University of Wisconsin Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Scholars Program

NIH RePORTER · NIH · K12 · $165,537 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The UW BIRCWH program prioritizes equity in our training program, the scientific workforce, and all scientific pursuits. Our programexists in a state, Wisconsin, that has below-average health outcomes (33rd) reflecting wide health disparities underpinned by bias related to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, position, educational attainment or other observable or assumed characteristics. Wisconsin ranks 40th in cultural diversity, making diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) a high UW BIRCWH priority. One-fifth of Americans, yet only 1% of physicians, have a disability. In this application, we advance a promising faculty member in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Pediatrics, Krisjon Olson, PhD, as a 4th UW BIRCWH scholar. Throughout her career, Dr. Olson has navigated the difficult landscape of living and working with a disability related to cerebral palsy. Dr. Olson is a medical anthropologist, specialized in childhood, uniquely positioned to study feedback loops between the hospital environment, family composition, and illness trajectories to test the impact of sex disparities in congenital heart disease. Research has shown that gender norms significantly contribute to differences in women’s health, without understanding the impact on children. Dr. Olson is poised to advance the ORWH priority of gender differences research along the lifecourse. Dr. Olson brings the unique and important perspective of her disability to her research every day. Dr. Olson’s career development plan will include extending her prior training in the anthropology of childhood and disability studies by building skills in clinical research, health related quality of life assessment, gender differences research, and health services outcomes measurement. Her mentorship team includes Bernadette Gillick, PhD, MSPT, PT (primary mentor) an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics who won the 2021 Mentorship Award fromthe American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine andMarcia Carlson, PhD (interdisciplinary mentor) Professor of Sociology who studies the associations between family context and the well-being of parents and children. Two nationally recognized clinicians, Ryan Coller, MD,MPH, and Pelin Cengiz, MD will also support Dr. Olson in her research and career development. By supporting Dr. Olson, this supplement will enable the UW BIRCWH program to continue to fulfill its primary mission to a) identify/prepare committed and capable scholars; b) expand scholar knowledge of women’s health and sex/gender research; c) enhance fundamental research skills; and d) foster independent research careers. This support of Dr. Olson will also advance our DEIA-infused approach to training and processes that attend to both the diversity of scholars and the development of climate and culture so that all have a chance to succeed and drive the future of women’s health and se...

Key facts

NIH application ID
10669991
Project number
3K12HD101368-03S1
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
Principal Investigator
ELIZABETH S BURNSIDE
Activity code
K12
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$165,537
Award type
3
Project period
2020-06-01 → 2024-04-30