Top VA official honored for contributions to women’s health

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) recognized a senior official from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during a ceremony May 1 in Washington, D.C., for her contributions to improving women’s health research.

       Clancy

The organization presented  Dr. Carolyn Clancy, VA’s deputy under secretary for Health, for Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks, with its Health Public Service Visionary Award during its annual awards dinner.

“In recent years, VA has focused increasingly on serving the health care needs of women Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Dr. Clancy’s leadership in clinical care and research has been essential to the substantial progress VA has made in this area.”

In her current role, Clancy works to foster collaboration among VA’s researchers, clinicians and the department’s academic affiliates. Under her leadership, VA has strengthened and broadened its scientific research — which now covers a woman’s entire lifespan. These efforts have increased research on primary care and prevention, reproductive health, intimate partner violence, mental health and post-deployment health for women Veterans.

Clancy is an experienced health care executive, having served as director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality from 2003 to 2013.

Currently, 1.9 million living female Veterans make up nearly 10% of the Veteran population.

“As the fastest-growing segment within the U.S. Veteran population, young female Veterans have unique health care needs that must be recognized and addressed,” said Dr. Amy Miller, SWHR president and CEO. “In her many influential roles at VA, Dr. Clancy has enhanced access to and quality of care for women Veterans by helping to identify and remove barriers to their participation and care in VA’s health system.”

Clancy said she is honored to be recognized by SWHR, noting that the organization has helped to elevate awareness of the urgent need for women’s health research.

To learn more about VA research on women’s health, visit www.research.va.gov/topics/womens_health.cfm.