Program Components

The Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program is structured around three components:

  • Interdisciplinary research.
  • Mentoring and career development.
  • Collaborations and networking.

Additional administrative components include:

  • Scholar orientation.
  • eRA Commons account setup.
  • Financial compliance.
  • An annual report submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  • Citing the BIRCWH grant.
  • Submitting publications to PubMed.
  • Outcomes reporting.

Interdisciplinary research

The program aims to recruit a diverse group of early-stage investigators with an outstanding potential to lead interdisciplinary research teams in women's health.

Leading interdisciplinary research teams requires a unique set of visionary, operational and managerial skills that bring together and reach across multiple disciplines. In addition, diversity in scientific disciplines, cultural backgrounds, genders and management styles is important to conduct state-of-the-art science to improve women's health. Selection of the best and diverse cohort of candidates and mentors is crucial for the success of our program. Guidance from an experienced BIRCWH executive advisory committee assures that candidates strengthen and expand their research programs and succeed into the future.

Scholars are expected to:

  • Prepare and submit two to three first author or senior author journal articles.
  • Submit a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R-series, individual K-series or equivalent grant application by the end of the second program year.

Mentoring and career development

The program provides both structured and tailored educational experiences based on career development needs. It includes didactic programs and a mentored research experience in an interdisciplinary environment.

Because of scholars' diverse needs and experience levels, training is individualized for each scholar. Experiences may include didactic class work and writing workshops, but additional training is provided in areas such as:

  • Executive presence.
  • Negotiation.
  • Speaking.
  • Leading meetings.
  • Laboratory management.

Practical research experience with mentors who have established research programs in women's health is critical. These experiences help scholars generate the preliminary data and publications needed to support successful extramural grant applications and pave the way to scientific independence. This research background is crucial for future leaders of multicenter studies, global initiatives and practice guidelines.

Courses, workshops and lectures

Required courses include:

  • CORE 6000 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit).
  • CTSC 5110 Grant Writing in the Sciences (1 credit).
  • CTSC 5100 Academic Publishing (1 credit).
  • Incorporating Sex as a Biological Variable in NIH Grants Workshop.

Recommended electives include:

  • CTSC 5300 Fundamental of Clinical Epidemiology (1 credit).
  • CTSC 5600 Statistics in Clinical & Translational Research (2 credits).
  • CTSC 5080 What Researchers Need To Know About Health Disparities (1 credit).
  • Women's Health Grand Rounds and presentations are highly encouraged.

Meeting attendance

Scholars are expected to attend regular meetings including:

  • Monthly Germination career development lunch meetings.
  • Regular progress meetings with the BIRCWH executive advisory committee.
  • Quarterly meetings with Research Finance.
  • Annual NIH BIRCWH meeting in Washington, D.C.
  • Annual Midwest BIRCWH Consortium meeting.

Additional career development activities are to be determined throughout the year.

Optional programs

The BIRCWH program provides support for scholars to enroll in these optional programs:

Collaborations and networking

The Mayo Clinic BIRCWH program aims to enhance training in women's health research and foster a community of scholars.

A strong community of fellow scholars and established investigators in women's health research provides the networking opportunities and collaborations essential for sustaining and developing new interdisciplinary research careers and programs. This community includes other career development programs at Mayo Clinic that provide training in incorporating sex as a biological variable in research, such as CCaTS and the Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences. Collaborations with BIRCWH programs at other institutions provide outlets for networking and collaboration as well.

Administrative components

Scholar orientation

After scholars are accepted to the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program, the center schedules an orientation with incoming scholars, their mentors and program leadership. The orientation provides information about milestones, requirements, timelines and expectations.

eRA Commons account setup

For support, email Research Central at researchadmin@mayo.edu or call 507-284-4715.

Financial compliance

Scholars must certify a minimum effort of 75% full-time equivalent (FTE) to the BIRCWH or another Women's Health Research Center program providing their funding. Scholars who are surgeons must certify a 50% minimum FTE.

NIH annual progress report

The NIH requires scholars to submit annual progress reports. The NIH progress report is due to the BIRCWH program March 1 and to the NIH on March 15. The report should include the scholar's grants, manuscripts, abstracts, presentations and promotions.

Citing the grant

The NIH requires that scholars cite the BIRCWH award if they receive funding through the BIRCWH program or use any BIRCWH services to support their research. All publications should state, "This publication was supported by grant number K12AR084222."

Submitting publications to PubMed

Publications supported by BIRCWH must be submitted to PubMed Central and be assigned a PubMed Central Identifier (PMCID). For instructions, visit Mayo Clinic's NIH Public Access Policy intranet site (must be logged in to the Mayo Clinic network) or view the NIH Manuscript Submission System webpage.

Outcomes reporting

At the end of the grant period, each scholar completes an exit survey, mentorship survey and post-program survey and participates in an exit interview.

Upon completion of the program, scholars submit a final progress report that documents their publications, grant support, academic rank and other scholarly activities.

The BIRCWH program requests that scholars respond to an annual tracking survey and provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae and a general update about professional achievements on a regular basis.