Center
for Women's Reproductive Health (University-Wide
Interdisciplinary
Director: Dwight Rouse, MD, MSPH
Established: 1993
Established in 1993, the mission of the Center for Women’s Reproductive
Health (CWRH) is to conduct research aimed at improving the reproductive health
of all women, especially minority and under-served women and their families and
to facilitate collaboration between UAB researchers and developing scholars
interested in women's reproductive health issues. The Center currently has 75 appointed faculty
representing 16 departments and 6 schools at UAB.
Center Research
The Center’s clinical
research focus includes the following: improvement of infant mortality and
pregnancy outcomes (particularly in disadvantaged and minority populations as
well as in developing countries such as sub-Saharan Africa); prevention of
premature labor; infectious disease in pregnancy and its relationship to
premature labor; study of treatment strategies and their cost effectiveness in
gynecological disorders such as infertility, dysfunctional uterine bleeding,
pelvic inflammatory disease, menopause, pelvic relaxation/incontinence, and
abnormal pap smears; study of treatment strategies aimed at cancerous
gynecological disorders; development of novel therapeutics in reproductive
tract cancers; prevention of maternal to fetal HIV transmission; evaluation of
smoking cessation interventions; longitudinal studies aimed at nutrition status
and intrauterine growth retardation and its relationship to child development;
and cancer prevention and control.
The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) continues
its mission as an infectious disease and maternal-child health research unit,
and to support and assist the Zambian government in its fight against AIDS. Since its establishment in 1999, significant
progress has been made in the development of service and research programs to
fight AIDS. Other significant health
programs have since been added, including research and service programs for
cervical cancer and TB. A non-profit
organization has been created to raise money to further develop a campus where
faculty and staff will have the appropriate infrastructure for grants
management, financial accounting, and training programs. Because of funding from the President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CIDRZ currently supports HIV care and
treatment at 50 clinical care
sites in 22 districts and 4 provinces.
The CWRH is also involved in basic/translational research, including
extensive research activities in collaboration with the Division of Gene
Therapy. These activities include the
development of novel strategies to accomplish gene therapy for ovarian cancer
and rapid implementation of these strategies into clinical protocols. Additional basic research activities include a productive collaborative
relationship with the Microbiology Department in the area of mucosal
immunology.
Training
This Center has a number of training opportunities including
K24 Mid-career Investigator Awards in the areas of Ovarian Cancer, Pelvic Floor
disorders and Patient Oriented Obstetric Research. It also has a K23 Young Investigator Award in
the area of Perinatal HIV Prevention and several junior faculty
have K01s. In addition, the Center
manages a K12 institutional training grant, the Women’s Reproductive Health Award,
which trains Obstetrician/ Gynecologists in research careers. Its intent is to train 4 to 6 Women’s Health
Researchers from a number of different disciplines in a five year period. The Center offers a competitive
pilot/feasibility grant program each year for junior faculty.
The Center is also involved in a number of service
programs. The Colposcopy
Clinic provides follow-up of abnormal pap smears for women referred by
Approved
by: Dwight Rouse MD, Director
Date: April 14, 2008
Click here to return to the SOM
Research Web Site's home page.