Midcareer Vulvodynia Research and Mentoring Project. This application is in response to the K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research Program Announcement (PA-00-005), which is designed to provide support for clinicians for protected time to increase their expertise and activities in patient-oriented research and to serve as mentors for beginning clinical investigators. Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H. has developed a research career that focuses on gynecologic disorders of women, with an emphasis on neuroimmunological factors associated with vulvar dysesthesia (vulvodynia). This award would allow her to become increasingly involved with state-of-the-art immunological/neurological technology, to increase multicenter collaborations among vulvodynia researchers, and to further her investigations on the pathogenesis and epidemiology of vulvodynia. Mentoring is also a vital aspect of this award. The award will allow Dr. Reed to augment her own mentoring activities with more junior researchers, while simultaneously developing a program to improve the consistency and accountability of the mentoring of each of the junior investigators throughout her department. Dr. Reed is currently conducting a three-year NICHD-funded project on """"""""Neuroimmunology/cytokine alterations in vulvodynia."""""""" This patient-centered case control project assesses specific cytokine/neurokine responses to lymphocyte stimulation and their association with neurohistochemical changes found in vulvar tissue. Further studies on other aspects of the neuroimmune interactions that clarify differences among women with and without vulvodynia are at various stages of development, including assessing the relationship of cytokine production to local and peripheral psychophysical sensory responses of women with vulvodynia and controls, assessment of the immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions and cytokine correlates, evaluation of neuroimmunological changes following treatment, and the use of proteomics for immunological assessment of these women. Support from this award would allow further development, pursuit of funding, and implementation of these projects. Dr. Reed's research experience, ongoing investigations, and mentoring experience provide the context for this expanded program of study, vulvodynia research, and personal and departmental mentoring.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
Project #
5K24HD043076-02
Application #
6775743
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
Parrott, Estella C
Project Start
2003-07-11
Project End
2008-04-30
Budget Start
2004-05-01
Budget End
2005-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$130,505
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Family Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
073133571
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109