# Pelvic Floor Disorders Network 2021

> **NIH NIH UG1** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $278,800

## Abstract

Pelvic Floor Disorders Network Cycle V Renewal – UT Southwestern
PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
 Our primary goal is to actively engage in the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN) through efficient
patient recruitment, participation, and retention of a racially and ethnically diverse patient population in all studies
examining pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) in women. Our second goal is to bring innovative research proposals to
this Network with emphasis on translational aims that explore the pathophysiology and prevention of PFDs in
well-defined clinical study populations. A final goal is to lead as primary site a multicenter trial studying prevention
of urinary and fecal incontinence. To accomplish these aims, we describe the qualifications and experience of
the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) faculty and research teams at the University
of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital, the facilities and patient population available to
carry out clinical protocols, and our state-of-the-art scientific approaches to the study of PFDs. Our clinical and
research clinics serve both medically indigent patients (Parkland Hospital) and private, insured patients
(university practice) in the southern US. These clinics provide a diverse patient population which has allowed us
to continually be the lead recruiter of Latina women in the PFDN. Throughout Cycles III and IV, even when not
a full clinical site (Cycle III), we have remained committed to the successful retention and long-term follow-up of
our PFDN study participants. In Cycle IV, we actively partnered in all aspects of the PFDN including concept
proposal, committee participation, and manuscript preparation. Unique to our research team are urogynecology
basic and translational scientists whereby our site has led the effort to manage and direct the Biorepository for
the PFDN, which has remained housed at UT Southwestern for 15 years and has become integral to multiple
recent translational research endeavors. Further, the scientific resources and infrastructure within our Ob/Gyn
department are centrally focused on the role of proteomics, genomics, epigenetics and gene regulation in various
aspects of women’s health. Moreover, we continue to contribute scientifically with multiple publications and
ongoing writing team participation. Since 2015, when new hospitals opened for both UT Southwestern and
Parkland, the FPMRS clinic population base has been surging. The FPMRS physicians at UT Southwestern
remain dedicated to rigorous controlled trials intended to objectively evaluate principles of non-surgical and
surgical care consistent with the mission of the PFDN. With a growing, diverse clinical patient population, a
committed and seasoned research team with a pedigree of successful internal and external collaborations, and
the resources and expertise to champion additional translational PFD research, UT Southwestern is ready and
energized to continue in the PFDN as a cli...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10874491
- **Project number:** 5UG1HD054241-18
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** David Dwight Rahn
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $278,800
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-09-12 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10874491

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10874491, Pelvic Floor Disorders Network 2021 (5UG1HD054241-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10874491. Licensed CC0.

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