BIRCWH Supplement

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this Special Congressional Administrative Supplement is to bring on a diverse scholar from an underrepresented population to the parent Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Program. The goal of the BIRCWH Program is to provide a structured environment that promotes the development of junior faculty researchers into independent scientists with a commitment to interdisciplinary research benefitting the health and well-being of women across the lifespan. VCU is a national leader in women’s health with robust research on sex/gender influences on health, and it offers extensive and varied opportunities and support for training and research in these areas. The BIRCWH Program will recruit a promising early-career scholar from an underrepresented minority population and implement a novel, interdisciplinary mentoring approach matching the scholar with a team of mentors who bring varied perspectives to the scholar’s research and career development; design and implement a structured, personalized education and training plan to develop scholar’s knowledge about women’s health and sex/gender influences, who are proficient in study design and conduct data analysis and publication in accordance with best regulatory and ethical practices; and connect the scholar with other researchers and clinicians from across VCU, other BIRCWH Programs, and with community partners to encourage interdisciplinary, scientifically rigorous, clinically relevant research on women’s health and sex/gender differences. With a focus on the five areas of Cancer, Maternal-Child Health, Mental Health and Addiction, Neuro-Musculoskeletal Health, and Obesity and Cardiovascular Health, the program leverages the expertise of VCU’s exceptional women’s health researchers to train junior researchers in areas that are particularly relevant to women and the study of sex/gender influences on health. The VCU BIRCWH Program is directed by an interdisciplinary team of internationally acclaimed women’s health researchers and administratively housed in the VCU Institute for Women’s Health, providing an environment that supports sex/gender-focused training and research that transcends any single school or discipline. The additional scholar will receive salary support, related research and career development funds, and an individual career development plan (ICD) through the BIRCWH Program. VCU has a long-standing commitment to women’s health research and practice and a coordinated agenda to train interdisciplinary researchers. The VCU BIRCWH Program provides a unique setting to develop a new generation of interdisciplinary investigators trained to improve women’s health by better understanding the role of sex and gender in disease risk, clinical manifestations, treatment, and outcomes as well as in health and health care delivery.