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Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Program Scholar

Program Administration

Principal Investigator:
Elizabeth E. Puscheck, M.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University

Research Director:
Michael P. Diamond, M.D.
Kamran S. Moghissi Professor and Associate Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, Wayne State Univ. School of Medicine
University Executive Director for Clinical and Translational Research

Program Coordinator:
Jill D. Knox
Grant Preparation Specialist, WSU
(313) 993-4535
 

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Detroit Reproductive Career Development Research Center in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University selects outstanding clinicians who desire an opportunity for training in clinical or basic science research. Research training is to be conducted under the guidance of a senior investigator, with the goal of training individuals to be competitive for extramural funding.

The intent of this program is to make a positive and lasting change in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology by training physicians to become successful researchers who will transfer their results to benefit women. The long-term objective of the proposed training is to develop a new generation of obstetrician-gynecologists to be physician-scientists at Wayne State University and nationally who can sustain independent careers in basic, translational and/or clinical research that is related to women’s reproductive health.

The research career development plan for WRHR Scholars at Wayne State University will be tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual. Each will be guaranteed at least 75% of his/her time for research and related training. Scholars will select a mentor who is an experienced and successful researcher, and who has a successful track record providing research guidance and training. Mentors can be faculty members in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, but are not required to be so. To foster multidisciplinary research that makes use of expertise from other medical specialties and disciplines, Scholars will be allowed to select their primary mentor from among qualified faculty members who are appointed elsewhere in the School of Medicine. In such circumstances, to assure that the focus of the research is germane to women’s health, a co-mentor from within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will be required. The co-mentor will be selected by the Scholar in consultation with the primary mentor and the Research Director. Mentors will counsel Scholars in all aspects of their research career development. The overall objective of each individualized career development plan will be to produce an independent physician-scientist who will graduate from the program with his/her own extramural research support.

Eligibility Requirements:

Candidates for support as WRHR Scholars must:

• be a physician holding the M.D. or D.O. degree;
• have completed postgraduate residency training in obstetrics-gynecology;
• if the candidate has chosen to subspecialize, be in the final research year of postdoctoral fellowship training in obstetrics and gynecology;
• identify an approved mentor or mentors with extensive research experience;
• be able to devote at least 9 person months (equivalent to 75 percent) of full-time professional effort conducting research and research career development;
• not be or have been a PD/PI on an R01, R29 or subproject of a Program Project (P01), Center (P50, P60, U54) grant, independent mentored career development (K-series) grants, or other equivalent research grant awards. Although individuals who are or were PD/PIs on NIH Small Grants (i.e., R03s) or Exploratory/Developmental Grants (i.e., R21s) may be eligible providing they meet the other eligibility requirements.
• be a U.S. citizen or noncitizen national, or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess a Permanent Resident Card (USCIS Form I-551) or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent citizen. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.

Mentors:

Abdul Abou-Samra, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine of Medicine and Chief of the Endocrine Division, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Abou-Samra would have the opportunity to study the impact of sex steroids on parathyroid hormone and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its regulation in bone mineral metabolism in women, and its contribution to osteoporosis.

D. Randall Armant, Ph.D
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology with a joint appointment in Anatomy & Cell Biology at WSU, and a Joint Regular Graduate Faculty Status in the Department of Physiology.
A Scholar working with Dr. Armant could participate in studies examining early embryo growth and development, the regulation of trophoblast proliferation and apoptosis, biomarkers of embryo health, and the process of placentation.

Carol Brenner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Brenner could participate in research focused on regulation of growth and development of non-human primate embryos, non-human primate stem cells, and induction of pleuripotent stem cells from stomatic cell lines.

Diane Chugani, Ph.D.
Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Chugani would be involved in studies designed to discover mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of autism, and to design and test new treatments based upon the research findings, as well as in studies to examine the physiologic and pathophysiologic effects of disorders of pregnant and non-pregnant women on CNS function imaging studies.

Virginia Delaney-Black, M.D.
Assistant Director of the Children’s Research Center of Michigan
A Scholar working with Dr. Delaney-Black could conduct multidisciplinary studies examining the impact of maternal medical complication and psychological factors during pregnancy (i.e., drug and alcohol abuse) on neonatal and infant outcomes.

Michael P. Diamond, M.D.
Kamran S. Moghissi Professor and Associate Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, WSU

John Flack, M.D.
Professor of Medicine and Biology; Associate Chair for Clinical Research; and
Interim Chair, Dept. of Internal Medicine, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Flack would focus in the area of cardiovascular-renal problems related to racial and ethnic disparities he is serving as Director of a large multidisciplinary effort in this regard, the Center for Urban Studies (ES 02009). More explicitly, this research focus would be used to understand the determinants of health conditions and phenotypes (e.g., salt sensitivity, left ventricular hypertrophy, blood pressure response differences to drugs) in a manner that provides insight beyond simple description. Additionally, a Scholar working with Dr. Flack would have the opportunity to investigate the effects of cardiovascular, diabetes, and hypertensive factors in women, such as those with polycystic ovarian syndrome, who are at an increased risk for each of these disorders.

Robert W. Freedman, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences & Obstetrics and Gynecology, WSU
Scholars who select to work with Dr. Freedman would participate in in vivo studies defining the regulation of menopausal hot flashes and/or vascular reactivity.

Rafael Fridman, Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Fridman could investigate the action of matrix metalloproteinases, a family of proteinases that degrade extracellular matrices, and their inhibitors in cancer cells. The emphasis of these programs could be that matrix metalloproteinases have in the progression various metastatic cancers, and the regulation of activation of these enzymes. Dr. Fridman’s laboratory is known in the School of Medicine as an outstanding training venue for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He provides hands-on training and mentorship in the writing of grant applications and manuscripts.

John Hannigan, Ph.D.
Professor of Obstetrics and of Psychology and Deputy Director of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute.
A Scholar working with Dr. Hannigan in his Neurobehavioral Teratology Laboratory would conduct studies that focus on the impact of prenatal exposure to drugs, especially, alcohol and organic solvents. The Scholar would learn that the benefits of multidisciplinary research involves both clinical and basic approaches to assess the mechanisms, risk factors and amelioration of the central nervous system effects of prenatal drug exposure.

Theodore Jones, M.D.
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Scholars working with Dr. Jones would work on clinical infectious disease projects with an emphasis on medication interventions. There are also opportunities to participate as a junior investigator through the Pediatrics AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG), which could be an invaluable experience for a Scholar in the design and conduct of large multi-center trials.

Stephen Krawetz, Ph.D.
Charlotte Failing Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Krawetz would receive broad exposure to the molecular genomic techniques available in Dr. Krawetz’s laboratory, and would be expected to conduct genome-wide molecular genetic studies. Likely areas of investigation include mouse embryo growth and development, endometrial maturation, or tumor metastasis.

Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D.
Director of the Institute of Gerontology and Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Lichtenberg would have the opportunity to investigate neurocognitive and/or psychological aspects of women’s reproductive health.

Dawn Misra, Ph.D.
Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, WSU
Dr. Misra currently is the PI of an R01 (HD 058510) focusing on racism and preterm birth in Black women. Scholars would have the opportunity to collaborate on the current grant, which includes biomedical as well as social data. Extensive epidemiologic data and biologic specimens (saliva, vaginal fluids) could also be shared from prior studies. Finally, Dr. Misra could mentor scholars in epidemiologic research using large national data sets.

Roberto Romero, M.D.
Chief of the Perinatology Research Branch, Intramural Division of NICHD
A Scholar working with Dr. Romero would likely have his/her research focus on the mechanisms responsible for premature labor and, in particular, on the role of subclinical infection and inflammation in parturition and fetal injury. In addition, a Scholar could focus their research on the prenatal diagnosis of anatomical congenital anomalies with imaging techniques. Scholars working with Dr. Romero would have the opportunity to participate in studies of many obstetrics syndromes, including preterm delivery and intrauterine growth retardation, as well as the use of state-of-the-art ultrasonographic techniques, which would be invaluable in studies of normal pregnancy and obstetrical disorders.

Ghassan M. Saed, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, WSU
A Scholar working with Dr. Saed would have the opportunity to become involved in studies utilizing the well-characterized cell culture and/or in vivo animal models, to investigate the process of postoperative adhesion developments.

Ann Schwartz, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Deputy Director and Executive Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and a Professor in the Department of Oncology at WSU
Dr. Schwartz is the Director of the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System, an NCI SEER population-based cancer registry for metropolitan Detroit (N01 PC 65064). A Scholar working with Dr. Schwartz could research activities using registry data in gynecologic cancer research.

Robert J. Sokol, M.D.
Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development
A Scholar working with Dr. Sokol would have the opportunity to establish clinical research projects related to perinatal alcohol and drug exposure, as well as the prospect to undertake in depth studies examining perinatal outcomes utilizing the databases of obstetrical care and outcome that now span over twenty years and over 100,000 deliveries.

Yoram Sorokin, M.D.
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, WSU
Dr. Sorokin is the Director of the Combined (Wayne State University and the Perinatology Research Branch) Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program, and Co-Director of the Combined Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Medical Genetics Training Program. Should a Scholar work with Dr. Sorokin, he/she would have the opportunity to receive guidance and ongoing mentoring in all steps of planning design, performance, and reporting of prospective obstetrical controlled trials.

Internal Advisory Committee Members

• Michael P. Diamond, M.D., Kamran S. Moghissi Professor and Associate Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, Wayne State Univ. School of Medicine; University Executive Director for Clinical and Translational Research, Wayne State University
• Joseph Dunbar, Ph.D., (Chair of this Committee) Associate Vice President for Research, Wayne State University, Professor and former Chair, Department of Physiology, Wayne State University; and Research Director of Wayne State University’s Minority Biomedical Research Support Grant
• Stephen Ethier, M.D., Associate Center Director of Research for the Karmanos Cancer Institute
• Gerald Feldman, M.D., Departments of Pediatrics, Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics, and Pathology, Wayne State University
• John Flack, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University
• Alexander Gow, Ph.D., Professor, Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics, Wayne State University
• Christine Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Chair for Research and Director, Cancer Epidemiology, Henry Ford Health System
• Theodore B. Jones, M.D., Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University
• Kenneth Palmer, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars, Wayne State University
• Anne G. Schwartz, M.D., Interim President and CEO, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State UniversitySeetha Shankaran, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Chief, Division of Neonatology, Wayne State University
• Bonnie Sloane, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University.
• Bonita Stanton, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State UniversityManuel Tancer, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Wayne State University
• Daniel Walz, Ph.D., Professor of Physiology and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, School of Medicine, Wayne State University