Gloria Vanderham: Beyond Awareness: Reclaiming The Narrative On Women’s Mental And Brain Health
June 4, 2025
Gloria Vanderham
Beyond Awareness: Reclaiming The Narrative On Women’s Mental And Brain Health
I was shocked to hear that for far too long, the intricate complexities of women’s health have been relegated to the shadows, treated as a footnote rather than the multifaceted medical priority it deserves to be. May marked both National Women’s Health Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, but our commitment to women and mental health cannot begin and end with a month on the calendar.
Despite comprising more than half of the U.S. population and driving 80% of family medical decisions, women are navigating a healthcare system that was not designed with them in mind. Two particular areas—women’s mental health and brain health—continue to be under-funded, under-researched, and often misunderstood despite their foundational role in overall well-being. Of 50,000+ neuroimaging articles published since 1995, yet only 0.5% focus specifically on women’s health issues. However, we are beginning to see positive changes within women’s mental and brain health. The CDC recently revealed declining rates of sadness and hopelessness among female students, thanks to schools and communities prioritizing mental health conversations, expanding counseling access, and creating supportive environments. Meanwhile, institutions like Yale’s Women’s Health Research Center are revolutionizing women’s healthcare through improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies tailored to women’s biology. While awareness months highlight where there is more work to be done, advancing women’s health requires consistent, year-round commitment.
Mental Health Is Not Just A Mood—It Is A Medical Priority
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to experience depression and anxiety, yet their symptoms are often minimized or misdiagnosed. Too frequently, they are told it is just stress or hormones, rather than being offered a deeper evaluation or care plan. This has real consequences—delayed treatment, prolonged suffering, and ripple effects on everything from careers to caregiving responsibilities.
The mental load women carry—balancing roles at home, in the workforce, and within society—comes at a cost. And yet, mental health support systems still are not designed with women-lived experiences in mind.
Brain Health Deserves A Gender Lens
A big factor in our mental health also affects our brain health—the two are deeply connected, yet too often treated separately. And when it comes to brain health, women face specific neurological risks that are frequently overlooked.
Women represent nearly two-thirds of all Alzheimer’s cases in the U.S., and yet research, prevention strategies, and treatments often lack a gender-specific lens.
Brain changes also affect women during key life stages—puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause—which remain largely uncharted territory in scientific literature.
One major reason? Most brain health research has historically been conducted on male test models, based on the flawed assumption that findings would apply universally. As a result, the neurological realities of females have been left out of the data—and the solutions.
Let’s Keep The Conversation And The Work Going
Women’s health is complex, connected, and constantly evolving. Mental and brain health are just two critical areas that show how far we still have to go—and how much we stand to gain by getting it right.
In my experience of more than two decades in healthcare, I have learned that progress does not happen by accident—it happens when we listen, invest in what matters, and communicate with intention. That means supporting research, rethinking care systems, and pushing innovation that reflects women’s needs.
We have platforms, tools, and momentum. Now we need sustained commitment to match. Real change does not come from recognition alone—it comes from what we do next.
About Gloria Vanderham:
Gloria is an industry-recognized, creative values-driven global leader who has held senior roles in both global communications agencies and industry leading pharmaceutical giants like Novartis and Johnson & Johnson. She has more than two decades of global, regional and local country experience in marketing communications, executive visibility, product launch, corporate positioning, reputation and issues management, leadership and employee engagement. She has also lived and worked in the United States and Europe and led communications work in Europe, Australia, Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Gloria leads Bliss Bio Health in its mission to transform healthcare marketing communications by leveraging AI-enabled data-driven insights and cutting-edge technology to create impactful campaigns that bridge the gap from ‘Atom to Access.’ She believes that the healthcare system could benefit from a reboot and brings a wealth of global, regional, and country experience spanning multiple decades in communications, digital, content, and social media marketing.
Most recently, she resided in Basel, Switzerland, leading Novartis Europe communications and its country teams and transformative change communications. With an unwavering commitment to increasing access and affordability to medicines in Europe, Gloria helped to shape the external environment by building first-of-its kind programming and partnerships that would foster behavior change in healthcare systems and increase trust.
Gloria is a member of Springboard Enterprises Women’s Health Council, Board Member of HLTH Foundation, chairs the Rutgers University Alumni Association Board and is a member on the Rutgers University Foundation Board.
She has earned recognition, including PRWeek’s Champion of PR, PRNews’ Top Women in PR, the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information’s Alumni Association and two consecutive recognitions as a Rutgers Loyal Daughter in both 2024 and 2025.
Gloria Vanderham Social Media Handles:
- LinkedIn: @Gloria Vanderham – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gvanderham/
- X: @GloriaVanderham – https://x.com/gloriavanderham?lang=en
Bliss Bio Health Social Media Handles:
- LinkedIn: @Bliss Bio Health – https://www.linkedin.com/company/bliss-bio-health/
- Instagram: @blissbiohealthllc – https://www.instagram.com/blissbiohealthllc/
X: @BlissBioHealth – https://x.com/BlissBioHealth
