Celebrating Dr. Howell and the Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research.
What does it take for women to be healthy? A vision and the passion of a community leader.
Dr. Howell built a community where the pursuit of education, the passion for community, and the love for research are a reflection of her legacy of care. During December, we celebrate the Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research, and the leader that provided the vision of what we do. We work to accelerate research that positively affects women’s health:
- Our Lecture Series Program provides first hand access to cutting-edge research where medical experts, scientists, doctors, and researchers convey timely, reliable information on topics relevant to women’s health. By presenting the latest research in women’s health, we advocate for women in our community to make an informed decision about their health.
- Our Scholarship Program funds seed grants to undergraduate and graduate individuals conducting critical research that may affect women’s health. By funding women-specific research, we hope to inspire students to follow a career that addresses women’s health needs.
- Our Community Engagement Initiative awards pilot research grants to scientists working with community–based organizations to develop and evaluate programs that address the most pressing health issues affecting underrepresented women in our community. Research results serve as the foundation in the application process of additional women-focused research funding.
Our guiding principle of keeping the women healthy hasn’t gone unnoticed by City Officials:
- In 2017, Congressman Scott Peters proclaimed November 30th as Howell Foundation Day, not only for our efforts in encouraging women to take measures to improve their health, but also for advocating for women to pursue careers in women’s health to create active change.
- Back in 2013, then Interim Mayor Todd Gloria proclaimed December 2nd as Dr. Doris Howell Day for her leadership and lasting impact in the overall well-being of women in our community.
I so admired Doris and thought the world of her. She was a mentor and an inspiration. Very few people have the sense of humor, brilliance, class and elegance that was always shown by Doris to everyone. I am honored to have known her.
~Tina SN
We believe she would be very proud in knowing that our Scholarship Program has created a new generation of women’s health professionals creating an impact in our community today. She would be fulfilled with the quality of the Howell Foundation Board of volunteers and staff that strive for the need to close research gaps for the benefit of women’s health. Women in our community are more informed than ever about their health. Just recently, Howell Foundation board member and past Howell Lecture Series speaker Dr. Andrea LaCroix was named one of the world’s 1000 top female scientists, along with Dr. Sonia Ancoli-Israel, also past Howell speaker.
“How many of you have wives; how many of you have daughters; how many of you have sisters? And I know you all have mothers… What do you do to help them stay healthy?” is our guiding principle. Today, almost 285 scholarships later, over 100,000 dollars awarded to research projects that benefit under-represented women in the community, and more than 9500 individuals informed about relevant and pressing issues affecting women’s health, the Howell Foundation continues to support the health and well‐being of generations of women in our community!
We wish you a healthy and happy Howell day!
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About the Howell Foundation:
The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research is dedicated to making a long-term, positive impact on women’s health. Established in 1995, the Howell Foundation accelerates women’s health research through graduate and undergraduate research scholarships, community-based research grants, and educational events conveying timely, cutting-edge information on topics relevant to women’s health and the health of their families. Since its founding, the Howell Foundation and its academic partners have funded 285 research scholarships focused on women’s health, totaling more than $800,000.
