Halle Berry, Lt. Gov. Stratton join UIC Researchers to Advance Understanding of Menopause

Actor Halle Berry and Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton joined UIC researchers at the University Club of Chicago on March 13 to advance awareness of the impact of menopause on billions of women globally. The event was titled The Menopause Imperative: Advancing Care, Research, and Policy, and the discussion went far beyond mere awareness. “How many women fall out of the workforce for a day, for a week, for a month, for a year, forever, when they reach this time of their life?” said Berry at the event. “How much money do we cost the health care system because menopausal women don’t have access to care?” Berry has been a vocal advocate around diagnosis and treatment of menopause, and in spring of 2024 she visited UIC with former First Lady Jill Biden to spotlight the need for more research in these areas.

At the event, Lt. Governor Stratton announced that October 12-18 will officially be known as Illinois Menopause Awareness Week, in conjunction with World Menopause Day on October 18. She pointed to menopause as a public health issue, saying, “Too many women, especially Black and Latina women, experience healthcare disparities that leave them without adequate support during this transition.”

Dr. Pauline Maki, professor of psychiatry, psychology and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, unveiled the new Center for Health, Awareness and Research on Menopause (CHARM) at UIC. The center works to address critical gaps in medical training, research and global data by leveraging UIC’s integrated academic health enterprise. “What you’re hearing today is the brainchild, the strategic plan of CHARM,” she said at the event. “We’re going to make a difference here in Chicagoland, with all of our partners, and we’re going to make a difference in the state of Illinois.”