The 2025 Annual Women's Health Symposium will take place on Feb. 21, in Trent Semans Great Hall at Duke University. More information coming soon!
Speakers
Sharonne Hayes, MD, is a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She has over 25 years of experience in treating complex heart and blood vessel conditions in the Women's Heart Clinic, Pericardial Diseases Clinic and general consultative cardiovascular medicine in both the hospital and outpatient settings.
Her clinical and research focus areas include sex- and gender-based cardiology; spontaneous coronary artery dissection and associated conditions such as fibromuscular dysplasia; diseases of the pericardium; achieving health equity among diverse populations; and increasing participation by underrepresented populations in medical research.
In addition to her clinical and research activities, Dr. Hayes serves as vice chair of Academic Affairs and Faculty Development for the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.
Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, is a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology and a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. Her laboratory utilizes a multidisciplinary approach using both animal and model systems to study the biology of addiction and stress/depression, specifically focused on how adolescence and the hormonal changes of puberty and aging influence vulnerability to these conditions. Projects include the biology of sex differences in addictive drug action; the role of maturing dopamine systems in the onset of drug taking during adolescence; and the neurobiology of adolescent insensitivity to threat and its role in drug use.
In addition to these studies, the Kuhn laboratory collaborates actively with clinicians in psychiatry who are studying addiction and stress-related illness in humans, and participates in development of drug-abuse education and general neuroscience education materials for students, parents and other members of the lay public.
Past Events
On Feb. 23, 2024, faculty, fellows, postdocs, students and staff interested in women’s health research gathered in the Trent Semans Center Great Hall at Duke University for the Women’s Health & Career Development Symposium. This annual symposium is sponsored by BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health, a K12 Institutional Career Development Program.
The event featured invited speakers, scholar presentations, a poster showcase, and an interactive “Pitching Your Science” session led by Johnna Frierson, Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Basic Sciences at Duke. We were pleased to welcome 90 attendees (almost double the number from 2023) representing nine institutions, including Duke, UNC, NC Central, Yale and Wake Forest. There was a broad range of career levels; 28% senior-level; 28% graduate, undergraduate or medical students; and 28% early career faculty. Attendees were from a broad range of departments, including biostatistics, public health, surgery, nursing, community health and social work, illustrating the diversity and multidisciplinary nature of women’s health research.
Selected Recordings
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
Chad Grotegut, MBA, MD – BIRCWH Alumnus (2012) Wake Forest University: Mechanisms of Uterine Contractility and the Development of a Physician-Scientist-Administrator
Agenda
- 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.
- 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
- 4:55 Closing Remarks
This year’s event was held on February 17th at Duke, in the Trent Semans Great Hall. This research-career-oriented meeting featured presentations by BIRCWH and WRHR scholars and a panel discussion focusing on The “–ships” To Success: Navigating Academia, led by Geeta Swamy, MD, Duke University’s Associate Vice President for Research and Vice Dean for Scientific Integrity.
Recordings
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)
- Andrea Knittel, MD, PhD, FACOG (UNC 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
Program Contacts
PI of the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Award and Program Director: Cindy Amundsen, MD
Site-PI NCCU: Nina Smith, PhD
Program Coordinator: Friederike Jayes, PhD – please forward any questions to the BIRCWH Program Coordinator