NEW YORK, NY –CIAOMed contributing writer Denise Mann Kleinman has received an Honorable Mention in the 2006 Excellence in Women's Health Research Journalism Awards for reporting on women's health issues.

Kleinman's story, "Oral Contraceptives Safe in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus," was originally posted Dec 19, 2005.

The 2006 Excellence in Women's Health Research Journalism Award is part of an annual awards program the Society for Women's Health Research launched in 2003 to honor journalists who excel in providing the public with valuable health research information. The awards program draws widespread interest from journalists in the United States, Canada, and Britain. The award recipients are chosen by a distinguished panel of health and medical experts selected by the Society. All of the winning entries for 2006 were published or broadcast in 2005. The awards were presented during the Society's annual Corporate Advisory Council meeting.

"Our healthcare system is shifting to a consumer-centric model, where individuals must make more decisions about their own care," Jo Parrish, vice president for institutional advancement of the Society, said. "In this environment, it is imperative that media coverage of medical research findings is accurate and appropriately represented to help individuals make the best choices. We created our journalism awards to raise awareness of this need and to recognize those who do an outstanding job of covering women's health.