipment, and record keeping, as well as regular FDA inspections of mammography facilities; helps women locate facilities via 1-800-4-CANCER.

1994: NIH mandates that women be included in clinical trials. Women and minorities must now be included in all of NIH's clinical research studies with passage of the NIH Revitalization Act.

1998: FDA approves emergency contraception for women. Provides women with an effective back-up plan to prevent pregnancy in the event that their primary birth control plan fails.

2004: American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign launches. Designed to alert women and their health care professionals that heart disease, not cancer, is the number one killer of U.S. women. Ongoing effort continues to raise research funds and improve understanding about heart disease in women.

2005: NWHRC publishes the First Annual Women Talk survey to better understand women's perceptions about their health and health care concerns.

2006: FDA approves the HPV vaccine. This vaccine protects against four types of the genital human papillomavirus (HPV), which together cause 90 percent of genital warts and 70 percent of cervical cancers in women. The FDA recently licensed the vaccine for use in women ages nine to 26.

2008: NWHRC continues its mission to connect women to the health information they need.