Annual Women’s Health and Career Development Symposium

• 12:00 Welcome & Introductions
• 12:10 Invited Presentation
  • Rachel Greenup, MD, MPH – BIRCWH Alumna (2019) Yale School of Medicine: Standing on the Shoulders of (Little) Giants: Academic Success in Health Services Research Through Mentorship & Collaboration
  • Q and A
• 12:40 Scholar Presentations
  • 12:40 Audrey Blewer, PhD, MPH - Sex Disparities in Receipt of Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
  • 1:00 Binita Chakraborty, PhD - Targeting Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Tumor Associated Myeloid Cells to Enhance Anti-tumor Immunity
• 1:20 Alumni Introductions
• 1:25 Break & Posters
• 1:45 Scholar Presentations
  • 1:45 Tarannum Jaleel, MD, MHSc - Relationship between Hormones and Skin Inflammation: Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Women
  • 2:05 Charity Watkins, PhD - Severe Maternal Morbidity & Racial Bias: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Psychosocial Effects of Pregnancy-related Cardiovascular Disease among Black Women
  • 2:25 Jennifer Plichta, MD, MS - Staging for De Novo Metastatic Breast Cancer: Can Genomic Data Make it Better?
• 2:45 Invited Presentation
  • Chad Grotegut, MBA, MD – BIRCWH Alumnus (2012) Wake Forest University:  Mechanisms of Uterine Contractility and the Development of a Physician-Scientist-Administrator
  • Q and A
• 3:20 Break & Posters
  • Group photo (scholars, alumni, mentors, Advisory Committee)
• 3:45 Interactive Session: Communicating Your Science and Perfecting Your Pitch
  • Johnna Frierson, PhD - Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Basic Sciences; Director, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advancement, and Leadership in the Sciences​ (IDEALS) Office
    • Dr. Frierson will facilitate this interactive session. After a brief presentation on the nuts and bolts of the pitch, participants will prep and then practice their pitch in small groups.
• 4:55 Closing Remarks

Dr. Frierson’s interests and expertise lie in examining and identifying solutions to challenges at the intersection of STEM, education, and equity. Dr. Frierson translates this expertise into developing innovative programs and initiatives to enhance recruitment and retention of trainees from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, support scientific development, and expand community outreach to inspire the next generation of STEM scholars. Bringing over a decade of experience at both public and private institutions, she has a demonstrated track record of developing successful diversity recruitment and educational initiatives, spearheading cross-campus and inter-institutional partnerships, and implementing impactful mentoring programs for trainees from groups historically excluded in STEM. She has obtained funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, NSF, and NIH.

Dr. Frierson serves as the Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Basic Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, leading leads the IDEALS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advancement, and Leadership in the Sciences) office. Dr. Frierson and her team develop and implement educational interventions, pathway programs, and partner with basic science departmental faculty and leaders to cultivate an equitable and supportive research environment for all.

Dr. Greenup is an Associate Professor of Surgery (Oncology) and Chief of Breast Surgical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine. In 2016, she received the National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Award to evaluate how financial costs and burden relate to preference-sensitive decisions for breast cancer surgery. In 2017, she was named the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Breast Surgeons Health Policy Scholar. Her research focuses on aligning patient-centered care with high-quality, lower cost treatment. She serves on several national committees, including the Alliance in Clinical Oncology Ethics and Value Committees, the American College of Surgeons Cancer Care Delivery Task Force, the American Society of Breast Surgeons Legislative Committee, and the Editorial Board for the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Grotegut is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Prior to arriving at Wake Forest, he was on the faculty at Duke University where he served as the medical director of the Duke University Hospital Labor and Delivery unit. Dr. Grotegut's research, funded by the NIH, focuses on oxytocin receptor signaling and myometrial biology related to abnormal labor. He conducts both basic and translational research. He was a BIRCWH scholar at Duke University from 2009 – 2012.

2022 Symposium (2/18/2022)

• Welcome and Scholar Presentations
  • Andrea Knittel, MD, PhD, FACOG (UNC WRHR)
    
  • Katelyn Holliday, PhD (Duke BIRCWH)
  • Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH (UNC WRHR)
  • Rebecca Previs, MD (Duke WRHR)
  • Jamila Minga, PhD, CCC-SLP (Duke BIRCWH)
  • Jonas Swartz, MD (Duke WRHR)
• Panel Discussion: Pregnancy as Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: Ethical and Pragmatic Consequences for Women’s Health Research
• Q&A: Patient and Community Engagement and Retention
• 2022 Symposium Program

• Welcome and Introductions
• Chairs' Perspectives: Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Academic Research Careers Part 1
• Avoiding Common Pitfalls Part 2
• BIRCWH Scholar Presentations
• WRHR Scholar Presentations
• Small Group Breakouts
  • When Things Don't Go as Planned
  • Managing Professional Relationships
  • Work-Life Integration
  • Leading a Research Team
• Panel Discussion: The Scientific Importance of Race and Racial Diversity in Research
• Scholar Networking

• Programs Represented: UNC and Duke/NCCU BIRCWH
• Theme: K-Scholar Success – What Does it Take to Transition to Independence?
• Date: Friday, Feb. 21, 2020
• Location: Washington Duke Inn, Durham, NC
  
• Agenda
  • BIRCWH Scholar Presentations
  • Networking
  • Featured Speaker: Matthew Pearsall, PhD, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Building Resilient Teams
  • Panel Discussion: Paths to success, developing resilience and overcoming rejection, and becoming independent
• 2020 Symposium Program

• Programs Represented: UNC and Duke/NCCU BIRCWH
  
• Date: Friday. Feb. 1, 2019
• Location: Rizzo Center, Chapel Hill, NC
• Agenda
  • Career Development: Jeffrey Houpt, MD, Dean Emeritus, UNC School of Medicine, The Tough Stuff: Conflict, Difficult Conversations, and Negotiation
  • Women’s Health: Susan Girdler, PhD, Depression and Cardiovascular Disease in Mid-Life Women: Biopsychosocial Mechanisms of Risk and Protection
  • BIRCWH Alumnus: Kris C. Wood, PhD, The Transition from Scholar to Independence
  • BIRCWH Scholars: Scholar Snapshots
  • Keynote Presentation: Nobel Prize recipient Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Tales of a Serendipitous Scientist
• 2019 Symposium Program

• Programs Represented: UNC and Duke/NCCU BIRCWH
  
• Date: Friday, Jan. 6, 2018
• Location: Washington Duke Inn, Durham, NC
• Agenda
  • Duke BIRCWH Alumna: Geeta Swamy, MD
  • Networking
  • UNC BIRCWH Alumna: Stephanie Zerwas, PhD
  • Keynote Speaker: Joan Y. Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership, Harvard University
• 2018 Symposium Program

• Programs Represented: UNC and Duke/NCCU BIRCWH
  
• Date: Friday, Dec. 2, 2016
• Location: Washington Duke Inn, Durham, NC
• Agenda
  • Anthony Viera, MD, Maximizing/Organizing Time for Writing
  • BIRCWH Scholar Presentations
• 2016 Symposium Program