Project Summary The NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) has received a special FY22 Congressional Appropriation of $4M to fund additional Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health NIH K12 (BIRCWH) Scholars at existing sites with the goal of increasing the diversity of the Scholars and research areas supported by the program. The Colorado BIRCWH, given its strong focus on increasing diversity, is requesting funding for a 4th BIRCWH Scholar via the resulting Administrative Supplement. If funded, our 4th Scholar will be Dr. Maigen Bethea, who is a talented early career Black woman scientist. Dr. Bethea's long- term academic goal is to combine her previous and current training to become an expert on the impact of sex on the role of the gut-brain-pancreas axis in regulating glucose metabolism. In our application, we briefly describe the personnel, resources, strategy and goals of the Colorado BIRCWH program m, all of which are applicable to her (see parent grant application for all details). If Dr. Bethea is funded for BIRCWH, her primary mentor will be a highly accomplished, well-funded scientist who is also from a diverse background, Dr. Darleen Sandoval. The BIRCWH leadership along with Dr. Sandoval and co-mentor, Dr. Jane Reusch, will work with Dr. Bethea in the rich academic environment of CU-AMC. We will help Dr. Bethea form her interdisciplinary Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). As with other BIRCWH Scholars, her SAC and BIRCWH leadership will meet twice yearly as a group along with her. She will participate in monthly trainings using an evidence-based curriculum focused on developing academic and career development skills. She will also participate in all of the other BIRCWH educational activities. Biostatistical support will be readily available and Dr. Bethea will be able to work with a medical editor/writer. Our Internal Program Advisory Committee will continue to evaluate program operations and progress; our External Program Advisory Committee will continue to provide an outsider's overview of the BIRCWH to assure that we stay abreast of national trends in women's health and sex differences research. Importantly, the recently refunded Colorado BIRCWH parent grant application contains detailed and complete information on all aspects of the program. Over the past 15 years, we have had 21 Scholars in the program, 18 of whom have remained in academic medicine and 15 have received external funding (the 3 of 18 not yet funded are current Scholars early in their BIRCWH term). Collectively these Scholars have published over 600 publications since their time in the BIRCWH program (not including abstracts). The excellent institutional support for the Colorado BIRCWH, with strong focus on women's health and sex differences, will continue to fuel the growth of this important program which aims to develop successful, independent interdisciplinary scientists in women's health and sex differences research and thereby im...