LOS ANGELES -- US singer-actress Barbra Streisand has given $5 million for research on women's cardiac problems, which kill half a million women every year, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute announced Wednesday.

The gift will endow the Barbra Streisand Women's Cardiovascular Research and Education Program at Cedars-Sinai to generate more understanding of women's heart disease issues.

"Women need to be educated about female cardiovascular disease, and the medical community must be propelled toward change," Streisand, the Broadway singer who soared to world renown with her Oscar-winning 1968 performance in "Funny Girl," said in a statement.

"Just like with breast cancer, the impetus must come from women themselves striving to become empowered to reduce their risks for heart disease," she said.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women," said Eduardo Marban, director at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.

"The medical system has failed to recognize female-pattern heart attack symptoms; current testing and treatments are geared toward male physiology."