Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
Title: Vanguard Clinical Centers for Clinical Trial and Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative - East (referred as WHI - Women's Health Initiative)
Principal Investigators: Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, and Maurizio Trevisan, MD, MS
Funding Agency: NHLBI
Period: 03/15/93 - 09/14/05; WHI Extension study 9/2005 - 09/30/10
Abstract: The Women's Health Initiative is a large multi-center clinical trial (WHI) and observational study studying the major causes of morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women. This primary prevention trial and observational study has assessed the role of hormone therapy, diet and calcium/vitamin D supplementation on heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. The WHI is a national study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI). Buffalo is one of 40 WHI centers nationally.
There were three clinical trials:
- Hormone Therapy vs. Placebo (2 trials)
- Diet Modification vs. Usual Diet
- Calcium/Vitamin D Supplementation vs. Placebo
The primary endpoints of the three WHI clinical trials have been published. Further results from these studies will continue to be published.
In 2005, the University at Buffalo was awarded the WHI Extension Study. This is a five-year follow-up study to assess the longer term outcomes of these studies.
