The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health Martha C. Romans Executive Director Jacobs Institute of W o m e n ' s Health W a s h i n g t o n , DC
he brochure describing The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health proclaims that it is an "exciting new approach to women's health." Why is it exciting and what about it is new? A brief history of the founding and mission of The Jacobs Institute provides the answers. The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health was founded by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), with a gift provided to the College by the late J. Bay Jacobs, MD. Dr. Jacobs was born in New York City in 1898 and received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University. His MD degree was earned at Georgetown University, and to that University he devoted a lifetime of concern. Dr. Jacobs entered practice in Washington, DC, in the mid-1920s, developing a busy private practice and serving simultaneously as the chief of a busy home delivery service in the alleys and on the "half-streets" of the District of Columbia. He was on-call 24 hours a day to supervise teams of medical students and nurses through the late 1920s and 1930s and into World War II, all without pay. His scientific interests were typical of his d a y - - h e designed and patented an instrument to measure the inclination of the pelvis, and he designed a metal manikin, forceps, and scales for use in x-ray pelvimetry. Teaching was another forte, particularly to medical students. Among the wishes that Dr. Jacobs expressed for disposition of his home and property was that they be used to establish a national center for women's health. After his death and the sale of the property in 1988, numerous suggestions were forthcoming about expanding the involvement of the ACOG in areas of social concern in women's health. Through its public information programs, patient education materials, policy statements, and advocacy before the federal and state governments, ACOG had attempted to respond to many of the pressing social and ethical issues in women's health. Here was an opportunity to do much more. Specific suggestions included creating an independent organization that could build on the collaborative relationships among providers of women's health care and could sponsor consensus conferences on the medical, social, and ethical problems surrounding women's health with published reports and proceedings. Acting on recommendations from its Committee on Long Range Planning, the ACOG Executive Board decided to commit the income earned on the Jacobs gift for the exclusive use of the new organization for a minimum period of 5 years.
T
ROMANS: JACOBS INSTITUTE
© 1990 by The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
1049-3867/90/$3.50 WIll Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 1990
An organizing committee was formed under the chairmanship of George W. Morley, MD, that included ACOG fellows, a representative of the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The Organization for Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nurses), and the public. Under its leadership, the structure and mission of The Jacobs Institute took shape. The committee decided that a seven-member board of governors would guide the new institute. Significantly, they determined that the composition of the board should reflect the institute's interdisciplinary purpose. Thus, the bylaws require that the board include two physicians, one nurse, and four members drawn from other professions. After canvassing the ACOG leadership, staff, and friends of the organization for potential board members, the search process was finally complete with the naming of an extremely well-qualified board. Drs. Constance Bohon and Charles Ed Gibbs, both obstetrician-gynecologists, and Bonnie Flood Chez, a certified registered nurse, were selected to represent the clinical sciences. Virginia Austin, Sarah Brown, MPH, Sylvia Drew Ivie, JD, and William Sadler, PhD, were chosen for their knowledge, interest, and commitment to women's health. Together they hold a wealth of experience in community-based activities, public policy, law, reproductive science, and advocacy on behalf of women's health. The mission statement for The Jacobs Institute is bold and encompassing, yet simple and uncomplicated. The Jacobs Institute is committed to excellence in women's health care. It will identify and study women's health issues involving the interaction of medical and social systems, facilitate informed dialogue and awareness among consumers and providers, and promote problem resolution, interdisciplinary coordination, and information dissemination. Within these boundaries, The Jacobs Institute is free to collect, study, convene, and publish on any topic of interest to its board and members. For this freedom of inquiry and breadth of focus, the ACOG Executive Board and the organizing committee should be commended. Many discussions were held about the degree of autonomy to be granted to this new entity, and in the end the ACOG leadership required only those assurances necessary to guarantee that the Institute would continue to fulfill its original mission. By virtue of its structure, The Jacobs Institute is not the exclusive province of any one profession or spedalty; it involves all those with a commitment to improving women's health. By virtue of its mission statement, The Jacobs Institute will explore issues touching women of every age, from adolescence to the postmenopausal period. That truly is what is new and exciting about The Jacobs Institute. To the leadership of ACOG for f o u n d i n g The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, and to the organizing committee that contributed its wisdom, I express appreciation. To you, its members and the readers of Women's Health Issues, I commit to unceasing inquiry into those factors that shape the health of women. Through our journey of dialogue and discovery, I hope we may each contribute in some measure to the improvement of women's health.
W H I Vol. L No. I Fall1990
R O M A N S : JACOBS INSTITUTE
he brochure describing The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health proclaims that it is an "exciting new approach to women's health." Why is it exciting and what about it is new? A brief history of the founding and mission of The Jacobs Institute provides the answers. The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health was founded by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), with a gift provided to the College by the late J. Bay Jacobs, MD. Dr. Jacobs was born in New York City in 1898 and received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University. His MD degree was earned at Georgetown University, and to that University he devoted a lifetime of concern. Dr. Jacobs entered practice in Washington, DC, in the mid-1920s, developing a busy private practice and serving simultaneously as the chief of a busy home delivery service in the alleys and on the "half-streets" of the District of Columbia. He was on-call 24 hours a day to supervise teams of medical students and nurses through the late 1920s and 1930s and into World War II, all without pay. His scientific interests were typical of his d a y - - h e designed and patented an instrument to measure the inclination of the pelvis, and he designed a metal manikin, forceps, and scales for use in x-ray pelvimetry. Teaching was another forte, particularly to medical students. Among the wishes that Dr. Jacobs expressed for disposition of his home and property was that they be used to establish a national center for women's health. After his death and the sale of the property in 1988, numerous suggestions were forthcoming about expanding the involvement of the ACOG in areas of social concern in women's health. Through its public information programs, patient education materials, policy statements, and advocacy before the federal and state governments, ACOG had attempted to respond to many of the pressing social and ethical issues in women's health. Here was an opportunity to do much more. Specific suggestions included creating an independent organization that could build on the collaborative relationships among providers of women's health care and could sponsor consensus conferences on the medical, social, and ethical problems surrounding women's health with published reports and proceedings. Acting on recommendations from its Committee on Long Range Planning, the ACOG Executive Board decided to commit the income earned on the Jacobs gift for the exclusive use of the new organization for a minimum period of 5 years.
T
ROMANS: JACOBS INSTITUTE
© 1990 by The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
1049-3867/90/$3.50 WIll Vol. 1, No. 1 Fall 1990
An organizing committee was formed under the chairmanship of George W. Morley, MD, that included ACOG fellows, a representative of the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The Organization for Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nurses), and the public. Under its leadership, the structure and mission of The Jacobs Institute took shape. The committee decided that a seven-member board of governors would guide the new institute. Significantly, they determined that the composition of the board should reflect the institute's interdisciplinary purpose. Thus, the bylaws require that the board include two physicians, one nurse, and four members drawn from other professions. After canvassing the ACOG leadership, staff, and friends of the organization for potential board members, the search process was finally complete with the naming of an extremely well-qualified board. Drs. Constance Bohon and Charles Ed Gibbs, both obstetrician-gynecologists, and Bonnie Flood Chez, a certified registered nurse, were selected to represent the clinical sciences. Virginia Austin, Sarah Brown, MPH, Sylvia Drew Ivie, JD, and William Sadler, PhD, were chosen for their knowledge, interest, and commitment to women's health. Together they hold a wealth of experience in community-based activities, public policy, law, reproductive science, and advocacy on behalf of women's health. The mission statement for The Jacobs Institute is bold and encompassing, yet simple and uncomplicated. The Jacobs Institute is committed to excellence in women's health care. It will identify and study women's health issues involving the interaction of medical and social systems, facilitate informed dialogue and awareness among consumers and providers, and promote problem resolution, interdisciplinary coordination, and information dissemination. Within these boundaries, The Jacobs Institute is free to collect, study, convene, and publish on any topic of interest to its board and members. For this freedom of inquiry and breadth of focus, the ACOG Executive Board and the organizing committee should be commended. Many discussions were held about the degree of autonomy to be granted to this new entity, and in the end the ACOG leadership required only those assurances necessary to guarantee that the Institute would continue to fulfill its original mission. By virtue of its structure, The Jacobs Institute is not the exclusive province of any one profession or spedalty; it involves all those with a commitment to improving women's health. By virtue of its mission statement, The Jacobs Institute will explore issues touching women of every age, from adolescence to the postmenopausal period. That truly is what is new and exciting about The Jacobs Institute. To the leadership of ACOG for f o u n d i n g The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, and to the organizing committee that contributed its wisdom, I express appreciation. To you, its members and the readers of Women's Health Issues, I commit to unceasing inquiry into those factors that shape the health of women. Through our journey of dialogue and discovery, I hope we may each contribute in some measure to the improvement of women's health.
W H I Vol. L No. I Fall1990
R O M A N S : JACOBS INSTITUTE
