The Center was founded in 1999 to study and promote women's health and well-being. It is the only academic center in Israel focusing on promoting women’s issues while combining cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary research with community outreach. All Center activities emphasize the twin keys to good health: prevention and intervention. The Center’s interdisciplinary approach incorporates issues of social and cultural concern and extends over the entire human lifespan.
The Center's leadership and staff work continuously to increase awareness among researchers, health care professionals, students and the public regarding the unique healthcare needs of women. The Center's ideology is based on the fact that improved health status for women is dependent on a multi-disciplinary approach combining research, clinical care, work, public health education and community activism.
Over the past few years, the Center has expanded both its research and community activities to address the emerging issues and challenges related to the current family trends in Israel, including the new trends in fathering. Special emphasis has been given to the challenges facing both women and men in diverse family configurations. The Center's underlying assumption is that, as part of the process of empowering women, we must also look out for the men, thus paving the way for both partners' healthy growth and evolvement.