BIRCWH program accepting scholar and associate applications
The University of Kentucky Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program is now accepting applications!
Applications are being accepted through March 15, 2021.
TWO Scholar positions and up to THREE Associate positions
available effective August 2021
The UK BIRCWH program is entering its 21st year as a founding NIH BIRCWH program. BIRCWH Scholars and Associates, who are selected through a competitive application process, are junior faculty from across the University of Kentucky. BIRCWH faculty are those with the interest and potential to establish their own funded research programs in women’s health.
This call for applications is for a 12 month appointment. During the 12 months, selected faculty are expected to complete training in the ethical conduct of research, participate in seminars, and set the foundation to become an established, independent researcher in women's health. In order to accomplish these goals, this NIH training grant covers 75% Scholars protected time to focus on research. Associates’ protected time for research (30-50%) is negotiated with UK Colleges. The Associate program is ideal for untenured faculty very new to UK, or those without US Citizenship/Permanent Residency.
The UK BIRCWH program offers many resources including mentorship, networking, professional and career development opportunities, and manuscript and grant writing assistance. Our goal is to support BIRCWH members on their trajectory to becoming independent and funded women’s health researchers.
BIRCWH Scholars benefit not only from the expertise and guidance of Drs. Thomas Curry, Ann Coker and Susan Smyth, but also from a cadre of faculty who mentor Scholars in five focused and interacting areas of women's health:
- Drug abuse and its relationship to sex and gender differences
- Cancer as it relates to sex and gender differences
- Hormonal regulation across a woman's lifespan
- Women's cardiovascular and endocrine health and pregnancy outcomes; and
- Prevention of gender-based violence
The BIRCWH program has also become a support group of sorts, providing regular interaction with colleagues who not only have interconnected research interests but who are also at similar points in their careers and are therefore experiencing many of the same challenges--not the least of which is how to maintain work-life balance while advancing a research career and juggling instructional and/or clinical demands.
Increased Focus on Women's Health and Sex Differences Research
The BIRCWH program constitutes one element of a broader and growing federal focus on advancing research in women's health and sex differences. The NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, which houses the BIRCWH program, was itself established 30 years ago in order to better include women and women's health in clinical research and science.
For information on the application process, please visit: https://obgyn.med.uky.edu/bircwh/application
Please contact Emily Clear (Emily.Clear@uky.edu) with any questions.