Development of a Clinical Research Program in Women's Health

Abstract

Academic health centers should play a critical role in addressing the knowledge gap in women's health. This paper describes a new effort to foster a comprehensive program for women's health research, in support of the belief that continued advances in women's health research will require moving beyond the current project-specific research framework to include an institution-wide commitment to coordinate and enhance research efforts and to strengthen research capacity at all levels. To build capacity at the institutional level, the authors have organized a program of clinical investigator awards, including funding for pilot studies and gender-based analyses, as well as curricular initiatives and mentorship opportunities. To foster research productivity, particularly focusing on underserved populations, the authors' program provides research funding for community collaboration projects and organizes multidisciplinary teams to address priority health issues for women. The authors believe that this capacity-building approach is more likely than project-specific funding to foster sustained attention to women's health in all areas of research and education.