Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-HD-25-005
Deadlines
Letter of Intent: October 15, 2024
Submission: November 15, 2024
Purpose and Background Information
The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development programs is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.
Background and Program Objectives
The purpose of the Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program is to develop a well-qualified cadre of obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) investigators to strengthen research capacity in the study of women’s reproductive health. Initiated in 1998, the WRHR program has been designed to meet the need for highly skilled clinician-scientists to address the increasing opportunities in this field.
The WRHR Program supports the research career development of junior OB/GYN faculty who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training and wish to pursue careers in basic, translational and/or clinical research in the field of women’s reproductive health. These junior faculty (known as “WRHR Scholars”) are provided with state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary research training in areas related to general OB/GYN and its subspecialties. Through an outstanding career development research experience, these Scholars are poised to transition into productive, independent physician scientists able to sustain viable careers and mentor those that follow them.
Scope
The research scope for this program encompasses all areas of OB/GYN and its related subspecialties: maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and related fields such as adolescent gynecology, family planning, and the reproductive health of women with disabilities. Projects may include basic science, translational, or clinical research, but must be within the biomedical and biobehavioral purview of the NIH. Research with a primary focus on health care delivery, health care services, or health policy is outside the scope of this NOFO. Programs focused on somatic health, for example, the breast, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal systems, should similarly not be proposed.
Senior investigators with established research programs covering a broad range of basic and applied biomedical and biobehavioral science related to obstetrics and gynecology form the intellectual and technical base for mentoring junior faculty accepted into the program. Although mentors from collaborating departments outside of OB/GYN may provide needed expertise and resources, the emphasis of the WRHR Scholars’ scientific projects should be on research ultimately relevant to obstetrics and gynecology and/or its subspecialties.
For more information, please see the opportunity webpage.