Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH)
About BIRCWH Heading link
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) women’s health and sex/gender-based research career development program, Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH), is an NIH-funded, K12 training grant to mentor scientists in women’s health and sex/gender-based health research. The UIC BIRCWH program trains a diverse group of junior faculty scholars, and postdoctoral fellows, to become independent women’s health or sex/gender-based research investigators. The program consists of a core and tailored curriculum, research training, mentoring (by a team of two or more senior women’s health or sex/gender-based health researchers), individualized career planning, and research projects.
Due to the success of the BIRCWH program, the Women’s Health Research (WHR) Associates program was implemented. The WHR Associates program is an internally funded program. WHR Associates receive identical tailored curricula, research training, mentoring, career development, and research projects.
LInks Heading link
Our Goals Heading link
The overall goal of the UIC BIRCWH Program is to align with the 2024-28 Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research to “promote training and careers to develop a well-trained, diverse, and robust workforce to advance science for the health of women” (NIH ORWH, 2024). Through evidence-based mentoring practices, innovative training strategies, and strong internal and external multidisciplinary collaborations, the UIC BIRCWH improves recruitment, retention, and advancement of women and URMs as scientists and academic leaders in interdisciplinary women’s health and sex/gender differences research.
Our long-term objective is to promote training and career development of a new generation of researchers equipped with the knowledge and career skills necessary to advance science for the health of women in the next decade and beyond. We are based in the UI College of Medicine, but draw on the interdisciplinary strengths of UIC’s seven health colleges.
Historically, the number of NIH slots permitted to the UIC BIRCWH has been insufficient to meet demand. The program has its origins in the UIC’s K12 NIH-funded Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program. The goal of the program is to train a cadre of junior faculty to advance women’s health and sex/gender-based science. The College of Medicine Dean’s Office and the Scholar’s department provide funding to support the Scholar’s independent research program, including protected time and a research stipend. The Women’s Health Research Scholars Program uses a team- and peer-based mentoring approach to achieve the goal of submitting a K- or R-level NIH grant at the end of the training period.
Our Scholars Heading link
Initially funded in 2007, the UIC BIRCWH program has fostered the academic careers of 25 faculty Scholars and one postdoctoral Trainee, including 35% under-represented minorities (URM). The companion program Women’s Health Research (WHR) Associates Program has supported 11 Associates (38% URM).
BIRCWH Application Heading link
The University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) women’s health and sex/gender-based research career development program, Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH), is an NIH-funded K12 training grant to mentor scientists in women’s health and sex/gender-based health research. During the funding period, the UIC BIRCWH program will train junior faculty BIRCWH scholars to become independent women’s health or sex/gender-based research investigators.
The program consists of a core and tailored curriculum, research training, mentoring (by a team of two or more senior women’s health or sex/gender-based health researchers), individualized career planning, and a research project. Scholars include a diverse group of junior faculty members who focus on research in alignment with the 2019-2023 Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research.
Core Activities:
Scholars are required to devote 75% of professional effort to program activities including research, core and tailored curricula, and other BIRCWH program activities. Surgeons are required to devote 50% of professional effort to these activities.
The BIRCWH program will fund 75% of the scholar’s salary (50% for surgeons), up to a maximum of $100,000.00/year (salary plus fringe benefits) for a minimum of two years conditional upon meeting program requirements. The program will also fund $35,000 annually in research support. The scholar’s college and/or department will be responsible for the remaining 25% of salary. Additionally, the dean of each scholar’s college will be asked to commit $25,000 in career development funds annually to their scholar in the BIRCWH program.
If you have any questions, please contact Pauline Maki, PhD at pmaki1@uic.edu and Irina Buhimschi, MD at irina@uic.edu.
Program Leadership Heading link
Pauline M. Maki
Irina A. Buhimschi
More info Heading link
Program Coordinator
Willow Alber-Martin
walber3@uic.edu
Source of Support: National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.