# UNC Global Women’s Health Fellowship

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $265,832

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Women living in the developing world face an unacceptably high risk of disability and death, often from
preventable causes. Obstetrician-gynecologists (Ob-Gyns) are needed to reduce this disease burden
worldwide, but there are few established pathways to prepare investigators in global women’s health research.
To address this gap, we launched the UNC Global Women’s Health Fellowship in 2012. Our program is
research-focused, with the explicit goal of training the next generation of independent NIH investigators. We
offer an immersive training experience, through which fellows typically spend two years overseas, working at
established international research sites. Our trainees are intensively mentored by an experienced and highly
accomplished faculty representing diverse disciplines and backgrounds. Fellows take part in structured
enrichment activities to guide their scientific and professional development, including graduate-level
coursework, conferences and seminars, and professional networking. To date, our program has supported 13
postdoctoral trainees, including eight appointed to our current T32 award. UNC Global Women’s Health fellows
have implemented cutting-edge research and published policy-relevant papers; most have transitioned to
academic positions after graduation. Importantly, all have learned how to design and implement studies in
developing world settings.
In this renewal application, we request another five years of support for our fellowship. Building upon the
foundation of our current program, we propose several key improvements. These changes have been informed
by a systematic evaluation of the fellowship, including structured feedback from mentors, trainees, and
advisors. First, we will reorganize our fellowship curriculum so that each new trainee chooses one of three
distinct research tracks (pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health, women’s cancers) and one of three
methodological concentrations (clinical trials, epidemiology, implementation science). This framework will
permit a more individualized approach to assigned coursework, mentor pairing, and research projects, so that
fellows gain deeper topical and methodologic expertise as they complete the program. Second, we will expand
our program eligibility by introducing novel combined fellowships with the established Ob-Gyn subspecialties of
maternal fetal medicine, family planning, and gynecologic oncology. Third, we will extend our geographic
coverage beyond our current sites in Zambia (Lusaka) and Malawi (Lilongwe) to offer training placements in
South Africa (Johannesburg). By the end of the fellowship, graduates will obtain the necessary skills and
experience to become independently-funded NIH investigators in the field of global women’s health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10192767
- **Project number:** 5T32HD075731-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin H. Chi
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $265,832
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-09-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10192767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10192767, UNC Global Women’s Health Fellowship (5T32HD075731-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10192767. Licensed CC0.

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