Funded Programs and Principal Investigators

Created by the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in partnership with NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICO), the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH, pronounced "birch") is a mentored career-development program designed to connect junior faculty, known as BIRCWH Scholars, to senior faculty with shared interest in women's health and sex differences research. Since the program was created in 2000, more than 750 junior faculty have been part of the BIRCWH career development training from ORWH and its partners among the NIH Institutes and Centers. There are 19 active BIRCWH programs. ORWH and the NIH Institutes and Centers contribute over $15 million per year to support this career development program.

For further information on the program, visit the Career Development page about BIRCWH .

2024 Active BIRCWH Programs

Duke University: Cindy L. Amundsen, M.D.

Website: https://obgyn.duke.edu/education-and-training/bircwh-k12-program

Emory University: Ighovwerha Ofotokun, M.D., M.S.; Claire E. Sterk, Ph.D.

Website: http://www.bircwh.emory.edu/

Harvard BIRCWH: Jill M. Goldstein, Ph.D.; Kathryn Rexrode, M.D.

Website: https://www.brighamandwomens.org/medicine/womens-health/building-interdisciplinary-research-careers-in-womens-health-bircwh

Johns Hopkins University: Daniel E. Ford, M.D., M.P.H.

Website: https://ictr.johnshopkins.edu/study_team/training-education/building-interdisciplinary-research-careers-in-womens-health-bircwh-k12-award/

Magee-Womens Research Institute: Judith L. Yanowitz, Ph.D.

Website: https://mageewomens.org/for-researchers/education/bircwh

Mayo Clinic: Kejal Kantarci, M.D., M.S.

Website: https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/womens-health-research-center/education/building-interdisciplinary-research-careers-womens-health-scholar-program

Oregon Health & Science University: Leslie Myatt, Ph.D., FRCOG

Website: https://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/women/bircwh/

Tufts University: Karen M. Freund, M.D., M.P.H.; Iris Jaffe, M.D., M.P.H.

Website: https://www.tuftsctsi.org/education/k-scholar-programs/bircwh-program/

Tulane University: M.A. “Tonette” Krousel-Wood, M.D., M.S.P.H.

Website: https://sph.tulane.edu/bircwh

University of California, Davis: Nancy E. Lane, M.D.

Website: https://health.ucdavis.edu/ctsc/area/education/bircwh/index.html

University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco-Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research: Cynthia Harper, Ph.D.; Claire D. Brindis, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.

Website: https://bircwh.ucsf.edu/

University of Colorado: Judith Regensteiner, Ph.D.; Nanette F. Santoro, M.D.

Website: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/programs/bircwh/Pages/Home.aspx

University of Kentucky: Thomas E. Curry, Ph.D.; Ann L. Coker, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Website: https://obgyn.med.uky.edu/bircwh

University of Illinois at Chicago: Pauline M. Maki, Ph.D.; Irina Buhimschi, M.D.

Website: https://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/crwg/bircwh-home

University of Minnesota: Sharon S. Allen, M.D., Ph.D.; Kristen Mark, Ph.D, M.P.H.; Bharat Thyagarajan, M.D., Ph.D

Website: https://www.med.umn.edu/research/womens-health-research-program/prospective-scholar/bircwh

University of Texas Medical Branch: Abbey Berenson, M.D., M.M.S., Ph.D.

Website: https://www.utmb.edu/bircwh

University of Wisconsin–Madison: Elizabeth Burnside, M.D., M.P.H.; Lisa M. Barroilhet, M.D.; Linsey M. Steege, Ph.D.

Website: https://intranet.med.wisc.edu/faculty-affairs-and-development/faculty-central-resources/preparing-for-promotion/career-development/group-on-women-in-medicine-and-science-gwims/

Vanderbilt University: Digna R. Velez Edwards, M.D.; Amy S. Major, Ph.D.

Website: https://www.vumc.org/whr/bircwh

Virginia Commonwealth University: Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D.