>> GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS MICHAEL GOTTESMAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR INTRAMURAL RESEARCH NIH IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE THIS YEAR'S J. EDWARD RALL CULTURAL CENTER LECTURE. ALONG WITH HIS COLLEAGUE AND GOOD FRIENDS JACK ROBBINS MADE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSIOLOGY. ED HIMSELF WAS A TRUE POLYMATH, EQUALLY AS POWERFUL IN THE HEALTH LAB OR CLINIC OR SERVING AS A HEALTH DIPLOMAT OR SCIENCE ADMINISTRATOR. IT WAS ED IN 1984 WHO PERCEIVED OF THE IDEA OF A CULTURAL ELECTION TO BROADEN THE HORIZONS OF A SCIENTIST AT NIH. AS A RESULT OF HIS PASSION FOR THE ARTS, WE HAVE HAD OVER 30 YEARS OF TRULY OUTSTANDING LECTURES INCLUDING MOST RECENTLY MAYA AN FELLOU, RITA DOVE, DALAI LAMA, TOM FREEMAN, YOYO MA. I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF ED'S FAMILY IN THE AUDIENCE, HIS DAUGHTER AND SON, SISTER IN HOW GLORIA RALL AND NUMEROUS FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES FROM THE NIH. WE ARE ESPECIALLY PLEASED THIS YEAR TO WELCOME MS. BARBRA STREISAND, THE REKNOWN MULTITALENTED ACTOR, COMPOSER, AND ACTIVIST. OUR DIRECTOR WILL INTRODUCE MS. STREISAND. FRANCIS? [APPLAUSE] >> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. >> SOMETHING THAT WAS WRITTEN A WHILE AGO ABOUT OUR VERY SPECIAL CULTURAL LECTURE BARBRA STREISAND, THIS IS FROM A WHILE BACK. IT WAS A REVIEW OF SOMETHING THAT SHE HAD DONE IN TERMS OF A PERFORMANCE AT THE BLUE ANGEL AND THAT WAS 1963. AND HERE IS WHAT THE REVIEWER WROTE. HER NAME IS BARBRA STREISAND. SHE HAS A THREE-OCTAVE PROMISCUITY OF RANGE, PACKS MORE PERSONAL DYNAMIC POWER THAN ANYONE I CAN RECALL. SHE CAN SING AS LOUD AS ETHEL MERMAN AND AS PER SWISS SIEVELY AT HENA OR ELLA AND ONLY SHE CAN TURN CRY ME A RIVER INTO SOMETHING EQUAL TO SOMETHING FROM CARUSO. YOU HAVE A RIVER, SAM. AND SHE WILL BE AROUND 50 YEARS FROM NOW IF GOOD SONGS ARE STILL WRITTEN TO BE SUNG BY GOOD SINGERS. WELL, SHE IS STILL AROUND MORE THAN 50 YEARS AFTER THAT WAS WRITTEN, STILL SINGING GREAT SONGS WRITTEN BY GREAT SONG WRITERS AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IN 1963 BUT WHICH WE HAVE ALL HAD THE CHANCE TO OBSERVE AND EXPERIENCE IN TERMS OF HER MANY OTHER ROLES. IT IS WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK, Y'ALL, AND I CAN THINK OF NO PERSON BETTER TO MARK THE OCCASION HERE AT NIH THAN TODAY'S HONORED GUEST BECAUS SHE IS NOT ONLY AN ICON AND AM AMBASSADOR OF OUR COUNTRY'S CULTURE BUT ALSO AN IMPROVER OF OUR SOCIETY AND AN ICON FOR LEADING THE CAUSE FOR BETTER HEALTH FOR WOMEN. I WILL SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT HER AUDISCIENT JOURNEY THAT BRINGS HER BACK TO NIH AND SHE WILL TELL YOU MORE I AM SURE IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES BUT IT ALL STARTED WITH YENTL. I OVERSIMPLIFY OF COURSE. BARBRA WILL TELL YOU MORE OF THE STORY BUT FIRST WHEN SHE HEARD THE STORY IN 1968, A GIRL WHO HAD TO PERCEIVE HERSELF AS A BOY TO RECEIVE AN EDUCATION AND TURN IT INTO A MOVIE, DIRECTORS WERE SKEPTICAL THAT IT COULD BE DONE. WITH GREAT PERSONS -- PERSEVERANCE AND OBJECTIONS, 14 YEARS LATER SHE CO-WROTE, PRODUCED AND STARRED IN IT. YENTL AIRED IN 1983. I REMEMBER THAT CLAIM AS MANY OF YOU DO AS WELL TO GREAT ACCLAIM AND IT WAS FOR THIS MOVIE THAT BARBRA RECEIVED THE GOLDEN GLOBE. BUT HER ODYSSEY TURNED MORE INTO A MOVIE. HER EXPERIENCE OF MAKING IT TURNED HER INTO A TRUE CHAMPION OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS WHICH SHE STILL DOES TODAY. BARBARA HEALY WROTE SOMETHING TO ME TO ADDRESS THE STARK DISPARENTS WOMEN RECEIVED IN THE TREATMENT OF HEART DISEASE, SHE CALLED IT THE YENTL SYNDROME. A WOMAN WITH HEART DISEASE HAD TO SHOW SHE WAS LIKE A MAN HAVING EARTH DISEASE. SHE ARGUED IT IS TIME FOR A GENERAL AWAKENING AND YOU KNOW MANY THINGS CAME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE, MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED SINCE AND FOR ME ASDIRECTOR, THE WAY WE HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO PRIORITIZE WOMEN'S HEALTH IS SUN OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THINGS WE HAVE DONE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS AND OUR GUEST WILL CONTINUE TO EXHORT US ABOUT THAT AS WELL SHE SHOULD. ONE OF THE THINGS SHE HAS UNDERTAKEN IS THE HEART ALLIANCE WHICH HAS NOT ONLY SUPPORTED NIH RESEARCH BUT PARTNERED FOR THE HEART HEALTH OF HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN WHICH IS SOMETHING WE WILL VISIT THIS AFTERNOON AND GO OVER A COUPLE OF PROTOCOLS UNDERWAY THROUGH NIH SUPPORT. SO WE ARE BLESSED INDEED TO HAVE SUCH A REMARKABLE LEADER IN THE ARTS AND CULTURAL HEALTH. PLEASE JOIN ME IN GIVING A WELCOME TO MS. BARBRA STREISAND. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU, Dr. COLLINS FOR THAT WONDERFUL INTRODUCTION AND FOR YOUR WORK TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH, INCLUDING THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT AND PRECISION MEDICAL BIOBANK AND THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING ME FEEL SO WELCOME. NIH IS KNOWN FOR ITS WORLD-REKNOWN TRAIL BLAZING MEDICAL RESEARCH. THE CLOSEST THING I HAVE TO A MEDICAL CREDENTIAL IS MY ROLE IN WHAT'S UP, DOC -- [LAUGHTER] >> SO I AM HONORED TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO SPEAK ABOUT MY WORK FOR GENDER EQUITY IN SCIENCE AND HEALTH. THROUGH THE WOMEN'S HEART ALLIANCE AND THE BARBRA STREISAND WOMEN'S HEART CENTER AND I WANT TO EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE RALL FAMILY WHO ARE HERE TODAY. THE FACT THAT THE ROLE CULTURAL LECTURE SERIES EXISTS IS A TRIBUTE TO THE NIH COMMUNITY. IT IS ALSO A RECOGNITION THAT SCIENTISTS AND ARTISTS HAVE MUCH IN COMMON. WE'RE BOTH OBSESSED WITH THE QUEST FOR BEAUTY, UNDERSTANDING AND TRUTH. WE'RE BOTH SEEKING ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES, HOWS AND WHYS, ORIGINS AND ENDINGS, LIFE AND DEATH. WE BOTH SEE MAGIC IN THE SMALLEST DETAILS, A FILM CELL OR A STEM CELL. WE BOTH KNOW THE JOY OF THE EUREKA MOMENT AND THE AGONY OF THE DEAD END. AND LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ACROSS THE AGES, MOST SCIENTISTS AND ARTISTS HAVE FACED SKEPTICS AND CRITICS WHO TRY TO SUPPRESS US AND SENSE C -- CESSURE OUR WORK TO THE WORLD. WE PUT SPOTLIGHT ON ISSUES, PUT DIFFICULT CHALLENGES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AND EMBRACE THE MIRACLE OF HUMANITY IN ITS FULLEST WONDER ACROSS DIMENSIONS OF AGE AND RACE AND ABILITY AND GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION. BECAUSE MOST OF ALL, WHAT LINKS OUR TWO COMMUNITIES, I THINK, IS THE FOCUS ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. OUR LIFE'S WORK, OUR PASSION, OUR PURPOSE, IS IMPROVING AND UPLIFTING HUMANITY. SO IT IS NO ACCIDENT YOU SEE SUCH MUTUAL RESPECT ACROSS OUR FIELDS. RENAISSANCE MASTERS LIKE MICHAELANGELO AND DAVINCI WERE STUDENTS OF HUMAN ANATOMY AND BRILLIANT SCIENTISTS HAVE TURNED TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE FOR INSPIRATION. I THINK OF THE LATE Dr. RUTH KIRSTEIN AT HER PIANO, Dr. COLLINS AT HIS GUITAR. OR WHAT ABOUT EINSTEIN? WHEN HE GOT STUCK ON A PHYSICS PROBLEM, HE WOULD PICK UP HIS VIOLIN. HE SAID THAT MOZART RECONNECTED HIM TO THE HARMONY OF THE UNIVERSE. AND OF COURSE YOU ARE AWARE OF THE GROWING RESEARCH THAT CONNECTS THE ARTS AND POSITIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES. RESEARCH THAT NIH IS HELPING TO LEAD THROUGH YOUR SOUND HEALTH INITIATIVE. I LOVE THAT, I LOVE THAT NIH HOSTS CONCERTS IN THE CLINICAL CENTER ATRIUM, A TANGIBLE WAY THAT ARTISTS AND SCIENTISTS HELP MAKE EACH OF THEM BETTER, LITERALLY. BUT IN ORDER FOR ART AND SCIENCE TOGETHER TO HAVE THEIR GREATEST IMPACT ON SOCIETY, WE NEED TO INSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE INCLUDED AS CREATORS AND AS SUBJECTS. WE NEED EVERYONE'S PERSPECTIVE AT THE TABLE AND THE BENCH, IN THE STUDIO AND THE LABS. WE NEED EVERYBODY'S STORIES IN OUR STUDIES AND OUR STAGES AND ON OUR SCREENS, REFLECTED THROUGH RESEARCH. WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AND IF YOU WANT EVIDENCE, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS ROOM. BUT INEQUITIES IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES EXIST, INCLUDING FAIR ACCESS FOR WOMEN WHO, TOO OFTEN, STILL FIND THEMSELVES OVERLOOKED AND UNDERREPRESENTED. THINK ABOUT IT. WOMEN ARE HALF OF THE POPULATION. WE'RE INDISPENSEABLE TO EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS MOST BUT WE HAVE NORMALIZED THE WAGE GRAB, THE BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S FULL PARTICIPATION AND RECOGNITION, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD OR WOMEN'S REPRESENTATION IN MEDICAL RESEARCH. SO OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED GENDER INEQUALITY IN SMALL WAYS BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL I WANTED TO MAKE A FILM CALLED YENTL THAT I EXPERIENCED IT IN A BIG WAY. IT WAS A STORY ABOUT, AS Dr. COLLINS SAID, A YOUNG WOMAN WHO EASTERN EUROPE, 1904, WHO HAS TO PRETEND SHE IS A MAN IN ORDER TO GET AN EDUCATION. I HAD A CLEAR VISION OF THE FILM I WANTED TO MAKE. I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT DIFFICULT. I WAS A SO-CALLED BANKABLE STAR, THAT IS UNTIL I SAID I ALSO WANTED TO DIRECT IT. AND THE STUDIOS KEPT TURNING ME DOWN. IT WAS HARD TO CONVINCE ANYONE THAT A FEMALE ACTOR COULD DIRECT AND PRODUCE OR THAT A WOMAN COULD MANAGE A BUDGET OR THAT A MAINSTREAM AUDIENCE WOULD CARE ABOUT THIS ETHNIC AND BOOKISH PEOPLE TO PROTAGONIST. IT WAS THE CONTRAST I SAW IN PERCEPTIONS OF AUTHORITY AND AMBITION. THERE WAS THIS DOUBLE STANDARD AT WORK. AND IT PUT WOMEN AT A DISADVANTAGE. STRONG MEN WERE SEEN AS LEADERS AND LOOKED UP TO WHILE WOMEN, STRONG WOMEN, WERE SEEN AS SUSPEC AND LOOKED DOWN UPON. HE WAS CALLED ASSERTIVE WHILE SHE WAS CALLED AGGRESSIVE. HE WAS CALLED COMMITTED. SHE WAS CALLED CONTROLLING. RUNNING HEAD-IN TO THIS KIND OF BIAS WAS A LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT FOR ME BUT I COULDN'T GIVE UP AND MORE IMPORTANT, IT MOBILIZED MY COMMITMENT TO WOMEN'S EQUALITY. I BECAME PASSIONATE ABOUT TRYING TO INSURE THAT WOMEN GET THE SAME CHANCES IN LIFE AS MEN WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE NIH. BECAUSE IN JULY 1991, AS Dr. COLLINS WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT, Dr. BERNADINE HEALY WHO WAS THEN DIRECTOR OF THE NIH PUBLISHED A PIECE IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL CALLED THE YENTL SYNDROME. SHE WAS A CARDIOLOGIST AND FOUND THAT WOMEN WITH HEART ATTACKS WERE NOT GETTING THE SAME QUALITY OF CARE AS MEN. UNLESS A WOMAN'S SYMPTOMS LOOKED JUST LIKE A MAN'S, THE CLASSIC CRUSHING PAIN IN THE CHEST, TOO OFTEN, SHE WOULD BE MISDIAGNOSED AND UNDER TREATED. MAYBE SHE WOULD BE TOLD SHE WAS HAVING A PANIC ATTACK, MAYBE SHE WOULD BE GIVEN AN ANTACID, MAYBE SHE WOULD BE SENT BACK HOME AND MAYBE SHE WOULD NEVER RECOVER. OR MAYBE SHE WOULD BE FOUND DEAD IN HER BED THE NEXT DAY. SO NEEDLESS TO SAY WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE YENTL SYNDROME, I WAS INTRIGUED, BUT THE MORE I LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH, THE MORE ASTONISHED AND UPSET I BECAME. FOR MUCH TOO LONG, CVD HAS BEEN PERCEIVED AS A MAN'S DISEASE, NOT JUST FROM THE PATIENT'S POINT OF VIEW BUT IN THE WAY IT HAS BEEN TREATED IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. MOST OF THE RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED ON MEN, RIGHT DOWN TO PRIMARILY MALE MICE IN THE LAB. MOST TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES WERE TREATED ON MEN AND SEX-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED ALL THE WAY FROM THE LAB TO THE ER, EVEN THE WOMEN'S BODIES AND BIOLOGY ARE SO DIFFERENT FROM THE SIZE OF THEIR HEARTS TO OUR VASCULAR SYSTEMS, TO THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS RISK FACTORS. Dr. COLLINS AND OTHERS AT NIH PAST AND PRESENT ARE HELPING TO TACKLE THESE PROBLEMS. BUT GAPS IN AWARENESS AND DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND SUPPORT ARE STILL TAKING A PAINFUL TOLL IN WOMEN'S LIVES. SOMETIMES THEIR NAMES MAKE THE HEADLINES. DEBBIE REYNOLDS, CARRIE FISHER, FLORENCE HENDERSON. AND YET BEHIND THE SCENES, A WOMAN IS DYING OF CVD ROUGHLY EVERY 80 SECONDS. THOSE WOMEN ARE OUR MOTHERS, SISTERS, DAUGHTERS, WIVES AND FRIENDS AND I WANTED TO HELP CHANGE THAT, IF I COULD. SO IN 2008, I GOT INVOLVED WITH THE WOMEN'S HEART CENTER AT CEDAR SINAI IN LOS ANGELES AND THE CENTER FOCUSES ON IDENTIFYING PEOPLE TO PATTERN HEART DISEASE AND ADVANCING SPECIALIZED CARE FOR WOMEN. I WANTED TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG WOMEN BEFORE THEY FOUND THEMSELVES IN THE HOSPITAL AND I WANTED TO HELP DRIVE POLICY CHANGE AT EVERY LEVEL BECAUSE THE FACT IS HEART DISEASE IS KILLING MORE WOMEN, ACTUALLY MORE PEOPLE THAN ALL FORMS OF CANCER COMBINED WHICH IS HARD FOR PEOPLE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND. THE RATE OF HEART DISEASE IN YOUNGER WOMEN IS CLIMBING AND WOMEN OF COLOR ARE ESPECIALLY AT RISK. SO IN 2014, USING WHAT WAS KNOWN ABOUT, SEX DIFFERENCES, WE CREATED THE WOMEN'S HEART ALLIANCE. OUR MISSION IS TO PREVENT WOMEN FROM NEEDLESSLY DYING FROM HEART DISEASE AND STROKE. AND WE START FROM THE RECOGNITION THAT BIOLOGICALLY, WOMEN AND MEN ARE NOT THE SAME. WE HAVE DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT, WE HAVE DIFFERENT PLUMBING AND WE ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING AND RESEARCH SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND EVEN MORE AND APPLY THOSE BREAKTHROUGHS TO PROVIDE PREVENTION, CARE, TREATMENT AND OUTCOMES FOR EVERYONE. AS WE LIKE TO SAY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WOMEN'S HEARTS ARE ON EVERYONE'S MINDS. AND I WANT TO THANK THE NIH COMMUNITY FOR BEING SUCH WONDERFUL PARTNERS. YOU ARE HELPING LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD WITH STUDIES THAT RECOGNIZE WOMEN'S BIOLOGY IS DIFFERENT AND THAT MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN RESEARCH. AS YOU KNOW, THIS WAS ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE 21ST CENTURY CURES ACT, AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT A WOMAN'S HEART WAS PROUD TO CHAMPION. BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SEX DIFFERENCES WILL NOT ONLY FILL IN CRITICAL GAPS IN WOMEN'S HEALTH BUT CAN IMPROVE MEN'S HEALTH AS WELL. A GREAT EXAMPLE IS THE REPRIEVE TRIAL LAUNCHED IN 2015 AS TONY, Dr. TONY FAUCHI DESCRIBED IN A PIECE WE COAUTHORED FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS, THAT INVESTIGATORS ARE ACTIVELY RECRUITING A RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY-DIVERSE GROUP OF WOMEN ALONGSIDE MEN AND MAKING THE ANALYSIS OF SEX DIFFERENCES A KEY PART OF THE STUDY. NOW, THE STUDY WILL ALSO LOOK AT HOW TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS FOR MORE WOMEN TO BECOME CLINICAL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT IF WE ARE TO HAVE MORE BREAKTHROUGHS IN TREATMENTS AND CURES. OUR HOPE IS THAT WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES SUCH AS REPRIEVAL WILL BE THE NORM AND NOT THE EXCEPTION. BUT WE ARE NOT THERE YET. THERE IS MUCH MORE TO BE DONE FOR EVERY AMERICAN TO HAVE AN EQUAL CHANCE TO LEAD A HEALTHY LIFE. WE NEED MORE FUNDING, MORE SEX-SPECIFIC RESEARCH, TO REMEDY THE BLIND SPOT IN OUR KNOWLEDGE. AND THE TIME IS RIGHT NOW FOR A GREAT LEAP FORWARD ON BEHALF OF GENDER EQUITY IN HEALTHCARE, AND IN SCIENCE, IN THE WORKPLACE, IN HOLLYWOOD, IN POLITICS, MEDIA AND EVEN AT HOME, BECAUSE EVERYWHERE YOU TURN TODAY, WOMEN AND THEIR ALLIES ARE STEPPING UP AND SPEAKING OUT. EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE CELEBRATED THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOMEN'S MARCH, THE SINGLE LARGEST DAY OF PROTEST IN OUR HISTORY AND THE METOO MOVEMENT AND TIMESUP ARE MAKING CLEAR THAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT WILL NOT STAND. MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TO, IN MY OPINION, FIND A NEW WAY TO COMMUNICATE WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT ISN'T. WOMEN ARE ASSERTING THE AMBITION AND STRENGTH WE HAVE HAD IN US ALL ALONG, SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER THROUGH PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS, ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEYOND. WE'RE NO LONGER CONTENT TO BE HIDDEN FIGURES. WOMEN, LIKE MEN, ARE DEMANDING TO BE VALUED AS CREATORS AND INNOVATERS AND HUMAN BEINGS. SO IN THAT SPIRIT, LET ME END BY SHARING A STORY ABOUT KATHERINE JOHNSON. IF YOU SAW THE MOVIE, "HIDDEN FIGURES", YOU WILL KNOWN THAT KATHERINE WAS ONE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY NASA MATHMETICIANS WHO PERFORMED THE COMPLEX CALCULATIONS THAT HELPED A MAN LAND ON THE MOON AND THAT WAS BEFORE THERE WERE MACHINE COMPUTERS. I MET HER AT A THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2015. THAT WAS THE YEAR WE WERE BOTH HONORED WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA. AND SHE WAS 97 AT THE TIME. SHE WILL TURN 100 YEARS OLD THIS AUGUST. SO IN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WORDS, KATHERINE WAS A PIONEER WHO BROKE THE BARRIERS OF RACE AND GENDER, SHOWING GENERATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT EVERYONE CAN EXCEL IN MATH AND SCIENCE AND REACH FOR THE STARS. AND AS THE AUTHOR OF HIDDEN FIGURES HAS SAID, HER WORK CHANGED OUR HISTORY AND HER HISTORY HAS CHANGED OUR FUTURE. SO MY WISH FOR ALL OF YOU IS THAT YOUR WORK, TOO, WILL MAKE HISTORY THAT CHANGES OUR FUTURE AND THAT SHAPES A FUTURE WHERE ALL WOMEN AND MEN CAN LIVE THEIR BEST POSSIBLE LIVES. SO LET'S ALL KEEP SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH. ARTISAN, SCIENTISTS, EVEN SOME POLITICIANS. [LAUGHTER] >> I COULDN'T RESIST THAT, I'M SORRY. [APPLAUSE] >> KEEP SEARCHING FOR BEAUTY IN EVERY CELL, KEEP PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF KNOWLEDGE, KEEP ASKING THE QUESTION AND SHARING THE ANSWERS AND HELP MAKE ALL HUMANITY SOAR AND REACH FOR THE STARS. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU. OH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. >> BARBRA, THAT WAS JUST AWESOME AND I THINK YOU COULD TELL BY THE WARMTH OF THE RESPONSE HOW MUCH YOU TOUCHED THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE GATHERED HERE ON THIS SPECIAL AFTERNOON. AND I SHOULD HAVE, AT THE BEGINNING, BUT I WILL NOW ALSO RECOGNIZE JAMES BROLIN WHO IS HERE AS PART GATHERING. WELCOME. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] >> YAY, HONEY. >> AND I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE MS. BRITISH ROBINSON WHO IS THE CEO OF THE WOMEN'S HEART ALLIANCE. >> THANK GOODNESS. [APPLAUSE] >> SO BARBRA, WE HAVE A CHANCE FOR A LITTLE BIT OF CONVERSATION HERE AND I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF THE THINGS YOU SAID IN THAT REMARKABLE SPEECH. YOU ARE AFTER ALL, A REMARKABLE SUCCESS WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN SATISFIED TO STICK TO THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE AS A SINGER, SONG WRITERS, ACTRESS, FILMMAKER. BY THE WAY, BARBRA IS ONE OF LESS THAN 20 INDIVIDUALS IN HISTORY WHO HAS WON AN ACADEMY AWARD, AN EMMY, GRAMMY AND TONY. THAT IS CALLED AN EGAT. [APPLAUSE] >> AN EGAT THAT I GOT. >> YEAH, THAT ISA GRAND SLAM. AND STILL YOUR INTERESTS AND REPERTOIRE CONTINUE TO DIVERSIFY AS YOU HAVE SHARED WITH US IN TERMS OF YOUR FOUNDING OF THE WOMEN'S HEART ALLIANCE, AIMING AT PREVENTING WOMEN FROM NEEDLESSLY DYING OF HEART DISEASE AND STROKE. SO YOU MENTION THIS EDITORIAL BY BERNADINE HEALY CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION BUT ONE OF THE OTHER REASONS YOU DECIDED WITH ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN DOING TO FOCUS ON WOMEN'S HEART DISEASE? >> WELL, THAT STARTED A LONG, LONG TIME AGO IN A SENSE, MY INTEREST IN GENDER DISCRIMINATION. I THINK I USED TO GO TO SYNOGOGUE WITH MY GRANDFATHER. HE USED TO TAKE ME WITH HIM. I WAS ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS OLD AND I WONDERED WHY I WAS SITTING DOWNSTAIRS WITH JUST THE MEN AND ALL THE WOMEN WERE SEPARATED UP THERE IN THE BALCONY. THEN THE FIRST FILM I DID FOR MY OWN COMPANY, BARWOOD FILMS, 1972, IT WAS CALLED UP THE SANDBOX AND THAT WAS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WAS SACRIFICING HER OWN CAREER FOR HER HUSBAND, SO HE DROVE HER INTO FANTASIES ABOUT OTHER WAYS OF LIVING, YOU KNOW? THEN WHEN I DID YENTL, I WAS DOING RESEARCH FOR YENTL, I WAS ASKING MYSELF THE QUESTION, WHY WERE WOMEN BEING SUPPRESSED TO BEGIN WITH? YOU KNOW, WHY WERE THEY RELEGATED TO ROLES OF HAVING TO COOK AND CLEAN, MAKE BABIES AND SO FORTH. THAT LED ME INTO THINKING THIS IS ABOUT GENDER DISCRIMINATION, YOU KNOW? ABOUT WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING, WHEN DID THE NOTION FIRST BEGIN AND I THOUGHT WELL MAYBE IT STARTED WAY BACK, WAY BACK WITH THE CAVEMAN WHO, YOU KNOW, WAS WATCHING HIS PARTNER HAVE A SWOLLEN BELLY AND THEN AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THIS THING APPEARS OUT OF HER, YOU KNOW, THIS BEING, THIS HUMAN THING THAT MUST HAVE ABSOLUTELY FRIGHTENED HIM, DON'T YOU THINK? I MEAN HOW DID SHE DO THAT? [LAUGHTER] >> IT WAS AS IF SHE WAS SO POWERFUL, HE WAS PROBABLY SO AWE-STRUCK THAT HE THOUGHT SHE WAS IN A SENSE A GODDESS OR GOD-LIKE, WHATEVER, AND THOUGHT THAT HE HAD BETTER KEEP HER DOWN IN ORDER TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT HIMSELF. [LAUGHTER] [LAUGHTER] >> IT'S TRUE. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. AND IT IS FUNNY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE TOLD THIS IN INTERVIEWS LIKE WITH Dr. OZ, IN A MAGAZINE AND HE SAID YOU BETTER NOT TALK ABOUT THIS. I DON'T KNOW WHY. [LAUGHTER] >> IT SEEMS OBVIOUS IN A SENSE, DOESN'T IT? THE WOMAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND NEED HER AND DEPENDENCY CAN CREATE RESENTMENT, ANGER. I HEAR SOME WOMEN GOING YEAH, YEAH. THAT IS TRUE. [LAUGHTER] >> SO I WAS SO INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT THAT IN 1985, I ENDOWED -- WASN'T MY FIRST CHAIR, I THINK IT WAS MY SECOND, AT USC TO STUDY INTIMACY AND SEXUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN A CHANGING SOCIETY. AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT CONTRACT SO THEY DIDN'T STUDY IT. THE PROFESSOR WROTE A BOOK ON THE GENDER GAP BETWEEN 9-12-YEAR-OLDS. I KNOW BETTER NOW. >> WE GIVE OUT CONTRACT NOW AND RESEMBLE THAT COMMENT OCCASIONALLY. >> REALLY. AND BY THE WAY, EVEN IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS, KEEPING WOMEN DOWN, SPEAKING OF THAT, IN 1960 -- BECAUSE I MADE A DOCUMENTARY CALLED REEL WOMEN, THE WOMEN WHO STARTED FILM AND IN 19 -- 1916 THERE WERE 12 WOMEN DIRECTORS IN HOLLYWOOD. A HUNDRED YEARS LATER, THERE WERE ONLY 8 SO WE HAVE GONE BACKWARDS IN A SENSE. IT IS VERY HARD STILL FOR WOMEN TO GET THEIR FILMS MADE. DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BY THE WAY? [LAUGHTER] >> YOU ANSWERED ONE THAT WAS BETTER THAN I ASKED PROBABLY. SO FOCUSING ON HEART ISSUES, YOU PLACED PARTICULAR ATTENTION AND FOCUS ON THIS ONE. >> THAT WAS IN 2008, I SAID, DIDN'T I? I MET Dr. NOEL WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF MY WOMEN'S HEART CENTER -- OH, I KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED. MY FRIEND, WHO WAS A MAN, ONE OF MY MENTORS -- YEAH, THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW? ONE OF MY MEN FRIENDS HAD CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN OPERATION AND HE DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE IT. AND SO I SAID WHY DIDN'T YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT AND HE SAID HE MET Dr. MERS AND SHE CHANGED HIS BIOLOGY AROUND OR HIS WHATEVER WITH DIET, EXERCISE AND HE NEVER HAD -- HE IS 90-SOMETHING YEARS OLD TODAY AND HE IS STILL KICKING, YOU KNOW? AND IT MADE ME FASCINATED BY WHAT SHE DID. >> AND NO DOUBT WONDERING HOW COME THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN MORE OFTEN? >> YEAH. >> MAYBE PARTICULARLY -- >> WHEN I FOUND OUT -- IT IS VERY HARD TO BELIEVE, ISN'T IT? NOW IT HAS BECOME ONE IN FOUR WOMEN DIE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AS COMPARED TO ONE IN 2 WOMEN WHO DIE -- 32 WOMEN WHO DIE IN BREAST CANCER ASK IT IS NOT KNOWN. I MEAN, IT IS JUST NOT TALKED ABOUT. WE HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME RAISING FUNDS FOR HEART DISEASE. CANCER IS A SCARIER THING BUT THAT IS BECAUSE WE -- A LOT OF WOMEN DON'T MAKE IT. THEY HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND THEY DON'T SURVIVE. >> SO BARBRA, YOU ARE SUCH A LEGENDARY STORYTELLER AND AS YOU TALK ABOUT RISKS TO WOMEN'S HEALTH, THERE ARE STORIES OUT THERE, PROBABLY A LOT OF THEM, ABOUT WOMEN FACING BREAST CANCER. THERE ARE VERY FEW ABOUT WOMEN FACING HEART DISEASE BUT YOU HAVE, I THINK, STARTED SOMETHING WITH US TODAY TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE A WAY OF PUTTING THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE FORWARD MORE EFFECTIVELY AND STORIES CAN BE A WAY TO DO THAT. IS THAT PART OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH THE HEART ALLIANCE? >> YEAH, I THINK WOMEN ARE EMBARRASSED TO TALK ABOUT HEART DISEASE BECAUSE THERE IS A STIGMA ATTACHED TO IT. IT IS KNOWN AS AN OLD MAN'S DISEASE IN A SENSE. SO MANY PEOPLE THINK IT JUST AFFECTS OLDER MEN BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE. THE STATISTICS ARE SHOWING THE STATS ON YOUNGER WOMEN HAVING HEART DISEASE IS GROWING. THAT IS LIKE 29-45 YEARS OLD AND WOMEN OF COLOR ARE ESPECIALLY AT RISK. SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS THAT WELL-KNOWN. >> ARE THERE MORE STORIES THAT COULD BE TOLD? IS THIS YOUR NEXT FILM? >> NOT REALLY. [LAUGHTER] >> NO, THAT IS MORE OF A DOCUMENTARY THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY THINKING OF TRYING TO DO, MAYBE FOR HBO, YEAH. >> LET'S ALSO TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF RESEARCH, THE NEED TO NOT ONLY DESIGN AND ENROLL WOMEN IN CLINICAL TRIALS INCLUDING MANY OF THEM THAT ARE FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON WOMEN BUT ALSO TO BE SURE WE HAVE A LOT OF RESEARCHERS WHO, THEMSELVES, ARE WOMEN. OUR WORKFORCE IS MORE BALANCED IN TERMS OF MEN AND WOMEN THAN IT USED TO BE BUT WE STILL HAVE WHAT MANY WOULD CALL A GLASS CEILING WHERE THE MORE SENIOR YOU ARE, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO BE A MAN AND THAT IS NOT JUST THE COHORT EFFECT BUT THAT WE SEE ATTRITION OF TALENTED WOMEN AS THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE SEEING ADVANCES IN THEIR CAREERS AND IT DOESN'T QUITE AS EASILY HAPPEN. THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT THAT HAVE BEEN POINTED OUT AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THAT BUT WE ESPECIALLY NEED TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE RECRUITING IN THE NEXT GENERATION WOMEN INTO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE, THE STEM ROLES. >> RIGHT. >> I UNDERSTAND HERE TODAY YOU HAVE WELCOMED THREE YOUNG WOMEN FROM HB WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL IN ARLINGTON WHO ARE HERE TO BE INSPIRED BY YOUR ATTACK. ARE THEY SOMEWHERE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE? COULD YOU STAND UP? [APPLAUSE] >> ALL RIGHT! THAT LOOKS LIKE THE FUTURE TO ME. >> MM-HMM. >> SO WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE FUTURE, WHAT KIND OF WISDOM DO YOU SHARE WITH THEM? CAN YOU SHARE THAT WITH ALL OF US TODAY? >> MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO YOUNG WOMEN THAT -- WHAT WOULD IT BE? IT WOULD BE TO FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU CAN DREAM, IF YOU CAN ENVISION YOURSELF DOING SOMETHING, THEN I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. I USED TO HAVE THESE DREAMS AS A KID, YOU KNOW, I JUST USED TO SEE MYSELF LIKE ON A TELEVISION SCREEN ALMOST, YOU KNOW? IT WAS LIKE OH, I COULD SEE MYSELF DOING THAT, YES. AND I THINK -- THERE WAS A GREAT THING I READ WHEN I WAS 1 YEARS OLD. IT WAS A BOOK BY GEORGE BERNARD SHAW CALLED THE QUINTESSENCE OF HIPNOTISM AND THE LINE I REMEMBER MOST CLEARLY IS THAT THOUGHT TRANSCENDS MATTER AND IT JUST MADE SUCH AN IMPRESSION ON ME, THE POWER OF THOUGHT. SO I WOULD SAY ALSO YOU CAN READ UP ON WOMEN THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, HAD A GREAT PATH, FOLLOWED THEIR PATHS AND BECAME SOMETHING THAT YOU ADMIRE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST SEE WHAT THAT TAKES? I MEAN, TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. BEYOND THE BOOKS EVEN BECAUSE I THINK THE OTHER THING IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ENVISION YOUR LIFE BECAUSE IN YENTL, ACTUALLY, I SAY NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. THAT WAS THE LOGO, THAT WAS THE BYLINE, WHATEVER, NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE. SO HERE IS TO MORE WOMEN IN SCIENCE, IN FILM, IN COLLEGES, MAKE IT HAPPEN! [APPLAUSE] >> THAT IS BEAUTIFUL. >> SO BARBRA, I AM GOING TO ASK YOU IN A SECOND ALSO IF YOU HAVE OTHER MESSAGES YOU WANT TO GIVE TO THIS AUDIENCE OF SCIENTISTS, ALL THE WAY FROM VERY BASIC SCIENTISTS TO PEOPLE RUNNING CLINICAL TRIALS AND WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE WORK THAT IS GOING ON HERE SHORTLY WHEN WE GO OVER TO THE CLINICAL CENTER AND SEE SOME OF THOSE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THINGS EVERY DAY THAT ARE RIGHT AT THE LEADING EDGE OF ARE WOMEN, I AM VERY HAPPY TO SAY. BUT I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE WAY IN WHICH, BY BEING HERE, YOU INSPIRE US, BY THE WAY IN WHICH YOU ARE LEADING YOUR LIFE, YOU INSPIRE US. BY THE WAY IN WHICH YOUR GIFTS IN MUSIC AND FILMMAKING HAVE BLESSED GENERATIONS NOW. I GATHER THAT YOU ARE, ONCE AGAIN, WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM -- >> SHE TOLD TOLD ME THAT SO I AM SPILLING THE BEANS HERE BUT YOU GIVE US HOPE IN THE WAY IN WHICH YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A PIN THAT IS THE SAME AS WHAT I AM WEARING, IT LOOKS LIKE A GUITAR PICK BECAUSE IT IS BUT IT SAYS HOPE BECAUSE WE THINK OF OURSELVES AS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HOPE AS WELL AS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND BY YOUR BEING HERE TODAY, YOU HAVE TAKEN US UP A NOTCH BUT IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE, GO AHEAD BEFORE WE DRAG YOU UP TO THE CLINICAL CENTER. >> WELL, YOU HELPED US A LOT BY INTRODUCING FEMALE MICE INTO THOSE LABS. >> YES. [APPLAUSE] >> REALLY BECAUSE WHEN I ASKED THE QUESTION ONE TIME, I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE OR WHEN, BUT I SAID YOU ARE ALSO WORKING WITH PEOPLE TO MICE, RIGHT, ON HEART DISEASE AND THEY SAID NO -- THIS WAS A WHILE AGO. AND I SAID WHY NOT AND THEY SAID WELL, THEY ARE TOO COMPLEX. [LAUGHTER] >> THEY HAVE HORMONES. DUH! [LAUGHTER] >> THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE TO DO WORK ON PEOPLE TO MICE, RIGHT -- FEMALE MICE, RIGHT? SO I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FEMALE MICE. >> ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THAT'S BARBRA STREISAND. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. [APPLAUSE]