Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health - The Tulane BIRCWH long-term goals are to increase the number of highly trained, culturally competent, independent, interdisciplinary investigators in Women’s Health with an emphasis on Sex Differences research across the lifespan in the fields of CVD, ID, and NS. To achieve this goal, we will undertake the aims outlined below, and to ensure that those objectives will be met, we will actively foster an institutional environment that promotes collaborations and interdisciplinary work, including alliances with traditionally non-research focused entities (i.e., Xavier University). Our specific aims for Tulane BIRCWH 5 are as follows: Aim 1: Recruit outstanding junior faculty committed to research careers in women’s health and advancement of research in sex influences on health & disease. We will build on our past success in mentoring junior faculty to showcase Tulane as an excellent environment for researchers of any background to pursue research in women's health and in understanding sex differences. Aim 2: Provide an individually tailored career development program that is based on the Scholar’s prior research training and research interest. Our approach will build on excellent didactic training from a broad selection of graduate programs in Tulane’s SOM, SPH, SSE, and SSW, BIRCWH-specific seminars, writing retreats, leadership coaching workshops, institutional resources for faculty development, responsible conduct in research (RCR) training (including R2T and sex as a biologic variable), and mentored research that encompasses scientific progress and professional development. Aim 3: Enhance structures and practices to effectively bridge completion of training with an independent, interdisciplinary scientific career focused on sex differences. The strategy will be to assure that scholars' time is not just protected, but thoughtfully structured for both didactic learning and research training such that the program will ultimately produce exceedingly competent junior faculty who will achieve research independence. To further support this, we will also take the following approaches: • Provide formal mentor training not only for BIRCWH Mentors but also BIRCWH Scholars to support effective engagement of post-doctorates, students, & research staff in high quality team- based research. • Enhance availability and integration of institutional resources that support faculty development and mentoring as an essential component of building career success with a focus on team science. • Increase the number of academic publications, scientific presentations and grants with a focus on women and sex differences in CVD, ID, and NS. • Establish both institutional and individual renown, nationally and internationally, for the BIRCWH Program’s findings on sex differences and CVD, ID, and NS by assuring that our scholars have every opportunity to publish and present their work in both popular and scientific forums. Aim 4: Increase the quality and quantity of women’s health and sex differences research that integrates basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, social, and/or health services research and fosters team science. In addition to training an excellent cohort of Scholars and having a lead mentor for each Scholar, we will require our Scholars to have two secondary mentors (to include expertise in basic science and clinical research) who will add to the interdisciplinary nature of their training, but might not be specifically engaged in Women's Health or Sex Differences research. We have found that Scholar interests often promote new avenues of research in mentors, and network mentoring also promotes new collaboration between mentors in women’s health and sex differences.
