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.