The University of Pittsburgh has a long history of commitment to excellent training in women's health. Since the early 1990's, the Department of Internal Medicine has included a Women's Health Residency Track and Fellowship in the Internal Medicine. The Epidemiology Department of the Graduate School of Public Health has led research in women's health for at least 20 years, training numerous scientists. In 1992 the Magee-Women's Research Institute (MWRI) was begun to specifically address research questions relevant to women's health. In the mid 1990's the first program in the Epidemiology of Women's Health was begun. In 1996 Magee-Women's Hospital and MWRI were designated one of the first HHS Centers of Excellence in Women's Health. This designation catalyzed a further increase in women's health research and interdepartmental collaboration at the University. In recognition of its excellent training in women's reproductive health, the department of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences was awarded a Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Center award. More recently the MWRI joined with RAND Corporation and the University of Pittsburgh to begin a training program in a much-underrepresented area of women's health research, health services research. The proposed BIRCWH program will integrate these and other University of Pittsburgh programs to provide career development for junior faculty planning careers in fundamental, clinical, epidemiological or health services women's health research. This will be complemented by integrative programs for the scholars designed to provide cross theme and cross-disciplinary interaction. The program will be orchestrated through the MWRI, but research training and expertise will address all issues of women's health. The Program incorporates four themes covering women's health from preconception to aged women. The themes address these issues with all research strategies. As recommended by the IOM, we will train investigators to address fundamental origin of gender specific health differences, in another theme we recognize the special impact of behavioral health on women and in another address the impact of reproductive issues not just upon pregnancy but also in later life. Finally, we concentrate training on the special considerations of chronic diseases, aging and cancer for women. We describe in this proposal the components for exceptional research training present at the University of Pittsburgh and propose to coordinate and complement these activities to facilitate interdisciplinary career development of the next generation of women's health investigators. ? ?
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