The Oregon Health & Science University Center for Women’s Health Circle of Giving, a group of philanthropists who give to support innovative women’s health research at OHSU, have selected two projects to receive grants of $125,000 each.

The Circle of Giving awards will enable researchers to further study brain function during menopause, including the effects of hormone replacement therapy, and explore the impact of a specific gene in women with Alzheimer’s disease, the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and potential therapies.

The 2025 awardees are: 

• Alison Weiss, Ph.D., research assistant professor in neuroscience at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center, and her collaborator, Jessica Bernard, Ph.D., a neuroscience professor at Texas A&M University, to fund their project, “Evaluating changes in brain functional networks during menopause.” 
• Ursula Sandau, Ph.D., instructor in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, and Randy Woltjer, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, both in the OHSU School of Medicine, to fund their project, “Establishing the impact of APOE-4 on brain extracellular vesicles in females with Alzheimer’s Disease.” 

“At a time when support for women’s health care and research is more vital than ever, philanthropic funding that advances our understanding of women’s health and has the potential to lead to breakthrough therapies and care is nothing but transformational,” said Maria Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of the OHSU Center for Women’s Health. “Investment in key areas of women’s health research would not be possible without the generous support of the OHSU Center for Women’s Health Circle of Giving, and we are so grateful for their more than 20-year-commitment to researchers at the Center for Women’s Health.”

Evaluating changes in brain functional networks during menopause

Many menopausal women experience brain fog or other cognitive changes as they age. By exploring the connection between the brain and hormones, the two researchers explained, “Our research into the brain during menopause aims to help define the impact of hormone fluctuations during menopause on brain function and identify the optimal timing for hormone replacement therapy.”

Ultimately, Weiss and Bernard hope to improve the standards of care for women in menopause, including the ideal timing for offering hormone replacement therapy.

Establishing the impact of APOE-4 on brain extracellular vesicles in females with Alzheimer’s Disease

Two-thirds of patients with Alzheimer’s disease are women. To better understand the effects of APOE-4, the most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers Drs. Sandau and Woltjer are seeking to understand the role of this specific gene in causing brain injury and potential therapies. The need is urgent, they say: currently, one in five women older than 45 are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Currently, there are only eight FDA-approved therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, and none effectively treat the disease,” said Sandau. “By addressing the role of APOE-4 in female predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and identifying new brain proteins disrupted by APOE-4, we have a chance of stopping or halting the disease in women by developing new therapies based on our findings.”