Bernadine Healy

Bernadine Patricia Healy (August 4, 1944 – August 6, 2011) was an American cardiologist, medical school professor, president from 1988 to 1989 of the American Heart Association, director from 1991 to 1993 of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and president from 1999 to 2001 of the American Red Cross.

Quotes

While leafing through a pile of the press clippings that regularly cross my desk at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I was struck particularly by two headlines in the Philadelphia Inquirer (May 31, 1991;sect A:1) that said, "Menopause Becoming 'Au Courant' as It Hits Women of Baby Boom" and, as the article continued on another page, "Menopause Comes of Age as Medical and Social Issue." Indeed, women's health, in general—in terms of research, services, and access to care—has come of age and become a priority medically, socially, and politically.
- (July 24, 1991). "Women's Health, Public Welfare". JAMA 266 (4): 566–568. DOI:10.1001/jama.1991.03470040130037.

Yentl, the 19th-century heroine of Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story, ... had to disguise herself as a man to attend school and study the Talmud. Being "just like a man" has historically been a price women have had to pay for equality. Being different from men has meant being second-class and less than equal for most of recorded time and throughout most of the world. It may therefore be sad, but not surprising, that women have all too often been treated less than equally in social relations, political endeavors, business, education, research, and health care.
- (July 25, 1991)"The yentl syndrome". New England Journal of Medicine 325 (4): 274–276. DOI:10.1056/NEJM199107253250408.

... You can easily find charts of ideal weight ranges: the tables of Metropolitan Life and the National Center for Health Statistics are the most reliable. But those charts can be confusing by giving wide ranges and often lumping men and women together. So I suggest that if you've picked up more than fifteen extra pounds or weigh more than 15% of your ideal body weight according to those charts, talk to your doctor. Is the weight a new gain, or have you maintained it for years? Are you currently eating well?
- A New Prescription for Women's Health: Getting the Best Medical Care in a Man's World (1st ed.). Viking. 1995. p. 59. (1996 pbk edition ISBN 0140237275); 1st 2 sentences; last 3 sentences

Estrogen is good for a woman's heart. While generally accepted when the estrogen is produced naturally, this theory has been a matter of great controversy when the estrogen is administered "artificially" in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women during and after menopause. After a half century of conflicting data, we can affirm with growing confidence that, at the very least, estrogen reduces key cardiovascular risk factors in women at a time when they become especially vulnerable to heart disease, namely, after 50 years of age.
- (1995). "PEPI in Perspective: Good Answers Spawn Pressing Questions". JAMA 273 (3): 240–241. DOI:10.1001/jama.1995.03520270074035. (See Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions.)

Any kind of surgery can be a very scary and daunting experience. But knowing how to navigate the hospital and what to expect, at each step, may be the best antidote.
- (March 31, 2008)"Navigating the Hospital Part 1 - Understanding Heart Surgery". U.S. News & World Report, YouTube. (quote at 0:11 of 1:46)

Dr. Bernadine Healy is perhaps best known for leading some of the largest, most respected medical institutions in the country. But on Valentine's Day 1999, she was dealt a blow that shattered her world.
That was the night when Healy found out that she had brain cancer. Doctors gave her three months live without treatment. With chemotherapy, her chances increased to 18 months to two years.
But eight years later, Healy is still thriving. Her book, "Living Time," is written from two perspectives — that of the physician and that of the patient -- about her fight against brain cancer. She hopes it will help people diagnosed with the disease to realize that cancer isn't "dying time" — it's "living time."
- Good Morning America (GMA), Doctor Writes About Fighting Brain Cancer. ABC News, GMA (March 26, 2007). with excerpt from Chapter One of Living Time: Faith and Facts to Transform Your Cancer Journey (2007 1st edition; 2008 pbk edition ISBN 0553384546)