Newly enhanced Website, www.4collegewomen.org, offering free and reliable health information

Apr. 01, 2008

Dennis Nealon
Brandeis University
781-736-4205
nealon@brandeis.edu


 
With just a mouse click or two, college-age women everywhere can now find everything they need to help them stay healthy, adjust to school, and make smart decisions about their lives on campus, according to Dr. Susan J. Blumenthal, a nationally recognized leader in women's health and internet medicine.
 
Blumenthal, assisted by Brandeis University student Andrew Bergal, and a new medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, Beth Hoffman, recently completed a comprehensive update of www.4collegewomen.org, which now hosts an even more impressive trove of health information.
 
Originally launched in 2004, the site provides a gateway portal to thousands of important, trustworthy and noncommercial health information resources. While there are several Internet health sites for children and teens and many for adults, Blumenthal said this is the first to focus specifically on the special health needs of college women.
 
Blumenthal, a retired Rear Admiral and former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, developed the site as a focus of a course that she taught with undergraduate students in her role as Distinguished Visiting Professor in Women's Studies at Brandeis University. The students implemented the site with sociologist Shulamit Reinharz, Ph.D., founding director of the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis, and Brandeis computer science department Chairman Timothy Hickey.
 
"College women have unique needs and this site was designed by them and for them," said Blumenthal, recipient of the 2005 Abram L. Sachar Medallion for outstanding achievement in education from the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee. "College women are in a dynamic transitional period between the teenage years and adulthood – a time when they face decisions about how to develop a healthy lifestyle, prevent disease, and strengthen self-esteem.”
 
The students identified the top health concerns of young women, collected information for the site, and developed overviews on the following topics:
 
* General health and prevention
* Nutrition, fitness and body image
* Reproductive health
* Complementary and alternative medicine
* Tobacco, alcohol and other drugs
* Safety and emergency response information
* Emotional and mental health
* Violence against women and safety issues
* Online health check-ups and tutorials
* Global health issues and traveler's health information
* Health career opportunities and internships
* Health reference library
* Health news