Women At Risk
Our History
In 1991, Women At Risk was founded by a grassroots partnership of physicians and patient volunteers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center to serve as a research and education program for women at high risk for breast cancer. Over the years, Women At Risk has expanded dramatically, growing to meet the needs of women in the New York Metropolitan area not only at high risk for breast cancer but also for women undergoing treatment for the disease.
The following are some highlights describing how Women At Risk has grown in each of our major program areas.
WAR Funded Research
Over the past several years, WAR has grown from funding one research project to providing the financial support to more than 40 research projects in areas of surgery, oncology, radiology, laboratory, epidemiology, genetics, and complementary/ alternative medicine. Many of these studies have been presented at national conferences, published in medical journals and found ongoing support from the National Institutes of Health and other major granting institutions. [More]
High-Risk Program & Computerized Registry
Established in 1991, this unique and comprehensive surveillance program, which started with less than 100 participants, has grown to educate and monitor over 1,700 women at high risk for developing breast cancer. With more than ten years of follow-up data, the WAR Registry also serves as a valuable resource for researchers in their ongoing efforts to understand the complex causes of breast cancer and to develop new methods of risk assessment for prevention, surveillance, early intervention, and effective treatment. [More]
Educational Programs
Initiated in 1992, WAR's educational programming has grown from serving 200 women a year to annually educating over 50,000 in the New York Metropolitan area. These programs offer timely and accurate information about breast cancer prevention and treatment in a range of venues including:
- The Laurie Bass Sklaver Annual Symposium, established in memory of WAR's Past President Laurie Bass Sklaver, which features panels of experts who explore breast cancer and other women's health topics in great depth and detail. [More]
- A bi-annual newsletter distributed to more than 10,000 individuals reporting on a range of breast cancer and women's health issues, as well as a schedule of upcoming events and activities. [More]
- On-site lectures on breast cancer-related issues at a range of venues. [More]
Support Services
Helping women cope with breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, WAR's support services now directly serve over 3,000 women annually.
- The Resource Library, which began as a service for 500 women a year and now serves nearly 3,000 women and their families annually, is staffed by volunteer breast cancer survivors and offers a range of comforts and informational material to newly-diagnosed women visiting NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia's Breast Service. [More]
- The bi-weekly support group provides an important space for the sharing of information and emotional support. [More]
- A newly established Patient Navigator Program helps women diagnosed with breast cancer navigate the clinical process to facilitate appropriate delivery of medical and ancillary services. [More]
Programs for Underserved and Minority Women in the Community
What began as a patient facilitator program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia's Breast Clinic has grown to reach over 80,000 women annually at various sites. These programs have succeeded in cutting through economic, cultural and language barriers and providing information and care to underserved women living in Inwood, Washington Heights and Harlem. Programs include:- Bi-annual free screening days, where mammograms and other cancer screenings are provided free of charge to uninsured women in the community. Recent screening days have grown to provide these life-saving services to more than 100 participants per day. [More]
- A bi-weekly Spanish Support Group for Latinas undergoing treatment for breast cancer, hosting anywhere from five to 20 women at each meeting. [More]
- Six satellite clinics visited on a rotating basis by our Outreach and Community Program Coordinator.
- Mujeres A Riesgo, an annual Spanish newsletter which includes articles about breast health, support services, information about neighborhood clinics, and personal stories of Latina breast cancer survivors was first published in 2006. [More]
Women At Risk Breast Surgery Fellowship
Growing from our commitment to make the highest standard of care available to all women, the annual, one year WAR Fellowship in Breast Surgery was established in 2003, with the goal of improving the quality of breast health care available to patients in communities beyond the New York Metropolitan area that WAR directly serves. [More]
Contact
- Women at Risk
- 601 W 168th St. #7 & #8
New York, NY 10032
Phone: (212) 305-9525
E-mail: info@womenatrisknyc.org
