Nancy King Reame, RN, MSN, PhD
Welcome back to ‘Her Impact,’ a series celebrating remarkable women who are making a difference in the world. Join us as we delve into the inspiring stories of these extraordinary individuals.
Today we feature Nancy King Reame, Professor Emerita in the School of Nursing at Columbia University. We asked Nancy to share her insights with us about empowerment and how a more positive impact can be made in the world of entrepreneurship, business and specifically FemTech.
Here is what she had to say:
Q: Please introduce yourself
A: My name is Nancy King Reame. I’m Professor Emerita in the School of Nursing at Columbia University in New York, NY, USA. I’m a white, privileged, heterosexual, (she/her) female who has been a women’s health researcher for more than 40 years, trained in reproductive physiology and endocrinology, conducting studies on the menstrual cycle, menstruation, fertility, surrogate pregnancy, menopause and health conditions that influence reproductive health. I conducted some of the earliest studies on tampon absorbency for the US government during the toxic shock syndrome epidemic in the 1980’s. I’m also a women’s health advocate consulting for many years with the American advocacy group, the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective (now Our BodiesOurselves.org) who worked with me on some of the tampon studies. I’m also trained as a maternal-child nurse and menopause practitioner which has helped me tremendously to attack research questions from the patient’s perspective. My research has paralleled my own life stages in many ways – now as a 76-year-old grandmother and osteoporosis patient with a genetic heart condition, I’m becoming a poster child for these important understudied female-based health problems. I consult with several drug companies on new non-estrogenic medicines for menopause hot flashes.
Q: What does “empowerment” mean to you?
A: Being able to have a voice in my health care, my environment, and the future of my grandchildren.
Q: What Inspired to become who you are and do what you do now?
A: Menstrual cramps! mine were terrible in my 20s, and as a nurse in graduate school I took an elective course in reproductive physiology in the medical school and the rest was history. At the time, prostaglandins were just being discovered as the source of dysmenorrhea – not an hysterical personality as we had been told by psychiatry!…
Q: What would you tell your younger self?
A: Be more open to new possibilities; learn a second language, spend more time with your family
Q: In your opinion, what would positively impact women’s success in the world (business/tech/other)?
A: More women benefactors/investors.
Q: What advice would you give to young women who want to make a difference in the world?
A: Don’t take no for an answer!
Thank you for being part of ‘Her Impact,’ where we honor the strength, resilience, and achievements of women who are shaping our future. Stay tuned for more empowering stories.
Follow Nancy’s published works here: www.nursing.columbia.edu/profile/nancy-reame-phd
