The purpose of this Mid-career Investigator Award in Clinical Research is to provide John Owen, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with sufficient protected time to 1) continue and expand his ongoing clinical research activities including serving as the principal investigator of a funded U01 multicenter randomized trial of cerclage for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth; 2) enhance his capabilities as a mentor and educator, especially through the completion of an MPH in Clinical Research and receipt of a dual appointment in the Department of Biostatistics at UAB; and 3) continue to identify and train academically focused individuals through research initiatives in the Ob/Gyn residency and particularly through his position as the Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship program director at UAB. The focus of his new skills acquisition will be the completion of an MPH in Clinical Research in a novel post-graduate program recently introduced jointly by the schools of Public Health and Biostatistics. It specifically addresses recent NIH goals to expand the pool of qualified clinical investigators by combining selected aspects of both the Biostatistics and Public Health curricula, offering a broader and more pragmatic educational experience. With this advanced degree, Dr. Owen can be assured of a dual appointment in the School of Biostatistics and will assume a formal, ongoing teaching commitment in this valuable program. Moreover, as the P.I. of a recently funded U01 grant to conduct a multicenter randomized trial of cerclage in high-risk women with shortened mid-trimester cervical length, he will be in a strategic position to launch a similar trial in women with multiple gestation and also to receive funding for the analysis of the biologic fluid bank planned as part of the randomized trial. This will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth and also provide the basis for multiple research projects through which Dr. Owen can collaborate with and thereby train other young investigators. In summary, the above-stated initiatives, coupled with his position as the director of both the Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship and the obstetric in-patient research unit at UAB, and secured by the Mid-career Investigator Award, will ensure that his education and experience will be propagated by continuously fostering other research careers.
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