ED. The University of Minnesota proposes to become one of the national homes for the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program. Our goal is to develop world-class interdisciplinary researchers who focus on women's health through: 1) Providing a robust interdisciplinary mentoring program that will support all aspects of career development;2) Ensuring outstanding didactic training and mentoring, in which junior faculty will learn to approach women's health research from multiple scientific and methodological perspectives;and 3) Guaranteeing the success of our scholars through strong program oversight and evaluation. Three aspects of the University of Minnesota make it a unique environment for a BIRCWH program: 1) Based on substantial empirical research by one of our faculty members, we have developed a comprehensive model of mentoring that systematizes the vagaries of the interdisciplinary mentoring process. 2) With our six health science schools and other health-related departments, we have an extremely diverse institution. This diversity of disciplines reveals itself in our mentors, our course offerings, and the scholars themselves. There are few universities that can offer such a wide range of career development opportunities. 3) The University of Minnesota is a leader in women's health. Based on the work of the Deborah E. Powell Center of Excellence in Women's Health, we have a strategic plan related to women's health research, the goals of which are to: 1) build academic capacity;2) increase interdisciplinary collaboration;3) increase funding opportunities;and 4) increase the visibility of women's health research. The leadership of the University has demonstrated their support for women's health research by making substantial commitments to share expenses of the BIRCWH program. Heading the program are three investigators with substantial experience in women's health research, mentoring junior faculty, and institutional leadership. Our mentors represent all areas of women's health disciplines and methodologic approaches to research and will be able to provide BIRCWH scholars with outstanding interdisciplinary training. Our research resources and didactic training opportunities are vast. The University of Minnesota is totally committed to the career development of junior faculty. The BIRCWH program will enable us to capitalize on our strong environment and commitment to create the next generation of leaders in women's health research.
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