Biomarkers and the risk of stroke in the Women's Health Initiative "...biomarkers of exposure in such important areas as dietary and physical activity epidemiology have the potential to usher in a new cycle of association analyses of enhanced reliability..."

The Editors of this special focus issue on stroke in women have asked me to provide a perspective on the role and potential of biomarkers in stroke risk assessment and prevention. This invitation undoubtedly arises from our studies of stroke in relation to postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT), among other exposures, in the context of the NIH-sponsored Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), for which I have been a principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center since the inception of the program in 1992.