The 8th Annual Connors Center Research Symposium was held in the Marshall Wolf Conference Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Tuesday, October 28th at 3:00pm. It was held in conjunction with the Brigham/Harvard Reproductive Outcomes of Stress & Aging (ROSA) Center, an NIH Specialized Center of Research Excellence on Sex Differences. Over 150 registered from the MGB system, Connors Center network, Greater Boston community, and beyond. Participants gathered in-person and virtually to celebrate the important work being done by Connors Center investigators. Speakers included the keynote, Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, Director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona; Deborah Bartz, MD, MPH, Director of Education at the Connors Center; as well as recipients of Connors Centers grant awards and fellowships, ROSA Center associate scientists, and a Mass Life Sciences Center First Look awardee.

Watch the Symposium Here

Laura Holsen, PhD, Director of Research Training at the Connors Center provided introductory remarks and announcements including the open WHISPR RFP and an upcoming mixer event for the Sex-Informed Collaborative Think Tank (SIRCTT) open to all MGB investigators.

Roberta Brinton, PhD delivered the keynote address entitled “The Menopausal Transition: Critical Window for Preventing or Increase Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Dr. Brinton is the Director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona. She is also a Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Neurology. During her presentation, Dr. Brinton highlighted the gender disparity in Alzheimer’s disease risk and its association with the neurological transition that occurs during perimenopause-menopause. She showcased potential mechanisms for this association including metabolic reprogramming of the human brain during the menopausal transition period and the influence of the APOE4 gene. The presentation also delved into the use of hormone replacement therapy in menopause treatment and its potential to prevent the increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease during the menopausal transition. She ended her talk with discussion of menopausal HRT hesitancy and the importance of treating patients for both brain and breast health by using Estrogen Receptor β-targeted PhytoSERMs, which can promote neurological function while inhibiting the risk of breast cancer that can sometimes be associated with typical HRT treatments.

Primavera Spagnolo, MD, PhD, Associate Director of the Connors Center and Scientific Director of the First.in.Women® Precision Medicine platform and Interim Executive Director (effective December 1) provided introductory remarks and facilitated the Q&A session with Dr. Brinton.

Connors Center investigators then showcased their research in a series of presentations. The introduction was provided by Laura Holsen, PhD.

• “Going out on a Limb to Save a Limb: Personalizing Thromboprophylaxis to Prevent Amputation”, presented by Anahita Dua, MD, 2024 First Look Awardee
• “Midlife Migraine: Hormone Therapy and the Menopausal Transition”, presented by Holly Crowe, PhD, 2023 ROSA Pilot Awardee
• “A New Paradigm for Identifying Therapeutic Targets for Females with Parkinson’s Disease”, presented by Saranna Fanning, PhD, 2024 IGNITE Awardee
• “Sex-Specific Predictive Analysis of Left Ventricular Remodeling in Aortic Stenosis”, presented by Farhad Nezami, PhD, 2023 Collaborative IGNITE Awardee; Co-I: Iman Aganj, PhD
• “Clinical Trial Enrollment for Psychiatric Disorders: Opportunities to Enhance the Study of Sex Differences”, presented by Amanda Koire, MD, PhD, Connors Center Research Scientist

Deborah Bartz, MD, MPH, Director of Education at the Connors Center and Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School closed the symposium by presenting “Sex- and Gender-Informed Medicine Education at HMS.” Dr. Bartz illustrated the need for sex- and gender-informed conversations in medical schools, highlighted the lack of formalized classroom curricula focusing on sex-differences in medical conditions and treatments, and showcased the Connors Center Medical Education Initiative and one-month Harvard Medical School course to address those knowledge gaps. Cindy Liu, PhD, Director of Psychosocial Stress, Diversity, and Health at the Connors Center provided introductory remarks and facilitated the Q&A session with Dr. Bartz.

Dr. Hadine Joffe, Executive Director of the Connors Center provided closing remarks. This was her last Connors Center Annual Research Symposium as Executive Director with Dr. Joffe transitioning to her new role as Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center starting December 1^st. We at the Connors Center wish Dr. Joffe all the best in her new endeavors. Following the symposium, speakers and attendees enjoyed a reception to foster further discussion and networking.

Thank you to all speakers, moderators, and attendees for supporting and engaging with the important research funded by the Connors Center and for marking this event a tremendous success!