Women's Reproductive Health Research at the University of Washington

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) program, an early career development program for obstetrician gynecologists, was established at the University of Washington (UW) in 1998. The aim of the UW WRHR program is to foster the education, training and scientific development of obstetrician gynecologists who demonstrate clear research potential and who are committed to a career in academic medicine. Our long-term goal is to improve women’s health and all those who seek Ob/Gyn care. The program has successfully trained 14 individuals, with 2 scholars currently in training. This proposal describes a plan for continuation of the UW WRHR program. Our goal is to provide research training and mentorship tailored to specific interests enabling early career physicians to establish their research programs and become independent scientific investigators. Our WRHR career development training program consists of an intensive multidisciplinary mentored experience for 2-5 years with 2 positions available per year. During this period, a scholar devotes at least 75% of their time to research. We aim to recruit individuals to our WRHR Program from other institutions and from under-represented backgrounds. The UW WRHR encourages cross-disciplinary research and is designed to provide training environments that create optimal growth opportunities for academic researchers. We have a distinguished group of 24 mentors with a wide spectrum of research expertise from genomics to global health and beyond. Our scholars incorporate these skills into research centered in obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s reproductive health. Program strengths include reproductive immunology, infectious disease, genetics, molecular biology, bioengineering, disease prevention, health care disparities, prematurity and global health. Through partnerships with outstanding scientists in disciplines that lie outside of the traditional boundaries of obstetrics and gynecology, our scholars have the greatest opportunity to achieve their scientific potential, build unique and successful interdisciplinary careers, and advance the health and well-being of women and their families. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the School of Medicine at UW are prepared to make major commitments to support continuation of the UW WRHR program to positively impact the health of women and all those that seek Ob/Gyn care around the globe.