WashU-WRHR; Gateway to Improving Women's Reproductive Health

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Our goal in this new WRHR is to leverage the significant resources, mentorship, and track record of successful physician-scientists within WashU and the Department of OB/GYN to train and promote the development of future leaders in interdisciplinary research in women's reproductive health. The WashU WRHR program will have three core content themes – 1) Pregnancy and pregnancy complications, 2) Gynecologic cancer, and 3) Benign gynecology and reproductive health – and four methodologic tracks: 1) Clinical trials and epidemiology, 2) Implementation science, 3) Basic and translational science, and 4) Engineering and data analytics. This program, designed with input from successful OB/GYN physician-scientists who launched their careers at WashU, will allow the WRHR Scholars to immerse themselves in reproductive sciences and use the skills and knowledge of diverse scientific disciplines to conduct rigorous, high-impact research aimed at improving women's reproductive health. We will accomplish our goal by pursuing the following four objectives: 1) Provide robust interdisciplinary research experiences in women’s reproductive health. Each Scholar, with the guidance of Mentors, the Program Director (PD), and the Research Director (RD), will design a research project centered in one of our three core content themes. The Scholars' research projects will be the foundation for subsequent grant proposals as independent investigators directing research teams. 2) Provide effective mentoring to promote Scholars’ retention and productivity. Each Scholar will have an interdisciplinary mentor team that includes a primary mentor and at least two secondary extra-disciplinary and external mentors. The mentors, PD, and RD will guide the Scholars to understand research and the research landscape, develop critical assessment skills, ask creative questions, and identify and overcome challenges. The PD and RD will regularly monitor each Scholar’s progress, provide feedback to overcome obstacles to success, and work to retain them in the pursuit of women’s reproductive health research. 3) Provide formal didactic training and professional development opportunities. We will help each Scholar choose the most relevant discipline-specific courses, seminars, and symposia within one of our four methodologic tracks. Additionally, all Scholars will participate in core professional development programs and peer networking to master essential research execution, management, and leadership skills. And 4) Rigorously and comprehensively evaluate and improve our program. The Advisory Committee will annually use milestone tracking to evaluate each Scholar and the program as a whole. Additionally, WashU-WRHR leaders will participate in the WashU Council of NIH-funded Training programs to learn and share best practices, exchange ideas, and work to continually enhance our program.