The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the NIH-funded Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program! Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, 2015, for a January 1, 2016 start date.
The overarching goal of the Johns Hopkins BIRCWH program (JH-BIRCWH) is to develop highly qualified, independent investigators to conduct women's health and sex and gender differences research. These independent investigators will be leaders now and in the future developing innovative, interdisciplinary programs of research that will improve health and social outcomes for diverse women, and also men, across their lifespan. To achieve our goal, the JH-BIRCWH will:
- Recruit promising and highly motivated junior faculty scholars from within Johns Hopkins University, with priority given to investigators from groups underrepresented in research
- Use a learner-centered and competency-based approach to interdisciplinary career development under the guidance of a team of nationally recognized, committed and experienced women's health and sex/gender differences mentors
- Develop independent, ethical women's health research leaders
During their mentored research, scholars will broaden their understanding of women's health research through the lens of a life course perspective, with particular attention to research on the health needs of diverse and high risk populations. JH-BIRCWH will highlight three core strength areas of mentored interdisciplinary research with highly experienced, nationally and internationally recognized, senior faculty active in research related to women's health or sex differences, committed to supporting and sponsoring JH BIRCWH scholars.
The three core strength areas are:
- Diseases specific to women (e.g. women¹s cancer and reproductive biology)
- Sex and gender differences in disease expression (e.g. immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and genetics)
- Social determinants of women's health and disparities (e.g. violence against women, trauma, addictions and poverty)
JH-BIRCWH scholars will be provided 75 percent protected research time for a minimum of two years with two scholars from both clinical and non-clinical areas per year. JHU is committed to supporting the transformation of scholars into independently funded, networked and lifelong ethical investigators leading interdisciplinary teams to improve women's health by advancing our understanding of sex and gender differences and health concerns unique to, more prevalent or with differential consequences in women.
Eligibility
- Scholars to be supported by the institutional career development program must be at the career level for which the planned program is intended. Scholars are expected to devote a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort during the appointment on the K12 award.
- Only U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time an offer of an award is made, are eligible for this award. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to apply for a CDA unless they have begun the process for becoming a permanent resident and expect to be admitted as a permanent resident by the earliest possible award date.
- The scholar position is a junior faculty appointment, not a fellowship.
At the time of appointment, candidates for support as BIRCWH Scholars must:
- Have a clinical doctorate or Ph.D. degree or its equivalent
- Have completed any postgraduate training normally expected for a faculty appointment in their field (including clinical or postdoctoral fellowship training, or residency if they have chosen not to sub-specialize
- Have no more than six years of research or research training experience beyond their last doctoral degree
- Identify mentors with extensive research experience
- Be able to spend at least 9 person months (or at least 6 person months for surgical-specialties) of full-time professional effort conducting research and research career development activities and participate in the program for a minimum of 24 months
- Not be or have been a PD/PI on an R01 or subproject of a Program Project (P01), Center (P50, P60, P20, P30, U54) grant, independent mentored career development (K-series) grants or other equivalent research grant awards; except for R03 and R21
In keeping with the type of mentoring and career development being provided by the K12, a scholar who is already in the process of applying for an independent mentored career development grant, P01 grant, or R01 grant is likely to be too senior for the BIRCWH
Visit https://ictrweb.johnshopkins.edu/ictr/bircwh/ for more information or to submit an application.
