Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health program support will also spur investment in early-career faculty
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Boston University a prestigious $4.5 million grant to further women’s health research and spur career growth for young investigators. The five-year award from the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH, pronounced “birch”) program, an NIH-funded research and career development initiative, will connect senior and junior faculty interested in women’s health research.
“The BIRCWH award reflects Boston University’s dual mission: to educate and empower future leaders from all sectors of society and to conduct research that advances knowledge and delivers meaningful societal impact,” says Kenneth Lutchen, BU’s vice president and associate provost for research as well as dean emeritus of the College of Engineering (ENG). “By investing in cross-disciplinary mentorship and discovery, BU is helping to drive a convergent approach necessary to address the challenges in women’s health.”
BU’s BIRCWH grant provides funding for three early-career faculty members per year to participate in a two-year program. They will perform research under the mentorship of senior BU faculty, receive individualized career development support, and participate in regular research meetings and annual conferences. Research will focus largely on addiction science; maternal and child health; and sex influences on health outcomes.
The program will be led by Professor Joyce Wong (BME, MSE) of ENG, along with Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty Emelia Benjamin and Elisha Wachman (CAMED’06). The three lead the BU Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research’s Women’s Health Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC) and say the BU BIRCWH program will boost the number of highly trained scientists tackling issues like maternal and reproductive health, as well as help disseminate more research in women’s health areas.
“Women’s health, including addressing sex-based differences in healthcare, represents one of our most critical challenges,” says Wong, a professor of biomedical engineering and of materials science and engineering whose research focuses on using bioengineering to support maternal and child health. “We are thrilled by this opportunity, because the BU BIRCWH program uniquely integrates engineering, basic science, and clinical translational medicine—perfectly aligning with BU’s mission to tackle major societal challenges. This program, together with ARC, will unite our women’s health research community to accelerate progress in this essential field.”