NIH/ORWH Announces New BIRCWH Awards to Promote Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health at 11 Institutions in 9 States
Bethesda, Maryland — The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and other cosponsors recently
awarded over $5 million to 11 new and continuing Building Interdisciplinary Research
Careers In Women’s Health (BIRCWH) programs nationwide. This expands an innovative
effort to foster women's health research with an emphasis on mentored, interdisciplinary
collaboration across a variety of disciplines through which 24 Centers have been
established since the fall of 2000. BIRCWH was developed to promote the career
development of independent researchers working on women's health issues by pairing
scholars with senior investigators in a mentored, interdisciplinary scientific
environment. A list of institutions receiving FY 2005 BIRCWH awards follows:
FY 2005 BIRCWH Awards:
Institution |
Principal Investigator |
Harvard University |
Jill M. Goldstein, Ph.D. |
University of California, Davis |
Claire Pomeroy, M.D. |
University of California, Los Angeles |
Gautam Chaudhuri, M.D., Ph.D. |
University of California, San Francisco |
Deborah G. Grady, M.D., M.P.H. |
University of Cincinnati |
Leslie Myatt, Ph.D. |
University of Kansas |
Patricia A Thomas, M.D. |
University of Kentucky |
James E. Ferguson, II M.D. |
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D. |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
Eugene P. Orringer, M.D. |
University of Texas Medical Branch |
Abbey B. Berenson, M.D. |
Washington University |
Kenneth S. Polonsky, M.D. |
"The BIRCWH program offers tremendous opportunities to advance interdisciplinary
women's health research and allows scholars to gain valuable research experience
and career mentoring by working with established scientists with diverse and
broad expertise." said Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., Director of ORWH.”
The BIRCWH program fosters the career development of junior faculty members
who are engaging in basic, clinical, translational, behavioral, or health services
research in any area relevant to women's health with an emphasis on sex and gender
factors. BIRCWH Programs accomplish this goal by mentoring junior faculty to
bridge advanced training with independent research in areas that integrate scientific
disciplines. The Scholars learn not only research techniques, but also the skills
to become independent investigators and mentors. The mentors at each site are
established investigators who have a commitment to fostering interdisciplinary
approaches to research in women's health and sex and gender factors. This program
develops a cadre of independently funded scientists who can further advance and
perpetuate an interdisciplinary team approach to science and gender specific
health care.
“NIH-supported research has led to important advances in the field of women’s
health,” said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. “The expansion of
the BIRCWH program helps to ensure that qualified researchers will be available
tomorrow to build upon the research advances of today.”
The ORWH leads the BIRCWH initiative, which is administered by the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and cosponsored by the
following Institutes, Offices and Agencies:
- NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research
Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical
research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common
and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. |