Although it is now apparent that the incidence and symptoms of diseases, as well as responses to treatments, are different between males and females, sex- and gender-related research remains a persistently understudied, yet vitally important, component of health research. These differences extend to laboratory animals and even to cell lines in bench research. The Utah Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Career Development Program (Utah BIRCWH Program) will provide University of Utah junior faculty members with mentored research experiences that will focus the sex and gender lens on their discovery, translational, and clinical research training. The Utah BIRCWH Program will provide a bridge to research independence and will create a cadre of independent scientists addressing clinically important women's health issues. The Utah BIRCWH Program will focus outside the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology to draw Scholars from across the University, its CTSA affiliated institutions, and across the nation. BIRCWH Program mentors will come from research communities across the campuses of the University and also our CTSA partner institutions (Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake VA, Utah Department of Health). We will leverage the Vice-President's Clinical and Translational science (VP-CAT), an established and highly successful academic career development program. The VP-CAT program (and its administrative predecessor) has had 46 consecutive graduates transition to extramural funding and obtain academic medical faculty positions. Utah BIRCWH Scholars will have full access to these successful programs. At the core of VP-CAT is the Matrix Mentoring Model (MMM). The MMM combines self-mentorship with mentorship from senior faculty, scientific experts, peers, and staff to produce unparalleled success in academic career development. The Utah BIRCWH Program's consideration of Scholar candidates from across the University campus and beyond bespeaks the multiple dimensions of women's health and the widespread interest in this Program. The Principal Investigator, PD, and Advisory Committee Chair have >50 years (between them) of mentoring experience and NIH funding and are committed to developing the next generation of multidisciplinary women's health researchers. An Advisory Committee will be formed and will meet quarterly to review Scholar's career development plans, their progress, and the contributions of their mentorship teams. The Utah BIRCWH Program will fund two Scholars at a time, with appointments anticipated to last at least two years. All Scholars will be junior faculty, having completed their clinical or graduate training within six years of their appointment. The Utah BIRCWH Program intends to have all of its graduates pursue full-time academic careers supported by peer-reviewed extramural funding and is committed to providing the resources for this success.
Although it is now apparent that the incidence and symptoms of diseases, as well as responses to treatments, are different between males and females, sex- and gender-related research remains a persistently understudied, yet vitally important, component of health research. Because the majority of medical research studies have been done in populations or biologic samples where either sex was not specified, or else in exclusively or predominantly male populations, female sex- and gender-specific data are lacking. The Utah BIRCWH Program will prepare basic, translational, and clinical research Scholars to lead research programs that can focus on outcomes in females (sex and/or gender) and that can improve women's health throughout the life course.
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