Last Update: 09/08/2006 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Specialized Centers of Research (SCOR): Sex and Gender Issues affecting Women's Health

In December 2001, the NICHD Reproductive Sciences Branch, six other NIH Institutes, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration joined the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) in a new initiative to develop a research agenda bridging basic and clinical research on sex and gender factors underlying a priority health issue affecting women's health.

The ORWH developed the SCOR Program on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women’s Health to:

  • Expedite interdisciplinary development and application of new knowledge to human diseases,
  • Learn more about the etiology of these diseases, and
  • Foster improved approaches to treatment and/or prevention.
Each of the 11 centers has a research agenda bridging basic and clinical research on sex and gender factors underlying a priority health issue. The overall program is administered through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, with each cosponsoring entity responsible for the scientific, programmatic, and administrative issues related to their specific center.

Each SCOR provides an interdisciplinary approach utilizing both laboratory and clinical research to focus on a particular health problem and provide for a mutually supportive interaction between basic scientists and clinical investigators. Projects emphasize the interdisciplinary development of innovative approaches, elaboration of new and significant hypotheses, and generation of improved strategies for approaching current issues relating to the disease area addressed. A SCOR consists of at least three individual, but interrelated, research projects and an administrative core. The program provides new opportunities for interdisciplinary approaches to advancing studies on how sex and gender factors affect women’s health.

The three centers cosponsored by NICHD collectively comprise a combination of basic and clinical research projects focusing on maternal and fetal drug interactions, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and pelvic floor dysfunction. These centers are located at the University of Washington, Northwestern University, and the University of Michigan. Ultimately, it is anticipated that advancing research on sex and gender factors through an interdisciplinary approach will expedite the generation of improved treatment strategies for current disorders with significant public health impact.

For further information on the NICHD SCOR projects, please contact Dr. Estella Parrott.