Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers In Women's Health Research Articles

Leadership Development in Early Career Scientists: Themes and Feedback from Executive Coaching and Mindful Leadership Training.

Background: Career development is essential for all academic stages, but particularly critical for the growth and retention of early career scientists. In addition to scientific technical training, professional skill development is crucial for the upward transition from postdoctoral trainee to early faculty member and beyond. Building leadership skills, specifically, is an important component of professional development, and the evaluation and reporting of professional development are important to improve and enhance the impact of programs. Methods: The purpose of this article is to share the program evaluation performed on leadership development activities, including executive coaching and mindful leadership training provided to a small group of early career scientists who participated in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) in Sex Differences Career Enhancement Core and Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) K12 programs during 2020-2022. Results: Eighty-seven percent of participants rated their satisfaction with the executive coaching program as "Very Satisfied" or "Satisfied," and 75% of participants were "Very Satisfied" or "Satisfied" with the mindful leadership training program. The findings of this program evaluation highlight the value of communication skills for navigating precarious situations, building self-efficacy and intentionality in making and holding boundaries for an individual's time and energy. Further, the individualized small group format of the activities allowed for deeper introspection and peer to peer connection. Conclusion: The identification of common themes within the Mayo Clinic program provides guidance to other academic environments on areas where they can support their early career scientists.

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2022 Annual BIRCWH Meeting:Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 2, 2022

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2022 Annual BIRCWH Meeting:Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 2, 2022

1173-P: Metabolomic Signatures of Refined Grains Intake and Risk of Gestational Diabetes

Previous studies linked refined grains intake to risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) ; however, the underlying mechanisms remain understudied. We aimed to identify and validate refined grains-related metabolites as biomarkers for GDM. In a nested case-control study of 91 women with GDM and 180 non-GDM controls (discovery set) in the Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS) cohort, we assessed dietary intake of refined grains by a validated food frequency questionnaire and measured fasting serum untargeted metabolomics at gestational weeks (GW) 10-13. We identified metabolites associated with refined grains intake using multivariable linear regression and examined prospective associations of refined grains-related metabolites at GW 10-13 with risk of GDM in later pregnancy using conditional logistic regression. We further examined incremental predictivity of refined grains-related metabolites selected by 10-fold cross-validated LASSO regression beyond conventional risk factors in the discovery set and a random PETALS subsample (38 GDM, 336 non-GDM) as the validation set. Among 821 known metabolites, 42 (mostly lipids/lipid-like molecules and organic oxygen/acids compounds) were associated with refined grains intake in early pregnancy, of which 17 were significantly associated with GDM risk (all FDR < 0.05) . Adding seven out of 17 metabolites selected by LASSO regression to a conventional risk factor-based prediction model increased the C-statistic from 0.71 (95% CI 0.64-0.77) to 0.77 (0.71-0.83) ; P-for-difference < 0.05. Similar improvement was observed in the validation set [0.77 (0.69-0.86) to 0.81 (0.74-0.89) ; P-for-difference < 0.05]. Refined grains intake may be associated with risk of GDM via perturbed metabolic pathways of glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids. Refined grains-related metabolites might help improve prediction of GDM risk and inform diet-related preventive strategies. Further validation studies are warranted. Disclosure Y.Zhu: None. S.Zheng: None. A.Ngo: None. R.F.Chehab: None. E.Z.Wang: None. O.Fiehn: None. A.Ferrara: n/a. Funding National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program (K12HD052163) ; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K01DK120807)

105-OR: Microbiome-Derived Metabolite Signatures in Early- to Midpregnancy for Risk of Gestational Diabetes (GDM)

Pre-diagnostic disturbances in gut microbiome and metabolome have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes in non-pregnant populations. However, such prospective studies in pregnant women are scant. We aimed to develop and validate microbiome-derived metabolite predictive markers in early to mid-pregnancy for GDM. We designed a nested case-control study (91 GDM, 180 non-GDM; discovery set) and a random subsample (42 GDM, 372 non-GDM; validation set 1) from the PETALS cohort, and a case-control study from the GLOW trial (35 GDM, 70 non-GDM; validation set 2) . We collected fasting serum untargeted metabolomics data at gestational weeks (GW) 10-13 and 16-by gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) , liquid chromatography (LC) /quadrupole TOF-MS, and hydrophilic interaction LC/quadrupole TOF-MS. Among 1167 annotated metabolites, 193 microbiome-derived metabolites were identified from the Virtual Metabolic Human Database. Multivariate enrichment analysis examined metabolite-GDM associations. Ten-fold cross-validated LASSO prediction models identified metabolite signatures for GDM. At GW 10-13, the branched-chain amino acids cluster was marginally, positively associated with GDM risk (FDR = 0.073) . At GW 16-19, the ceramides, pyridines, pyrimidine nucleosides, and unsaturated fatty acids clusters were significantly, positively associated with GDM risk (all FDR <0.05) . A 38-metabolite panel at GW 10-13 outperformed the model using conventional risk factors including fasting glucose (discovery AUC: 0.915 vs. 0.743; validation 1: 0.865 vs. 0.731; validation 2: 0.970 vs. 0.742; P <0.01) . Similar results were observed for a 21-metabolite panel at GW 16- (discovery AUC: 0.842 vs. 0.760; validation 1: 0.840 vs. 0.774; P <0.01) . Panels of microbiome-derived metabolites in early to mid-pregnancy can predict GDM risk beyond conventional risk factors, suggesting the role of microbiome-metabolome-host interactions in GDM. Disclosure Y.Zhu: None. S.Susarla: None. D.Barupal: None. A.Ngo: None. R.F.Chehab: None. O.Fiehn: None. A.Ferrara: n/a. Funding National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program (K12HD052163) ; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K01DK120807)

Bibliometric Approach to Evaluating the Impact of a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health K12 Research Career Development Program.

Background: Mentored research career development programs are excellent training opportunities for junior faculty/early-stage investigators to transition into independent research careers. However, there is limited evidence that provides guidance on best practices for measuring the impact and reach of these programs, both for individual Scholars and the program as a whole. This article evaluates both the individual and overall impact of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) National Institutes of Health research career development award at the University of Minnesota. Materials and Methods: BIRCWH Scholars (n = 16) and a comparison group (n = 17) were evaluated on traditional metrics (e.g., publications, grant funding) in addition to bibliometrics (e.g., network growth, interdisciplinary collaborations, international reach, policy impact). Results: Traditional metric findings showed that BIRCWH Scholars had significantly more publications from pre- to post-BIRCWH experience than the comparison group and more grant funding. Bibliometric findings showed exponential network growth, interdisciplinary collaborations, international citations, and policy impact from pre- to post-BIRCWH Scholar experience. Conclusion: Findings from this evaluation have potential important implications. At the Scholar level, the results can be used to provide evidence of research impact in materials developed for merit review and promotion as well as in job and research grant applications. At the program level, the results can be used at the institutional level to gain broad administrative support and leverage additional funds for program activities and for evidence of program success for continuation funding from federal agencies.

Detecting cardiomyopathies in pregnancy and the postpartum period using ECG

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been identified as a major threat to maternal health in the US and UK with cardiomyopathy being one of the most common acquired CVD in the pregnant and postpartum period. Diagnosing cardiomyopathy in pregnancy is challenging due to an overlap of cardiovascular symptoms with normal pregnancy symptoms. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an ECG based deep learning model in identifying cardiomyopathy among pregnant and postpartum women. Methods We utilized an ECG based deep learning model to detect cardiomyopathy in a cohort of pregnant or postpartum women seen at multiple hospital sites. Model performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. We compared the diagnostic probabilities of the deep learning model with natriuretic peptides and a multivariable model consisting of demographic and clinical parameters. Results 1,807 women were included. 7%, 10% and 13% had LVEF ≤35%, <45% and <50% respectively. The ECG based deep learning model identified cardiomyopathy with an AUC of 0.92 for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, 0.89 for LVEF <45% and 0.87 for LVEF <50%. For LVEF ≤35%, AUC was higher in Black (0.95) and Hispanic (0.98) women compared to white (0.91). Natriuretic peptides and the multivariable model had AUCs of 0.85 and 0.72 respectively. Conclusions A deep learning model effectively identifies cardiomyopathy in pregnant or postpartum women, outperforms natriuretic peptides and traditional clinical parameters with the potential to become a powerful initial screening tool for cardiomyopathy in the obstetric care setting. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): This study was made possible using resources supported by the Mayo Clinic Women's Health Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number K12 HD065987. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Detecting cardiomyopathies in pregnancy and the postpartum period using ECG

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been identified as a major threat to maternal health in the US and UK with cardiomyopathy being one of the most common acquired CVD in the pregnant and postpartum period. Diagnosing cardiomyopathy in pregnancy is challenging due to an overlap of cardiovascular symptoms with normal pregnancy symptoms. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an ECG based deep learning model in identifying cardiomyopathy among pregnant and postpartum women. Methods We utilized an ECG based deep learning model to detect cardiomyopathy in a cohort of pregnant or postpartum women seen at multiple hospital sites. Model performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. We compared the diagnostic probabilities of the deep learning model with natriuretic peptides and a multivariable model consisting of demographic and clinical parameters. Results 1,807 women were included. 7%, 10% and 13% had LVEF ≤35%, <45% and <50% respectively. The ECG based deep learning model identified cardiomyopathy with an AUC of 0.92 for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, 0.89 for LVEF <45% and 0.87 for LVEF <50%. For LVEF ≤35%, AUC was higher in Black (0.95) and Hispanic (0.98) women compared to white (0.91). Natriuretic peptides and the multivariable model had AUCs of 0.85 and 0.72 respectively. Conclusions A deep learning model effectively identifies cardiomyopathy in pregnant or postpartum women, outperforms natriuretic peptides and traditional clinical parameters with the potential to become a powerful initial screening tool for cardiomyopathy in the obstetric care setting. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): This study was made possible using resources supported by the Mayo Clinic Women's Health Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number K12 HD065987. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Contributors to Independent Research Funding Success from the Perspective of K12 BIRCWH Program Directors

Faculty training awards are an important means of advancing early career faculty in research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) is a long-running K12 career development program and has been integral in promoting the research success of faculty nationally. We surveyed BIRCWH program directors to understand factors likely to influence long-term research careers and funding success. We developed an online survey containing open-ended questions about individual and programmatic attributes and activities that promote success in achieving independent research funding. Domains of interest included: 1) strategies for funding success; 2) traits for predicting success; 3) groups considered vulnerable to attrition; and 4) existing resources and means of support. Fifteen institutions (75%) were included in the final analysis. Passion for research, persistence, resilience, and strong mentorship relationships were identified by all directors as factors important to scholar success. Responses also revealed an important pattern: program directors attributed attrition either to individual or organizational characteristics. This distinction has meaningful consequences for framing efforts to diminish attrition. Faculty who were clinicians, women, parents and underrepresented minorities were identified as vulnerable to attrition from the research careers. Common perceived challenges in these groups included isolation/feeling alienated, juggling numerous priorities, inadequate research time, lack of role models, and work-life balance issues. K12 BIRCWH directors identified persistence and resilience and developing community, networks, and other support opportunities as elements of scholar success. Programs and mentors can help early career faculty by teaching skills and providing tools they can use to maximize the value of these opportunities and expand their mentees' research relationships. Our study also highlights the importance of social factors, particularly isolation, on clinicians, women, and minoritized scholars on career success.

Educating the Scientific Workforce on Sex and Gender Considerations in Research: A National Scan of the Literature and Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Programs.

Background: This study was a national scan of education resources on integrating sex and gender considerations into research. The purpose was to assess capacity for educating researchers and to identify gaps, with implications for implementation of guidelines or mandates to consider sex and gender differences in research. Information sources were U.S. training programs in women's health and sex/gender difference research, Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH), and published peer-reviewed biomedical literature. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study used multiple methods: a national survey and a comprehensive literature review. BIRCWH leaders responded to a survey regarding education on sex/gender difference research for BIRCWH scholars (response rate 100%, 20 of 20). A comprehensive literature review was conducted for 1993-2018. Results: Nearly half (45%) of BIRCWH institutions offered education on integrating sex or gender differences in clinical translational research; of those, roughly half (54%) offered in-person training and one-third (31%) offered content within existing for-credit courses. Respondents preferred online training (84%) to in-person offerings or reference materials (47% and 42% respectively). Published indexed literature on sex or gender differences has quadrupled since 1993, although growth in these publications remained flat in the most recent six years. Conclusions: Published resources to educate researchers on integrating sex and gender differences into medical research have increased, and BIRCWH programs connect scholars to national resources. Educational gaps remain due to limited access to curricula on applied research approaches, design, and methods for sex/gender difference research. BIRCWH programs desire curricula that are easily accessible online and asynchronously; sanctioned and supported by national thought leaders; linked to required training such as rigor and reproducibility; foster collaboration; and offer practical applications. Evidence-based, high-quality educational curricula and a dissemination plan are needed to enhance the adoption and integration of sex and gender into scientific endeavors.

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2018 Annual BIRCWH Meeting – Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 28, 2018

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2018 Annual BIRCWH Meeting – Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 28, 2018

Process Evaluation for Improving K12 Program Effectiveness: Case Study of a National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Research Career Development Program.

Process evaluation is an important tool in quality improvement efforts. This article illustrates how a systematic and continuous evaluation process can be used to improve the quality of faculty career development programs by using the University of Minnesota's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) K12 program as an exemplar. Data from a rigorous process evaluation incorporating quantitative and qualitative measurements were analyzed and reviewed by the BIRCWH program leadership on a regular basis. Examples are provided of how this evaluation model and processes were used to improve many aspects of the program, thereby improving scholar, mentor, and advisory committee members' satisfaction and scholar outcomes. A rigorous evaluation plan can increase the effectiveness and impact of a research career development plan.

Team Mentoring for Interdisciplinary Team Science: Lessons From K12 Scholars and Directors.

Mentoring is critical for academic success. As science transitions to a team science model, team mentoring may have advantages. The goal of this study was to understand the process, benefits, and challenges of team mentoring relating to career development and research. A national survey was conducted of Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program directors-current and former scholars from 27 active National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded BIRCWH NIH K12 programs-to characterize and understand the value and challenges of the team approach to mentoring. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Responses were received from 25/27 (93%) program directors, 78/108 (72%) current scholars, and 91/162 (56%) former scholars. Scholars reported that team mentoring was beneficial to their career development (152/169; 90%) and research (148/169; 88%). Reported advantages included a diversity of opinions, expanded networking, development of stronger study designs, and modeling of different career paths. Challenges included scheduling and managing conflicting opinions. Advice by directors offered to junior faculty entering team mentoring included the following: not to be intimidated by senior mentors, be willing to navigate conflicting advice, be proactive about scheduling and guiding discussions, have an open mind to different approaches, be explicit about expectations and mentors' roles (including importance of having a primary mentor to help navigate discussions), and meet in person as a team. These findings suggest that interdisciplinary/interprofessional team mentoring has many important advantages, but that skills are required to optimally utilize multiple perspectives.

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's HealthTenth Annual Interdisciplinary Women's Health Research SymposiumOctober 24, 2013

The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) initiated its signature research and career development programs in women's health based on a paradigm that views interdisciplinary approaches as essential to moving forward the science associated with women's health and to increasing understanding of the contributions of sex and gender factors to human health and disease. From the beginning it was hoped that supporting interdisciplinary research efforts and building a cadre of interdisciplinary women's health researchers would help to reduce the fragmented approach to women's health issues and encourage more comprehensive, integrated approaches to women's health and new ways of evaluating those who conduct such research. ORWH supports innovative ways to encourage collaborative, interdisciplinary research that is team based to improve women's health through two major initiatives, the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program and the Specialized Centers of Research (SCOR) on Sex Differences. The BIRCWH program was first funded in 2000, and the SCOR center was first funded in 2002. Both programs were expanded in fiscal year 2012 as part of the implementation of the 2010 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Strategic Plan for Women's Health Research, A Vision for 2020 for Women's Health Research (http://orwh.od.nih.gov/resources/policyreports/index.asp).

Building the Women's Health Research Workforce: Fostering Interdisciplinary Research Approaches in Women's Health

Background:The Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program is a mentored institutional research career development program developed to support and foster the interdisciplinary research careers of men and women junior faculty in women's health and sex/gender factors. The number of scholars who apply for and receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) research or career development grants is one proximate indicator of whether the BIRCWH program is being successful in achieving its goals.Primary Study Objective:To present descriptive data on one metric of scholar performance—NIH grant application and funding rates.Methods/Design:Grant applications were counted if the start date was 12 months or more after the scholar's BIRCWH start date. Two types of measures were used for the outcome of interest—person-based funding rates and application-based success rates.Main Outcome Measures:Grant application, person funding, and application success rates.Results:Four hundred and ninety-three scholars had participated in BIRCWH as of November 1, 2012. Seventy-nine percent of BIRCWH scholars who completed training had applied for at least one competitive NIH grant, and 64% of those who applied had received at least one grant award. Approximately 68% of completed scholars applied for at least one research grant, and about half of those who applied were successful in obtaining at least one research award. Men and women had similar person funding rates, but women had higher application success rates for RoI grants.Limitations:Data were calculated for all scholars across a series of years; many variables can influence person funding and application success rates beyond the BIRCWH program; and lack of an appropriate comparison group is another substantial limitation to this analysis.Conclusion:Our results suggest that the BIRCWH program has been successful in bridging advanced training with establishing independent research careers for scholars.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes was launched in 1994, with Obesity added to the title in 2007. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of endocrinology and diabetes are divided into 12 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce one of the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Peter A GottliebPeter A GottliebDr Gottlieb was born in Havana, Cuba, but at age 2 moved to New Jersey, USA, where he grew up. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, he attended UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, USA, from which he graduated in 1984. Dr Gottlieb completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA and then continued his fellowship training in endocrinology and metabolism there as well. In 1990, after completing his fellowship, he moved to the Weizmann Institute in Israel to do post-doctoral training in T cell immunology. After surviving Gulf War I, he returned to University of Massachusetts Medical School and joined the staff as Clinical Director of Diabetes. He subsequently joined the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, USA, in 1995, where he is now a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and the Director of the Translational Research Unit at the Barbara Davis Center. He has authored, co-authored and collaborated on more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as several book chapters and served as section editor for several journal editions. His research areas of interest include the immunology of type 1 diabetes, intervention trials to prevent or reverse type 1 diabetes, islet transplantation and the genetics of autoimmune disease. He had led several multi-center trials in new onset type 1 diabetes and is an active member of the Steering Committee for Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and the Immune Tolerance Network, both NIH sponsored trial groups. Whitney WoodmanseeWhitney WoodmanseeDr Whitney Woodmansee is Director of the Clinical Neuroendocrine Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Dr Woodmansee received her medical degree and completed her clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) in Denver, Colorado, USA. After completing her training, she joined the faculty at UCHSC in 1999 where she performed basic science research in the neuroendocrine field, as well as directed the Pituitary Disorders Program. She currently manages an active clinical practice caring for patients with pituitary disorders as a member of the Brigham and Women's Hospital's multi-disciplinary Pituitary/Neuroendocrine Center. She also directs the Dynamic Endocrine Testing Unit at her hospital. Dr Woodmansee has more recently shifted her research efforts from understanding the molecular biology of the pituitary to more clinical studies, and has a particular interest in the management of hypopituitarism. Ursula KaiserUrsula KaiserDr Ursula Kaiser is Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Dr Kaiser received her medical degree and completed her clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology at University of Toronto School of Medicine in Canada. She joined the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1990 as a Research Fellow in Medicine and joined the faculty in 1993. She established a multidisciplinary neuroendocrine program in 1998 and has an active clinical practice managing patients with pituitary disorders. She was appointed to her current position as Chief of Endocrinology in 2007. Dr Kaiser has an active research program, supported continuously by the NIH for over fifteen years, focused on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroendocrine regulation of reproductive development and function. She is the Associate Director of the Harvard Reproductive Endocrine Sciences Center and the Program Director of a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program to train junior faculty in women's health research. She is currently Vice-President (basic science) of The Endocrine Society.

Best Practices and Pearls in Interdisciplinary Mentoring from Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Directors

Increasingly, national programs and leaders are looking at interdisciplinary collaborations as essential to future research. Twelve years ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) developed and implemented the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) K12 program to focus on interdisciplinary mentored career development for junior faculty in women's health research. We applied a mixed-methods approach using an electronic survey and in-person presentations and discussions to understand best practices and lessons learned for interdisciplinary mentoring across BIRCWH K12 program leaders. We received responses from all 29 active BIRCWH programs. Factors associated with success included ensuring sufficient protected time for regular (weekly or biweekly) mentoring; mentors promoting the research independence of the Scholar; a team mentoring approach, including career as well as content mentors; and explicit and clear expectations outlined between the Scholar and mentor. The majority of programs conduct formal evaluations of mentorship, and 79% of programs offer training in mentorship for either Scholars, mentors, or both. This article presents program leaders' best practices, challenges, and lessons learned from mentoring junior faculty who are conducting women's health research, whether basic, clinical, behavioral, translational, or health services research, using an interdisciplinary mentoring approach.

Interdisciplinary Research Career Development: Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Program Best Practices

The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes and Centers and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) have sponsored an interdisciplinary research career development program in five funding cycles since 2000 through a K12 mechanism titled "Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH)." As of 2010, 407 scholars have been supported in interdisciplinary women's health research and a total of 63 BIRCWH program awards have been made to 41 institutions across the U.S. In an effort to share practical approaches to interdisciplinary research training, currently funded BIRCWH sites were invited to submit 300-word bullet-point style summaries describing their best practices in interdisciplinary research training following a common format with an emphasis on practices that are innovative, can be reproduced in other places, and advance women's health research. Twenty-six program narratives provide unique perspectives along with common elements and themes in interdisciplinary research training best practices.

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Poster Abstracts

Journal of Women's HealthVol. 17, No. 8 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Poster AbstractsPublished Online:25 Sep 2008https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2008.AC03AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 8Oct 2008 Information© 2008 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Poster Abstracts.Journal of Women's Health.Oct 2008.1229-1246.http://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2008.AC03Published in Volume: 17 Issue 8: September 25, 2008PDF download

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Poster Abstracts

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Poster Abstracts

Opportunities And Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research Career Development: Implementation of A Women's Health Research Training Program

A key component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research is the development of interdisciplinary research teams. How best to teach and foster interdisciplinary research skills has not been determined. An effort at promoting interdisciplinary research was initiated by the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at NIH in 1999. The following year, 12 academic centers were funded to support 56 scholar positions for 2-5 years under Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH). A second cohort of 12 centers, called BIRCWH II, was funded in 2002. In this paper, we present the experience of the University of Michigan BIRCWH program, including a practical approach to dealing with the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary research training. Scholars are mentored not only by their primary research advisor but also by a three-person mentor team as well as by their peers. All scholars and a core of supportive faculty meet regularly to discuss interdisciplinary research career development and approaches to apply knowledge in new ways. Of the original cohort of 10 scholars at the University of Michigan, 7 have achieved independent research funding. Challenges include arranging times to meet, developing a common language and knowledge base, dealing proactively with expectations and misunderstandings, focusing on a conceptual model, and providing timely feedback.