The Moslows' $4 million donation is transforming women's health education and research

The Moslows' $4 million donation is transforming women's health education and research

When Linda Moslow, A16P, A18P, entered perimenopause in her early 40s, she was completely taken by surprise. “I’ve always been healthy and focused on wellness,” she says. “Suddenly I couldn’t recognize myself.” The months of fear, sleeplessness and confusion that followed left her feeling helpless until she found a team of doctors who helped her understand what was happening.

The experience was both personal and exciting. Recognizing that millions of women lacked the support she was fortunate to find, Moslow created a community group of more than 20 menopausal women who met weekly to tell their stories. “Finding ways to educate ourselves and advocate for ourselves has empowered us,” she says. “But I still wanted a solution on a larger scale.”

Her husband, Jeff Moslow, A86, A16P, A18P, chair of the Tufts University Board of Trustees, believed their grassroots initiative could and should grow into something bigger. “It was eye-opening to realize that medical research still follows protocols designed for men, even though women make up more than half the population,” he says. “As we talked more about it, I realized that there is a gap there – and that Tufts is uniquely equipped to fill that gap.”

This realization marked a turning point. Jeff Moslow was confident in Tufts' collaborative culture and deep expertise and believed the university was exceptionally well positioned to lead change in women's health. With world-class programs in medicine and nutrition and a close partnership with Tufts Medicine, a health system that emphasizes evidence-based, patient-centered care, Tufts is designed to combine research with real-world results, he says.

Together, the Moslows reached out to university leaders, including Christina Economos, NG96, dean of the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and Helen Boucher, dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine and academic director of Tufts Medicine. The conversations that began with Linda Moslow's group soon crystallized into a shared vision for change, with a plan to leverage Tufts' strength in research, education and care to better serve women at every stage of life.

An integrated approach

Now, powered by a $4 million gift from the Moslows, that vision is taking shape: the Tufts Women’s Health and Menopause Initiative, a unique academic collaboration that brings together the leading expertise of Tufts University’s schools of medicine and nutrition with the renowned health system Tufts Medicine.

The Moslows' gift will establish two inaugural professorships—one at the School of Medicine and one at the Friedman School—whose holders will co-lead the initiative and advance its interdisciplinary agenda. Led by the co-directors, the initiative will advance clinical care, education and research in novel ways to improve women's health across the lifespan.

For Economos, the effort reflects Tufts' collaborative spirit and the breadth of its strengths.

“I am deeply grateful to the Moslows for their visionary philanthropy and their belief in Tufts’ unique potential to advance perimenopause and menopausal care,” she says. "Her transformative gift allows us to pioneer the nation's only academic initiative that combines the expertise of a leading school of nutrition, a medical school and a health system. It enables us to redefine women's health and longevity."

Boucher shares this opinion and emphasizes the importance of academic excellence and scientific innovation. “With their exceptional talents, Jeff and Linda Moslow are solidifying Tufts’ leadership in medical education, women’s health research and clinical care,” she said. “Your generosity will enable future clinicians to work together to support women’s health across the lifespan and ensure more women benefit from the personalized, evidence-based care they deserve.”

The initiative presents a model for how universities can mobilize all their expertise to address the needs of women. In addition to advancing research, clinical practice and education, Tufts seeks to advance the national conversation by placing women's health at the center of academic research and public discourse.

Tufts President Sunil Kumar says the effort reflects the university's forward-looking mission and the values ​​the Moslows embody.

Jeff and Linda represent the best of Tufts. Their generosity, curiosity, and commitment to collaboration reflect the ideals that guide our Board of Trustees and the university as a whole. This initiative is an investment not only in better care for women everywhere, but also in the inclusive, discovery-based approach that defines Tufts’ impact.”

Sunil Kumar, Tufts President

Visionary goals to transform women's health

The investment is critical, says Linda Moslow, especially given that a groundbreaking study has upended the course of women's health care. Two decades ago, a major federal study - the Women's Health Initiative - changed the field almost overnight when its initial findings linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. These results led millions of women and their doctors to abandon HRT. Only later did researchers realize that the study's design, which focused largely on older postmenopausal women, had skewed the results and left a generation of perimenopausal women without clear guidance or care.

The consequences of that moment continue to shape the way many women experience midlife care today—and create the gap that Moslows Tufts is helping to fill.

Building on her catalyzing gift and additional philanthropic support, the initiative aims to establish an academic model for compassionate, integrated menopausal care that combines specialists in nutrition, cardiology, endocrinology, mental health and sexual health. Through Tufts Medicine's network and telehealth programs, the hope is to share these benefits with women throughout Massachusetts. In addition, the initiative serves as a training facility for residents, nutritionists and other students from all health science disciplines to learn evidence- and team-based care approaches.

Education will be at the heart of this work. Tufts plans to integrate menopause and women's health content into all curricula in its medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy and nutrition programs. Continuing education and leadership development opportunities extend this learning to practicing clinicians across the country and strengthen Tufts' role as a hub for best practice training. Tufts students will also have learning opportunities related to the program.

Research will also anchor the initiative’s efforts. Across disciplines, Tufts scientists focus on longevity and healthy living. As part of the Women’s Health and Menopause Initiative, they will address vascular aging, neurobehavioral health, nutrition and chronic disease. They also aim to build a national menopause outcomes registry that will link patient data, clinical care and research, creating an unprecedented foundation for data-driven insights that will shape the future of women's health.

“This is about giving women permission to see themselves in science,” says Linda Moslow. “When research finally reflects our reality, we can make informed decisions and live healthier lives.”

“The entire concept of the initiative is remarkable because it brings together medicine, nutrition and lifestyle science in a way that has never been done before,” adds Jeff Moslow. “We’re helping to build a model that finally truly serves women.”

Inspiring future iInvestment

The Moslows now look to how their gift and Tufts' leadership could spark a new wave of collaboration and philanthropic support for women's health.

“If we can motivate other donors to invest in women’s health – at Tufts or beyond – that would be the ultimate measure of success,” says Jeff Moslow. “When other universities look at Tufts and say, ‘Show us how you did it,’ we know that this work is changing the standard of care.”

Linda Moslow believes the initiative will realize the vision that began with a small group of women looking for answers. “Seeing Tufts take this work and expand it nationwide shows what is possible when women’s voices are heard,” she says. “This is exactly what we hoped for when this journey began.”

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