Academic Leadership Promoting Leadership Opportunities for Women

Oregon Women’s Reproductive Health Career Development Center (Oregon WRHRCDC)

The Oregon WRHR Center is administrated at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) with Joanna M. Cain, M.D., Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Director of the Women’s Health Center, serving as Principal Investigator and Judy L. Cameron, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Physiology & Pharmacology serving as Project Director.

Nuturing the Next Generation of Physician Scientists

The goal of the Oregon WRHRCDC is to provide a stimulating and nurturing environment for junior faculty with competitive credentials and a strong interest in research to join the next generation of leading Physician Scientists in Obstetrics & Gynecology. This is critical for the transmission of Obstetrics & Gynecology research from the bench to the bedside. This is accomplished within the Oregon WRHRCDC by bridging clinical and research training including the development of research skills, training in hypothesis-driven research design, and professional development required to direct an independent research program.

The intellectual and research resources available to the Oregon WRHRCDC Scholars are superb. The Oregon WRHRCDC faculty mentors represent a highly interactive and cohesive group of established scientists who represent comprehensive and complementary interests and expertise within the fields of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Urogynecology, Gyencological Oncology, Epidemiology of Reproductive Disorders, and fundamental cellular and molecular developmental processes.

Specialized research facilities available for Scholar training include: The OHSU Center for Women’s Health, the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), the Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research, the Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Portland Shriner’s Hospital for Children, the OHSU Bioinformation and Communication Center (BICC), and a General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). Sophisticated research core facilities specializing in Molecular Biology, Cell Culture, DNA analysis, Imaging, Genetics, Imaging, Statistics, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Endocrine Assays, and Transgenic Animal Production, among others, are also available to Scholars. Overall, Oregon WRHRCDC encompasses complementary preclinical research on models ranging from lower systems to nonhuman primates with cutting-edge clinical investigations in Women’s Reproductive Health Research.

Customized Training Program

There is a strong training program available to Scholars that can be customized to meet the specific needs of each individual.  An optional two-year Human Investigations Program is available to provide comprehensive training in clinical investigation that has both a didactic training portion and a mentored research portion and results in a Certificate in Human Investigations. This training program involves training in the clinical investigative process from initial trial design to data analysis and presentation; the expertise to enter an independent phase of career development, and an academic research career; the integration of principles in molecular and cell biology, new pharmacology techniques, genomics, and medical informatics; and a mentored research experience of intensive, practical, and supportive training leading to academic products such as grant applications and peer-reviewed publications.  Specialized courses in reproductive biology, endocrinology, developmental cell biology and bioinformatics are available to Scholars to round out their education at an advanced level.

The environment at OHSU is superbly supportive of Physician-Scientists.  The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the Center for Women’s Health, the Oregon National Primate Research Center and OHSU in general have extensive research and training programs in the research areas encompassed in the field of Obstetrics & Gynecology.  Significant resources across the campus are devoted to research programs in these areas, the provision of core research facilities with state-of-the-art technological equipment, and specialized resources to facilitate clinical investigation. 

This program funds 3 faculty level Scholars per year.  The ratio of 3 Scholars to 28 faculty Mentors ensures that the scholarships will be highly competitive. The high level of achievement of our previously supported Scholars attests to the success of the Oregon WRHRCDC for training a new generation of Physician-Scientists in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Direction

The Oregon WRHRCDC is directed by Joanna M. Cain, M.D., Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Director of the Women’s Health Center at OHSU and Judy L. Cameron, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Oregon National Primate Research Center and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Physiology & Pharmacology at OHSU.  Drs. Cain and Cameron form a dynamic and complementary team that brings broad expertise and experience in both the clinical and basic science domains to the Oregon WRHRCDC. Both have seniority, leadership, training and scientific skills necessary for the coordination and supervision of this multidisciplinary effort. Between them they also have strong ties to a great number of the units and scientists that are participating in the Oregon WRHRCDC.