Join us in congratulating our new BIRCWH Scholars!
The Johns Hopkins Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) K12 Program is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest cohort of BIRCWH Scholars. Each scholar will receive salary support, dedicated research and career development funding, and travel funds to advance their work in women’s health research.
Supported by the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, the BIRCWH Program is administered through the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). The program is committed to developing independently funded, collaborative, and ethical investigators who lead interdisciplinary teams to advance research on health conditions unique to, more prevalent in, or differently experienced by women.
Scholars receive a minimum of two years of 75 percent protected research time, along with rigorous training, hands-on mentorship, and support in developing and implementing a clinical research project. They also gain access to ICTR programs and resources, grant writing guidance, and career development activities. Research areas include diseases specific to women, sex and gender differences in disease expression, and the social determinants of women’s health and health disparities.
Please join us in congratulating our new BIRCWH Scholars as they begin this important next phase of their research careers.
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