World Breastfeeding Week- August 1-7, 2013

Since 1992, the first week in August has been dedicated to celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW).  The event was founded by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) with the intention of highlighting and promoting global support for breastfeeding .  World Breastfeeding Week is supported by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The 2013 WBW theme was 'BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS' and over 175 countries participated in the WBW this year. 

The 2013 theme emphasized the importance of peer support and counseling in a mother's decision to start or continue breastfeeding.  Social support is both convenient and cost-effective.  WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until babies are at least six months old, but the Surgeon General reports that only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed after six months.  The WBW continues to expand annually and provides more knowledge about breastfeeding to women and their support systems across the globe.

Balancing Work & Life

If you are anything like the BIRCWH scholars and leadership team, you are a successful, driven, and accomplished individual. We are constantly impressed by the caliber of success from our extended team, which often leaves us wondering, "How do they do it all?" We recently held a BIRCWH seminar on the topic of "Work/Life Balance," and, based on our attendance at event, this seems to be a universal concerns across the university. Susan Johnson, MD, MS, is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology a the University of Iowa with a vested interest in Time Management. Dr. Johnsons' interests in the topic stemmed from her own struggles with time management (the headline on her website is "Just like you, I live amidst chaos). During her presentation, Dr. Johnson offered practical time management strategies, focusing on lists, calendars, email management, and planning. 

A copy of Susan Johnson's presentation from her "Work/Life Balance" seminar is available for download on the BIRCWH website. For more information about Dr. Susan Johnson, visit her personal website.

Dr. Rutherford & Colleagues Expose Harassment in Biological Anthropology

BIRCWH scholar Julienne Rutherford, along with colleagues Kate Clancy (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign), Katie Hinde (Harvard University), Robin Nelson (University of California, Riverside), was featured in Science for her recent survey of fieldwork experiences in biological anthropology. The article describes a distressing status quo- more than 20% of female bioanthropologists who took part in the survey said that they had experienced "physical sexual harassment or unwanted sexual contact." 

Dr. Rutherford and her colleagues found that most abuse happened within the team of researchers, and was usually perpetrated by someone higher in the professional hierarchy. Some researchers had even been victimized but their own fieldwork mentors. Sexual harassment in bioanthropology has yet to be addressed by any significant efforts, but hopefully this article will bring some much needed attention to the topic. 

Dr. Alicia Matthews appointed as Helen K. Grace Faculty Diversity Scholar

BIRCWH mentor Alicia Matthews, PhD, has been appointed as the inaugural Helen K. Grace Faculty Diversity Scholar for her internationally recognized work on physical and mental health disparities among members of marginalized social, groups. This award was presented by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. 

Dr. Matthews’ research focuses on examining the factors associated with physical and mental health disparities among members of marginalized social groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations, and developing tailored smoking cessation interventions for these groups. She has conducted research in the areas of cancer survivorship, cancer prevention, health care utilization, mental illness stigma, and depression. The National Cancer Institute, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Boeing Foundation have funded her research. Congratulations, Dr. Matthews! 

Dr. Thasarat Vajaranant receives the American Galucoma Society Thom J. Zimmerman, MD, PhD, Memorial Award

Congratulations to BIRCWH scholar Thasarat Vajaranant, who was named the first recipient of the “American Glaucoma Society – Thom J. Zimmerman, MD, PhD Memorial Award, Supported by Valeant Ophthalmics.” The award is in memory of Dr. Thom J. Zimmerman, Emeritus Professor and Chair of the Department of Opjtjalmology and Visual Sciences and Emeritus Professor of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Louisville, and the developer of the glaucoma medication timolol maleate (TIMOPTIC). The award consists of an unrestricted grant to support Thasarat’s clinical research study, “A Feasibility Study to Assess the Accuracy of Self-Reported Glaucoma Outcomes and Participant Interest in Ancillary Glaucoma Studies as Part of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Extension.”  The WHI is a large-scale national study cohort, providing a unique opportunity to build a large multiracial and multiethnic database regarding the genotype-phenotype influence on primary open-angle glaucoma. More information about the award is available online.  

Female Mortality Rates on the Rise in the US

A recent article examining mortality rates among females and males determined that female mortality rates have increased at exponentially higher rates in comparison to male mortality rates. The article, "Even As Mortality Fell In Most US Countries, Female Mortality Nonetheless Rose In 42.8 Percent Of Countries from 1992 To 2006," urges a focus on social and environmental determinants of health in understanding population health. The article is available for download on the UIC BIRCWH website.

Dr. Stacie Geller is named the 2012 Distinguished Research of the Year in Clinical Sciences!

Congratulations to Dr. Stacie Geller who was named the 2012 Distinguished Researcher of the Year in Clinical Sciences by the University of Illinois at Chicago. A complete description of this high honor and Dr. Geller's achievements is available at the UIC News Center.
    

Congratulations, Sadia!

Congratulations to BIRCWH scholar Sadia Haider, who gave birth to baby girl Zahra on January 8, 2013 at 6:59 am! Both mom and baby are doing well.

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!

Dr. Thasarat Vajaranant receives funding through The WHI Extension Feasibility Study

BIRCWH Scholar Dr. Thasarat Vajaranant received funding through The WHI Extension Feasibility Study Funding Program for her proposal titled “A Feasibility Study to Assess the Accuracy of Self-reported Glaucoma outcomes and Participant Interest in Participating in Ancillary Glaucoma Studies.” This study aims to test the feasibility of obtaining medical records to assess the accuracy of self-reported glaucoma outcomes and participant interest in participating in additional glaucoma studies. 

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a prevalent, chronic, blinding condition, negatively impacts general health and daily life functions among vulnerable, elderly women. Globally, women comprise the majority of individuals with glaucoma and blindness. Recent evidence suggests that specific genes, influenced by environmental exposure, contribute to POAG. POAG is more prevalent among African Americans (5.6%) and Hispanics (4.7%) compared with Whites (1.7%), but there is limited information on the gene-environment interactions among minorities. In this study, Dr. Vajaranant will test the feasibility of obtaining medical records to assess the accuracy of self-reported glaucoma outcomes and participant interest in participating in ancillary glaucoma studies. If successful, this research model could serve as a cost-effective way to examine the role of the gene-environment on POAG in the future. Greater insight into the role of gene-environment on POAG holds great potential in improving eye health and preventing a common cause among blindness that affects elderly women of all races and ethnicities. 

Congrats, Dr. Vajaranant!

Ovarian Cancer & Ovulation: Is there a link?

Former BIRCWH scholar Joanna Burdette was featured in the November 28 issue of UIC news for her work on examining the link between ovarian cancer and ovulation. While ovarian cancer remains prevalent, especially among post-menopausal women, the specific epithelial subtype responsible for disease development is not entirely known.

Dr. Burdette is exploring the relationship between the hormonal changes involved in ovulation and the development of ovarian cancer- specfically, how ovulation may impact a signaling pathway that transforms healthy cells into  cancer. Her works foucses on the development of ovarian cancer in the cells of two distinct areas: the ovarian surface and the lining of the fallopian tubes.

Dr. Burdette is accomplishing her work though the development of three-dimensional cell cultures within the laboratory, and focusing on one particular signaling molecule called Akt, which has been demonstrated to be activated in the development of ovarian cancer .

The full article, featuring an interview with Dr. Burdette, can be found online.

We continue to be impressed and inspired by our BIRCWH scholars, both present and former, and their contributions to women's health research!

What Makes a Mentor?

Here at the UIC BIRCWH program we are continually defining and revising the concept of mentorship. We utilize feedback from our scholars, mentors, and program development team in order to pinpoint our areas of success as well as areas for improvement. Mentorship is what defines our program- but what defines mentorship?

Our team of scholars and mentors recently revisited an article by Andrés Martin titled, “Ignition Sequence: On Mentorship,” which explores what mentorship is (and is not), and offers insights into how to improve modern-day mentoring. Martin describes what we have all experienced: a process that frequently takes place, but that is rarely articulated.

Why does mentorship commonly elude articulation? How can we best capture the experience of both mentoring and mentorship? Which matrices best measure effective mentoring? These are questions with undoubtedly complicated answers that we will continue to mull over, and we hope that by initiating a discussion with our colleagues we can  better define the process of mentorship, and therefore improve mentoring on a larger scale.

The full article by Andrés Martin  is available on the UIC BIRWCH website.

Welcome, Dr. Sadia Haider!

The UIC BIRCWH team is excited to announce the addition of new BIRCWH scholar Dr. Sadia Haider. Dr. Sadia Haider is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and recently joined the UIC faculty in September 2011. Dr. Haider received her MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and her Masters in Public Health in maternal and child health at Harvard School of Public Health. She then completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School in 2005 which was followed by a two year Fellowship in Contraceptive Research and Family Planning at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to her arrival at UIC, Dr. Haider worked at BIDMC, Harvard Medical School where she was the Director of the Division of Family Planning and the Ryan residency program in Family Planning from 2007 to 2011.

Dr. Haider has received foundation funding to conduct research during her fellowship and as a junior faculty which has focused on the consequences of unplanned pregnancies in the U.S. and abroad. She has conducted research in Afghanistan evaluating contraceptive practices and decision-making amongst Afghan couples and evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Mexican abortion providers. She is currently a co-investigator on a qualitative study funded by Boston Children’s Hospital evaluating adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes and use of long-acting reversible contraception and the principal investigator on a study evaluating the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary care providers in relation to adolescent contraception.
During her time as a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Haider plans to focus on the reproductive health disparities that affect adolescent women in the U.S. Her goal is to create effective strategies to prevent adolescent unintended pregnancy focusing on the complex interplay between the health care system, primary care providers and adolescent women’s perspective and behaviors. Dr. Haider plans to investigate adolescent females’ perceived barriers and enhancers in the prevention of unplanned pregnancies and provider’s perspectives on adolescent pregnancy prevention

Welcome, Dr. Bethany Everett!

The UIC BIRCWH team is excited to announce the addition of another BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Bethany Everett. Dr. Bethany Everett is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012. During her training at the University of Colorado, Dr. Everett served as a researcher at the Institute for Behavioral Sciences Population Program and was selected as Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Fenway Center for Population Research in LGBT Health. Her R03-funded dissertation research focused on the social determinants of health disparities and emphasizes the synergistic impact of individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors for shaping health behaviors and outcomes among sexual minorities. Dr. Everett’s research has also received funding the National Science Foundation and the American Psychological Foundation. As a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Everett will continue to investigate the role of social environments, discrimination, and gender expression on sexual minority women’s health behaviors and outcomes using two longitudinal data sets, the National Study of Adolescent Health and the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women.

We look forward to working with you, Bethany!

Welcome, Dr. Kirstie Danielson!

The UIC BIRCWH team is excited to announce the addition a new BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Kirstie Danielson. Dr. Danielson is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Transplant Surgery, and a departmental affiliate in the Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UIC.  She received her PhD in Population Health, with a focus in Epidemiology, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and subsequently completed postdoctoral training in Endocrinology at the University of Chicago and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UIC.  Building upon her research on interrelationships between diabetes, bone, and sex hormones in women, her goal is to establish an independent research program in diabetes epidemiology and women’s health at UIC, initially focused on two interrelated and synergistic tracks: the bidirectional association between diabetes and bone and sex-based differences in islet transplantation. For the first aim, Dr. Danielson will describe the prevalence and etiology of sex-based differences in bone fragility due to type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes; and following islet (insulin-producing cells) transplantation to cure type 1 diabetes. In light of recent experimental evidence demonstrating lack of the bone protein osteocalcin leads to diabetes in mice, she will determine whether bone metabolism is prospectively associated with the disease course in humans with type 1 diabetes and islet transplantation outcomes; and if there are sex-based differences. For the second aim, Dr. Danielson will explore whether there are sex-based differences in islet function and clinical outcomes following islet transplant to cure type 1 diabetes. Islets grow during pregnancy and estrogen enhances their function.  However, there have been no systematic comparisons of islet function in vitro and following transplant by sex of donor or recipient. 

Dr. Danielson focuses on chronic diseases because they encompass major public health challenges, and diabetes and bone fragility are examples of chronic diseases with differences in prevalence and outcomes by sex. Elucidating potential sex-based differences is critical for individualized medicine in preventing, treating, and curing chronic diseases.

Welcome, Dr. Melissa Lamar!

The UIC BIRCWH team would like to introduce our newest BIRCWH associate, Dr. Melissa Lamar. Dr. Lamar's research at UIC - including her recently funded K01 from NIH- focuses on identifying vascular risk factors disrupting neurocircuitry associated with the prefrontal cortex using novel neuroimaging markers including myelin mapping and the impact these factors have on executive dysfunction and depression in an aging population. 

  

Dr. Lamar has a long-standing interest in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying cognitive and affective dysfunction in normal and pathological aging. She has focused on structural and functional neuroimaging technologies including learned during her time at the Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP), King’s College London. Dr. Lamar focuses on experimental paradigms from both non-human primate and human lesion studies to strengthen the neuroanatomical accuracy of her work. She melds this neuroimaging approach with the Boston Process Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Lamar serves as a member of staff on the Neuropsychology Service within the Department of Psychiatry.

Welcome, Melissa, and we look forward to working with you!

Congratulations to former scholar Hyun-Young Jeong!

The BIRCWH program at UIC remains invested in our former scholars and we take great pride in their continued successes.We are excited to congratulate our former scholar Hyun-Young Jeong, PharmD, PhD, on her recent promotion to Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Biopharmaceutical Sciences.

Dr. Jeong's primary interests include regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes in livers, altered pharmacokinetics of drugs in pregnancy, and general clinical/preclinincal pharmcokinetics. Additional areas of interest include molecular pharmacology, population pharmacokinetics, and nuclear receptors. 

We wish Dr. Jeong continued success in her new role, and have great confidence in her academic future. Congratulations, Dr. Jeong, from the UIC BIRCWH community!

Sex Hormones & Brain Function: New Research from our own Dr. Pauline Maki

The majority of maturing women know first-hand about the physical symptoms of menopause and the impact of these changes on energy, mood, sleep patterns, and overall functioning. But is this the whole story on hormones and aging? 

It turns out that the impact of hormones on our bodies may extend into cognition as well. Researchers are actively studying possible links between hormones and mental functioning to determine the exact extent that our mental functioning may be impacted by fluctuating hormone levels during menopause and beyond.

Our very own UIC BIRCWH Program Director, Dr. Pauline Maki, was recently featured on an ABC Channel 7 "HealthBeat" segment to discuss her research on the effects of sex hormones and phytoestrogens on cognition and brain function in women. Dr. Maki's preliminary research suggests that hormone therapy may benefit memory and mood. While this does not mean that hormone replacement therapy is recommended as a solution to boost memory and mood, it does point to another important aspect of aging and menopause that has clear implications: Dr Maki hopes that her research may eventually be used to help doctors individualize hormone therapy for aging women. 

Check out a video of the broadcast online.

BIRCWH Research Day 2012

The UIC BIRCWH program hosted another successful Research Day on March 29, 2012. Attendance from the various health sciences colleges at the University was strong, with over 75 attendees present. Dr. Cora Lee Wetherington was the keynote speaker, presenting on research findings on male-female differences in drug abuse across a range of topics including epidemiology, animal model research, vulnerability factors, brain imaging, prevention and treatment. In her talk, Dr. Wetherington illustrated the importance of taking a sex/gender-based approach to drug abuse research and the scientific pitfalls of failing to do so. Following her presentation, Dr. Wetherington engaged the multidisciplinary audience in a dynamic discussion session.

Dr. Wetherington’s talk was followed by a closed lunch session, during which each of the BIRCWH scholars presented their current research and findings to Dr. Wetherington. The company was delightful and the conversation plentiful. As our BIRCWH scholars shared their recent research developments and future directions, Dr. Wetherington and our cohort of mentors provided insightful feedback. Several new collaborations emerged from these conversations, and we look forward to seeing where these efforts will lead.  

Wetherington’s presentation from BIRCWH Research Day is available on the BIRCWH website via the following link: http://www.uic.edu/orgs/womenshealth/bircwhcalendar.htm#Seminars.

Happy International Women’s Day from the UIC BIRCWH Program!

Today, Tuesday, March 8, 2012, marks the 101^st anniversary of International Women’s Day, an effort to recognize and celebrate the advancements made toward equality between the sexes. Less than a century ago, women could not vote, and professional career opportunities for women were virtually non-existent. International Women’s Day was launched in 1909 by American suffragettes to bring awareness and support to the suffrage movement. Enthusiasm for this movement quickly spread, and the following year the holiday became an international event due to the influence of a German woman named Clara Zetkin, who was a member of the Social Democratic Party. International Women’s Day is now celebrated around the world, and is a catalyst for the advancement of women’s position in society.

The overarching theme of the holiday this year is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures,” and over 250 official celebrations are planned across the US today in honor of the holiday. The United Nation’s International Women’s Day theme for this year has been designated “Empower Rural Women- End Hunger and Poverty.” For more information about local and international events associated with the holiday, as well as the official list of themes for participating countries this year, visit the official website for International Women’s Day. Each year, over 1000 events are held by corporations, women's groups, schools, governments, charities, and individuals across the world, a true testament to the international commitment to women.

As important as it is to recognize our past achievements, we must also continue to foster activism and research in the arena of women’s rights and women’s health. As far as we have come in the last 101 years, there is always room for improvement, and we must continue to stay motivated and dedicated to ensuring equal opportunities for women around the world.

Here at UIC, we are proud of our BIRCWH scholars and the contributions they are making towards both research and clinical practice; in applying a critical lens to women’s health research, our scholars are demonstrating a commitment to women’s rights and offering tangible evidence to improve the status quo in research and practice.

We hope that our colleagues both nationally and internationally are taking time today to recognize and celebrate empowered women who are enacting change to build a better future for their families, communities and countries.