Two BIRCWH Scholars Receive OVCR Funding!

Two of our BIRCWH scholars recently received a Campus Research Board (CRB) grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research (OVCR) at the University of Illinois at Chicago to fund novel women's health research initiatives:

Dr. Kirstie Danielson received a grant for her proposal titled, "Role of the Bone Hormone Osteocalcin in Type 1 Diabetes and Islet Transplantation," which aims to determine whether a biomarker called blood osteocalcin is related to lower blood glucose levels. The biomarker osteocalcin is thought to predict better response to insulin therapy and beta-cell transplant, key treatments in the management of type 1 diabetes, particularly among women. Results from Dr. Danielson's work will have a clear impact on type 1 diabetes management for the many women affected by the disease.

Dr. Leah Rubin received a CRB grant from OVCR for her proposal titled, "A pilot study: Sex differences in cognitive response to a hydrocortisone challenge in HIV." Dr. Rubin's grant will build upon her previous work in this field, which seeks to determine the role of cortisol, a stress hormone, on cognition, particularly among HIV positive women. Dr. Rubin's novel work proposes that stress can negatively impact cognition in HIV positive women. Research has demonstrated that even among healthy men and women there is a notable difference in stress response, and healthy women have been shown to be more vulnerable than healthy men to the cognitive effects of cortisol. By expanding upon this prior work, Dr. Rubin will advance both basic science research and practice guidelines for HIV positive women.

Congratulations, Dr. Danielson and Dr. Rubin, for your continued success as women's health scholars and researchers!