Women have been historically underrepresented in medical research, leaving large gaps in our understanding of their unique health challenges. At Labfront, we support the democratization of health research and recognize our societal obligation to promote the health of women. Thus, in 2022, we started the Women's Health Research Initiative, a decade-long commitment of $100,000 USD to fund research projects focused on women's health.

Establishing Women's Health Research Award with Garmin Health

As part of this initiative, we’re pleased to announce we’re collaborating with Garmin Health to offer the Women's Health Research Award to up to 5 researchers studying women’s health globally. The award seeks to enhance outcomes for women everywhere while bridging the knowledge gap in women's health. Five Garmin wearables and one-year access to the Labfront platform are included with each award. 

We're excited to work with Garmin Health to give researchers access to high-quality sensor data so they can better understand the diverse health experiences of women. By utilizing wearables in this way, we have the chance to make novel discoveries and insights that will ultimately benefit everyone. _{- Dr. Andrew Ahn, Chief Medical/Science Officer at Labfront}

Why Funding Women’s Health Research is Important

The importance of funding women's health research cannot be overstated. Our understanding of health and disease has largely been based on decades of male-only human and animal study, with the majority of women not being allowed to participate in clinical trials until 1993. This lack of knowledge of women's health in comparison to men's has important ramifications. For instance, heart disease is the number one killer of American women, but many of them are either uninformed of their risk or have the wrong diagnosis. Because of this, women have a 50% higher mortality rate than men in the year following a heart attack. 

Apply for the Women’s Health Research Award

To highlight the critical importance of funding research that focuses specifically on women's health, Garmin Health is sponsoring the Women's Health Research Award. The award is open to all researchers interested in or currently studying a topic in women’s health using wearable data. The awardees will be given five Garmin  vívosmart® 5 fitness trackers and a one-year Labfront Advanced plan to help collect digital biomarkers such as heart rate and sleep. The award is valued at nearly $2,000 USD. 

Garmin recognizes the critical importance of funding research specifically focused on women's health. We're proud to support researchers using Garmin devices to help improve women's health outcomes. _{- Dr. Leon Brudy, Business Development Manager at Garmin Health}

Statistics on Women's Health

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Women's Health Research Award FAQs

Does the grantee receive the smartwatches or does the institution receive them on their behalf?

The Garmin devices will go directly to the awardee rather than the institution.

Is the grant open to international researchers?

Yes! We welcome applicants worldwide who are studying a topic in women's health.

Will the winners be able to put Labfront in their IRBs?

Yes! We’ve passed all our IRBs in the two years we’ve been active. We have support documentation and we can offer additional support if necessary.

When can we expect the award announcement?

As we aim to review all submissions as thoroughly as possible, it could take up to a month after the deadline to announce the winner.  The expected announcement date is June 30, 2023. After the announcement, winners can expect their devices within a few weeks.

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