As it faced a wave of draconian government cuts, Johns Hopkins recently canceled its long-running program “A Woman’s Journey.” Started 30 years ago and presented yearly, most recently at the Marriott Waterfront hotel, this one-day program has helped thousands of women near and far.

Throughout the years, nearly 700 Hopkins physicians have presented seminars on such wide-ranging topics as memory, eye care, eating disorders, menopause, genetics, cardiology, osteoporosis, vitamin and mineral supplements, sleep disorders, meditation, skin care, cancer, immunotherapy, AI in medicine, the latest diagnostic and treatment strategies, and many more.

Each year, more than a thousand women have attended in person, choosing to participate in several among 32 seminars, plus a breakfast speaker and a lunch keynote. Katie Couric was one keynote. Dr. Ben Carson, back when he was still on the Hopkins faculty, was another.

Kelly Geer Ripken, the national chair of A Woman’s Journey, is a well-known volunteer for health care and lifestyle organizations, serving in leadership roles at charities, schools and businesses. She also has been the moderator of A Woman’s Journey monthly podcasts. Not only did women learn about their own health issues, but they also could share with family and friends facts about early diagnoses, disease prevention and innovative treatments.

On a personal level, I attended all 30 years, including the couple on Zoom during COVID. During the early years, my mother would come from New Jersey to go with me. An old friend from New York, a retired psychiatric nurse, also attended with me. A few of my own physicians came from A Woman’s Journey.

One of the best things about living in Baltimore is being close to the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions — in East Baltimore, with satellites in Greenspring, White Marsh and other Maryland locations.

A Woman’s Journey gave women a great opportunity to learn as well as to meet some of the top physicians in the country. As A Woman’s Journey expanded, it delivered programs in Florida as well as programs on YouTube and podcasts.

Dr. Susan Lehmann, a Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences who has presented forums at A Woman’s Journey, both in Baltimore and in Florida, says, “A Woman’s Journey has been a treasure to the community for 30 years. It has engaged and empowered women to make better informed choices regarding their own health and the health of their families.”

When health care for women has been severely threatened — defunding Planned Parenthood and closing diagnostic clinics in many states — the loss of A Woman’s Journey, especially in Maryland, is a tragedy.

Lynne Agress (lynneagress@aol.com) teaches in the Odyssey Program of Johns Hopkins University and was president of BWB-Business Writing Inc., a writing and editing consulting company. She is the author of “The Feminine Irony” and “Working with Words,” as well as numerous articles, reviews and opinion pieces.