BIRCWH Scholars
Each scholar receives salary, research/career development funds, and travel funds. Funding for the BIRCWH Program is provided by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) through the lead NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH).
2026 Recipients
Lauren Dayton, PhD, MSPH
Associate Research Professor
Department of Health, Behavior & Society
Project Title: Enhancing Engagement in Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Among Mothers Affected by Opioid Use.
Dr. Dayton’s study explores the barriers mothers who misuse opioids face in accessing drug treatment, with particular attention to how social networks influence treatment engagement. Her research ultimately aims to inform the development of evidence-based interventions that improve health outcomes for both mothers and their children.
Primary Mentor: Carl Latkin, PhD
Nityasree Srialluri, MD, MHS, MS
Assistant Professor
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine
Project Title: Identification of Changes in Pregnancy-Related Kidney Health Biomarkers Associated with Women’s Future Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease
Dr. Srialluri’s BIRCWH proposal will define trimester-specific reference thresholds for kidney health biomarkers using population-based, electronic health record, and prospective cohort data to distinguish physiologic renal adaptations from pregnancy-related kidney injury and correlate these findings with adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term maternal risk of chronic kidney disease.
Primary Mentor: Wendy L Bennett, MD, MPH
Kathryn Taylor, PhD, MPH, RN
Assistant Professor
Department of Nursing
Project Title: Pilot Testing a Community Health Worker Service to Address Acute Care Utilization among Young and Middle-Aged Women Receiving Dialysis in High-Poverty Communities.
Dr. Taylor’s research examines gender differences in health outcomes among adults living with kidney failure.
Primary Mentor: Deidra Crews, MD, ScM
Marika Toscano, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics; Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Project Title: Designing Implementation Pathways for Behavioral Health Interventions on the Inpatient Antenatal Unit
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect 1 in 5 pregnant people, with a particularly high risk among those hospitalized during pregnancy for medical complications. This project develops and pilots an implementation strategy to deliver evidence-based postpartum depression prevention interventions in the antepartum inpatient setting, integrating national data, stakeholder input, and feasibility testing. The goal is to create an implementation-ready, scalable model to improve equitable mental health care for medically high-risk pregnant patients.
Primary Mentor: Jeanne Sheffield, MD
2023 Recipients
Gloria Gerber, MD
Instructor
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology
Project Title: The Role of Complement in Obstetric Outcomes in Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Dr. Gerber’s BIRCWH proposal will quantify complement levels and employ a novel functional assay (modified Ham) to elucidate the role of complement throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy in women with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and correlate this with adverse obstetrical outcomes including thromboembolism, preterm birth, fetal loss, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and catastrophic APS.
Primary Mentor: Robert Brodsky, MD
Brittany Jenkins-Lord, PhD, MS, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project Title: The Molecular Consequences of Cancer Disparities: Correlating the Neighborhood Environment with Tumor-Associated Genes in Diverse Women with Breast Cancer
Dr. Jenkins-Lord’s BIRCWH proposal aims to investigate gene and protein differences in two tumor suppressor genes, LRIG1 and WWOX, that were shown to be differentially methylated and expressed in the breast tumors of women from high and low neighborhood deprivation areas, as well as differences by racial/ethnic group. In addition to identifying potentially relevant ancestrally informative genetic variants in these genes, she will also employ immunohistochemical and cell culture methods to further quantify protein differences in expression between Black and White women with breast cancer. Learn more.
Primary Mentor: Kala Visvanathan, MD, MHS, FRACP
Michelle Patch, PhD, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
Project Title: Examining Acquired Brain Injury-Associated Symptoms and Fluid-based Biomarkers in Women Surviving Intimate Partner Violence
Dr. Patch’s study examines intimate partner violence-related brain injury biomarkers and symptomatology over time for women seeking emergency care.
Primary Mentor: Gabor Kelen MD, FRCP(C), FACEP, FAAEM
Laura Prichett, PhD, MHS
Research AssociateDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics
Project Title: Gender, Race and Suicide: Unpacking the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis
This research examines racial and gender disparities in the under-recognition of mental health disorders in adolescents and young adults as defined by a suicide-related diagnosis without a previous mental or behavioral health diagnosis in primary care.
Primary Mentor: Jacky Jennings, PhD, PHS
2022 Recipient
Serena Michelle Ogunwole, MD, PhD
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Project Title: Developing Postpartum Interventions to Reduce Obesity-Related Disparities and Address Environmental Determinants of Health
This research project aims to address the disparities in postpartum dietary quality among Black mothers with obesity-related cardiometabolic complications of pregnancy. The study focuses on developing and testing a community-informed meal delivery intervention in partnership with Moveable Feast Baltimore, a meal delivery service for low-income individuals with chronic diseases. The project will explore the preferences and needs of postpartum mothers regarding meal delivery, develop a nutritionally tailored meal delivery intervention, and assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness on dietary quality and postpartum weight retention. The ultimate goal is to provide evidence-based interventions that meet the needs of historically marginalized populations and improve health outcomes in Black mothers affected by structural racism.
Primary Mentor: Wendy Bennett, MD, MPH
2021-2022 BIRCWH Cohort
Dr. Holliday’s study focuses on measuring reproductive coercion perpetration and exploring the socio-ecological correlates of this specific form of gender-based violence.
Dr. Abshire’s research addresses the needs of advanced heart failure patients and their informal caregivers. She will develop and test a novel multi-component intervention tailored to caregiver goals, HEart failure Resilience Intervention for Caregivers (HEROIC), to improve preventive health behaviors, reduce caregiver burden and improve QOL among HF caregivers during her BIRCWH award.
Dr. Koirala’s research focuses on developing a tool/framework consisting of co-designed strategies for quality multimorbidity care of patients living with two or more chronic conditions and their family members.
Dr. Standeven’s research focuses on the role of neurosteroid alterations in the symptoms of anxiety and depression experienced by women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
2018 BIRCWH Cohort
Mentors: Susan Sherman, PhD; Karin Tobin, PhD
Research Interests: Underlying mechanisms that inform our understanding of sexual health disparities at the intersections of HIV and intimate partner abuse prevention, healthy sexuality and reproductive well-being.
Mentors: Bert Vogelstein, MD; Amanda Nickles Fader, MD
Research Interests: Women’s interest in endometrial cancer screening and knowledge of the consequences of obesity; Testing utility of the Papgene mutational analysis, a novel screening technique
Mentors: Sophie Lanzkron, MD, MHS; Mindy Christianson, MD
Research Interests: Reproductive and sexual health in adolescent and adult women with sickle cell disease (SCD)
Mentors: Khalil Ghanem, MD, PhD; Deborah Persaud, MD; Jean Anderson, MD
Research Interests: Improving perinatal outcomes for women living with HIV
Mentor: Robert Brodsky, MD
Research Interests: Targeted therapies for HELLP syndrome