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Dr. Carolyn Mazure is a dynamic force in the field of women's health. In 1998, she established Women's Health Research at Yale (WHRY), one of the first academic research centers dedicated to studying the health of women. As WHRY’s founder and current director, Dr. Mazure continues to champion innovative, interdisciplinary research on gender differences—broadening the scope of knowledge on all human health and helping address generations of neglect and bias that left women’s health understudied and women’s voices unheard.

Historically, women were rarely included in clinical research as a gender-specific group; for decades, scientists assumed that findings from studies involving male subjects would simply apply to females. Dr. Mazure was pivotal in challenging these outdated norms and demonstrating the critical importance of research focused on women’s unique risks, symptoms, and treatment responses. Her vision has empowered scientific discovery through WHRY’s signature Pilot Project Program, which funds early-stage research on health conditions that differently, disproportionately, and uniquely affect women. Projects cover fields such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, mental health, menopause, and more. The center’s work translates laboratory findings into patient care and brings together Yale’s interdisciplinary faculty through the Women’s Health Research Collaborative.

Born in New York in 1949, Dr. Mazure earned a B.A. from the State University of New York and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. She came to New Haven to train as a clinical psychology intern at the Yale University School of Medicine, eventually becoming Chief Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry. She has helped raise millions of dollars to transform the way we think about and treat women’s health, while also serving as Yale School of Medicine’s Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs—responsible for faculty appointments, promotions, and development.

Dr. Mazure’s pioneering work established WHRY as a national leader shaping both science and policy, ensuring the lessons of women’s voices, needs, and health risks are now recognized as essential to quality care for everyone. Dr. Mazure continues mentoring the next generation of scientists and physicians, ensuring women’s health is included in educational and training efforts, and establishing new standards for the inclusion of sex and gender in biomedical research.

A prolific writer and expert on stress and depression in women, Dr. Mazure is also Scientific Director for Yale’s NIH-funded center on gender-specific factors in stress and addiction, with research advancing innovative understanding of depression and the value of gender-specific data. Her impact extends internationally through lectures at the Smithsonian and NASA, testimony before Congress on women’s health policy, and as the first Chair of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, launched in 2023 to close national research gaps and prioritize women’s health needs.

Dr. Mazure’s enduring vision and dedication have transformed both research and health care, ensuring women are finally seen, heard, and represented. Her many honors include the Marion Spencer Fay Award, the APA Committee on Women in Psychology’s Distinguished Leadership Award, election to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and the 2024 Elga R. Wasserman Courage, Clarity, and Leadership Award.

During This Time:

1966-Present Day: Struggle for Justice

Related Links:

Women's Health Research at Yale

Science Hero: Dr. Carolyn Mazure

WHRY Video Gallery