Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) : ORWH developed and implemented an innovative K-12 mentored career development program to support the training of junior faculty researchers in an interdisciplinary mentored environment in women's health research by pairing junior researchers with senior investigators.
NIH Intramural Programs in Women's Health Research: ORWH initiated the development of an NIH Intramural Program on Research on Women's Health's (IPRWH), an innovative, interdisciplinary program in Women's Health Research in the Intramural Research Programs (IRP.) The IPRWH was created to serve as the focal point for all women's health research, including sex and gender comparisons, within the IRP.
Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers: Undertaken with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, these K12 Program grant awards will support research career development of obstetrician-gynecologists, to be known as Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholars, who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training, and who are commencing basic, translational, and/or clinical research relevant to women's health. Goal: Promote the performance of research and transfer of findings that will benefit the health of women.
ORWH's Reentry Program: The ORWH Reentry Program helps fully trained scientists (women and men) to re-establish careers in biomedical or behavioral science after taking time off to fulfill familial responsibilities.
ORWH-FAES-NIH High School Student Summer Program: This past summer the program had 24 new high school students and 17 returning students. There were 26 women and 15 men, including 11 minorities (2 African-American women and 1 Hispanic woman and 1 Hispanic man), coming from both public and private schools in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia who spend time at the NIH in intramural labs.
Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: The OLRS, Office of Intramural Research (OIR) is responsible for the development and management of the Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (UGSP). The UGSP provides scholarships to undergraduate students who have been competitively selected from a nation-wide pool of candidates. An average of 15 scholarships are awarded each year.
Loan Repayment Program For Health Disparities Research: The objective of the HDR Program is the recruitment and retention of highly qualified health professionals to research careers that focus on minority health or other health disparities issues. The program provides for the repayment of educational loan debt of qualified health professionals who agree to conduct minority health or health disparities research for two years. The program provides for the repayment of the principal and interest of the educational loans, up to a maximum of $35,000 per year.
Fellows Award for Research Excellence: This award provides recognition for the outstanding scientific research performed by intramural postdoctoral fellows. Fellows submit an abstract of their research, which is peer reviewed in a blind study section competition. Winners of FARE awards will each receive a $1,000 stipend to attend a scientific meeting at which they will present their abstract, either as a poster or a seminar. In FY 2004 there were 243 winners.
WISHnet: Women in Science and Health Care Network Website designed to encourage and support girls and women who are interested in careers in science, research, and healthcare.
Association for Women Science Series (AWIS): The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Bethesda Chapter addresses issues and concerns of women in science. ORWH provided support for the annual AWIS Bethesda Chapter Seminar Series, Strategies for Success in Science. Seminars included: Exploring Informatics Careers: Paths in the Neurosciences and Molecular Biology; A Report on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT: An Update; Employment Opportunities for Scientists at Federal Agencies; Science and Business: Working in Industry; and Career and Family: Challenges and Rewards.
ORWH Initiatives with the Office of Science Education: ORWH supports several outreach and career enhancement programs in conjunction with the NIH Office of Science Education.