•
•
•
•
BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CAREERS
IN WOMEN’S HEALTH (BIRCWH 2002)
Program Descriptions and Contact Information
California | Lousiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | New York | North Carolina | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | Tennessee | Utah
Stanford University
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Berek, M.D.
Email Address: jberek@stanford.edu
Stanford University proposes a center with the theme of mentoring in women’s health research from bench to bedside, from basic to clinical research. The program will feature more than 23 mentors from a variety of disciplines encompassing 12 major research areas under basic and clinical research divisions, including midlife aging/cardiovascular disease, adolescent health, medical information technology, medicine/CV/diabetes, cancer, reproductive/urogenital health, genetics, cancer biology, and tissue engineering. Scholars will have two pathways available, basic and clinical research.
Tulane University
Principal Investigator: Paul Welton, M.D., M.Sc.
Email Address: pwelton@tulane.edu
Tulane in partnership with Xavier University proposes a program with a strong focus on patient-oriented research related to cardiovascular health, particularly among African-American Women. Selected scholars will have access to 15 mentors with a broad range of basic, biomedical, behavioral and health services research experience across the schools of Tulane and Xavier University. The areas of research will focus on two highly under-researched areas in women’s health, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, with the ultimate goal of training scientists to address sex-gender and disparities issues in cardiovascular health.
University of Maryland
Principal Investigator: Patricia Langenberg, Ph.D.
Email Address: plangenb@umaryland.edu
The University of Maryland presents a program that includes collaboration with Morgan State University and Howard University. Three broad research themes underlie the program: life changes in women’s health (including steroid hormone regulation of angiogenesis to the psychometrics of human sexual behavior), adverse conditions and diseases in women (including ovarian hormones and neurological diseases and cancer disparities), and gender differences in pain. Nineteen mentors drawn from the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy are involved. Two tracks are available to selected scholars, depending on a scholar’s research background.
Boston Medical Center
Principal Investigator: Rebecca A. Silliman, M.D., Ph.D.
Email Address: rsillima@bu.edu
Boston University’s program will address the need to increase the number of outstanding investigators trained in clinical research, clinical epidemiology, and health services research. More than 13 mentors are proposed around five major research areas: prevention research, health services outcomes and effectiveness research, addiction medicine, issues of aging women, and the consequences of multiple caregiver roles. Scholars will enter into one of two pathways, basic (those who have not had formal research training) or advanced research. Scholars also have the option of pursuing a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology.
SUNY Downstate
Principal Investigator: John LaRosa, M.D.
EmailAddress: john.larosa.downstate.edu
Downstate proposes a program that will link SUNY Downstate Medical Center in research and training collaborations with Kings County Hospital and the Arthur Ashe Urban Health Institute (AAIUH). The program is organized into mentored research areas that reflect the interests of research team mentors. Scholars will have opportunities to interact with more than 18 mentors. Six core research areas spanning basic and clinical aspects related to women’s health are planned: sex/gender differences in pain and analgesic response, early detection of breast cancer, neurological disorders and epilepsy, diabetes, progression of AIDS using a variety of methodological expertise, health care disparities and well-being.
Duke University
Principal Investigator: R. Sanders Williams, M.D.
Email Address: degue001@mc.duke.edu
Duke University joins forces with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in designing a program to contribute to improvement in women’s health. The research plan revolves around four main themes: clinical trials and outcomes; decision-making research; health disparities; and basic and translational research, which includes a wide array of topics, such as the genetics and molecular biology of either breast or ovarian cancer, neuromuscular physiology, and pharmacology of the pelvic floor to the molecular biology of nicotine addiction. More than 25 mentors that cut across disciplines and professions are involved. Two tracks will serve scholars with substantial or limited prior research experience. Scholars also have the opportunity of working towards a Master’s degree in Health Sciences or Clinical Research.
Oregon Health & Science University
Principal Investigator: Lesley Hallick, Ph.D.
Email Address: hallick@ohsu.edu
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) presents a program based in the School of Medicine, but that draws on the participation of four exceptional OHSU centers, including the Center for Women’s Health, Heart Research Center, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, and the Cancer Institute. Scholars will be exposed to 27 mentors, who conduct research in areas of women’s health which extend across the lifespan. The research plan builds on a unifying theme of women’s health across the lifespan that is centered around six specific research areas: fetal environments and cardiovascular development, reproduction and health, neurobiology and gender differences, substance abuse, cancer in women, in addition to aging and end of life issues.
University of Pennsylvania
Principal Investigator: Ellen W. Freeman, Ph.D.
Email Address: freemane@mail.med.upenn.edu
This program, located in the Center for Research for Reproduction and Women’s Health at University of Pennsylvania, involves 33 mentors, who are organized around six research clusters: brain and behavior, metabolism and aging, cell and tissue homeostasis, hormones, reproduction and urologic function, infection and immunity, and cardiac and pulmonary. The program plans to have a steady slate of scholars and, depending on their background, this might include enrollment in a M.S. or PhD program. Two phases are planned, the first being a period of mentored research training, prior to transition into the second phase of independent research with faculty appointment.
University of Pittsburgh Principal Investigator: James M. Roberts, M.D.This program will be orchestrated through the Magee Women’s Research Institute to provide an integrated approach to interdisciplinary research in women’s health, focused on four themes that cover women’s health from preconception to elderly women: gender-specific developmental biology, women’s behavioral health, prevention of adverse reproductive outcomes and chronic diseases, aging and cancer. Scholars in this program will have the option of working with the 36 mentors whose research areas are encompassed under the umbrella of the four theme leaders.
Brown University
Principal Investigator: Donald Coustan, M.D.
Email Address: dcoustan@wihri.org
Brown University and its affiliated hospitals present a cross-institutional program organized around five major areas: prevention and behavior change; gender issues in women’s health; health services research; HIV/AIDS in women; and obstetric and gynecologic research, including perinatal diagnosis and management, screening in early pregnancy, transitional immunology, and developmental biology and cell dynamics. In addition, there are formal ties with Tugaloo College in Mississippi and links to Xavier University in New Orleans. Scholars will have access to 20 mentors that cut across institutions, including Women & Infants Hospital, the George Anderson Outcomes Measurement Unit, and Woods Hole Marine Biological laboratory.
Vanderbilt University
Principal Investigator: Jefffrey Balser, M.D.
Email Address: jeff.balser@vanderbilt.edu
This program represents a partnership between Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College. The research plan is designed around six interdisciplinary research themes: cancer/neoplasia, cardiovascular/diabetes, clinical pharmacology, neurosciences/behavioral health, endometrial biology/reproductive toxicology, health services/outcomes research. Selected scholars will have the opportunity to interact with 25 mentors from a variety of departments/schools including the school of medicine, clinical departments, preventive medicine, psychiatry and the Institute for Public Policy Studies.
University of Utah
Principal Investigator: David Bjorkman, M.D.
Email Address: David.Bjorkman@hsc.utah.edu
The University of Utah presents a program that represents a collaboration of the Colleges of Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Medicine. The program will involve 17 mentors from various disciplines in these schools. Four principal areas of research emphasis will be offered to scholars: aging disorders, cardiovascular disorders, cognitive/neurological disorders, and oncologic disorders. Selected scholars will be afforded the choice of two levels, entry (limited research experience) and advanced (significant prior research experience). Scholars will also have the option of pursuing an innovative program leading to a Master of Science degree.
