Paula Johnson

Ever think you were having a heart attack? It turns out that many of the well-known early symptoms, such as chest pain and pressure from left arm to jaw, are more typically experienced by men. Women are more likely to experience shortness of breath, unusual perspiration and abdominal discomfort. Dr. Paula Johnson was one of the first to ask big questions about women's experience of cardiac care -- and their access to care that meets their needs.

Johnson and her team at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston focus on mentoring, measuring and bringing together expertise from practicing clinicians and academics to improve women's health. She says: "One of our core responsibilities will be to address critical questions ... such as, 'How do sex and gender impact health and health outcomes?' and 'How can health disparities among different groups of women be eliminated?'"