News Release

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Five New Members Named to NIH Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health

Expertise Includes Reproductive Health, Surgical Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, Immunology, Community-based Research and Health Disparities.

The National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health announces the appointment of five new members: Francisco Garcia, M.D., M.P.H., Ronda S. Henry-Tillman, M.D., F.A.C.S., Karen E. Kim, M.D., Claire Pomeroy, M.D., and Paul F. Terranova, Ph.D.

The committee advises the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) on appropriate research activities to be undertaken by the national research institutes with respect to research on women’s health; research on sex/gender differences in clinical trials, and research on women’s health conditions which require an interdisciplinary approach. Members are physicians, practitioners, scientists, and other health professionals who are not federal employees. The committee members are actively involved in reviewing NIH women’s health research priorities, the women’s health research portfolio for NIH, career development, and the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical research. The committee is composed of up to 18 members who are appointed by the NIH director.

"The wealth of diverse experiences and talents brought by these five individuals will enhance the entire committee's goal of fulfilling our ORWH mandate," said Dr. Vivian W. Pinn, director of the ORWH. "The expertise our new members bring will further enable the committee to achieve its mission of advising on those research activities that will maximize women’s health research resources, and developing innovative strategies to advance research careers. "

Francisco Garcia, M.D., M.P.H. is the director of the University of Arizona Center of Excellence in Women's Health, Tucson; and co-director, Cancer Disparities Institute of the Arizona Cancer Center. Dr. Garcia is the distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology, public health, pharmacy and Mexican-American studies at the University of Arizona and a member of the Arizona Cancer Center. He is the immediate past director and principal investigator of the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence as well as former director of the Division of Gynecology. Dr. Garcia's research expertise is in the area of pre-malignant cervical disease and human papillomavirus infection, and the evaluation of new technologies and therapeutics for cervical cancer precursors. Dr. Garcia also has a long established interest in the health of women on the United States-Mexico Border. He is active in the training and mentoring of residents, medical students, graduate students and international medical personnel interested in women's health.

Ronda S. Henry-Tillman, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a surgical oncologist specializing in women’s oncology at the University of Arkansas Medical Center, Little Rock. She is a professor in the Department of Surgery, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is practice director for the Ladies' Oncology Clinic, and the director of Cancer Control at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. As director, she heads efforts to reduce the mortality, health disparities and cancer burden of Arkansans. She has developed numerous interventions that target cancer disparities. Dr. Henry-Tillman has been recognized as a leader in cancer diagnosis and treatment. She has numerous publications, and has made national and international presentations on magnetic resonance imaging, breast cancer staging, and the advancements in breast cancer treatment, as well as cancer disparities interventions. She is federally funded in clinical research, with research interests prevalent in cancer education and awareness and community-based participatory research.

Karen E. Kim, M.D. is an associate professor of medicine in gastroenterology at the University of Chicago, an associate member of the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, an affiliate faculty in the Center for the Study of Race, Culture and Politics, and a member of the Department of Medicine’s Diversity Committee. Dr. Kim was appointed to chair the Department of Medicine's Women's Committee and to co-chair the Women in Medicine Committee for the Division of Biological Sciences. Her leadership in women’s health, work life balance and mentorship has been widely recognized. Her educational interests include health disparities, cultural competency, working with limited English proficient populations and patient centered communication. Dr. Kim has received numerous educational awards including best teaching faculty among medical students and gastroenterology fellows, and she was chosen as a fellow in the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators at the University of Chicago.

Claire Pomeroy, M.D. is the University of California at Davis' vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences; dean of the School of Medicine; an expert in infectious diseases; and a professor of internal medicine and microbiology and immunology. She oversees UC Davis Health System and all of its academic, research and clinical programs, including the School of Medicine. With an emphasis on academic excellence and social responsibility, Pomeroy fosters an institutional commitment to address the social determinants of health. She founded the Center for Reducing Health Disparities and led the establishment of Rural-PRIME, a program specifically designed to prepare physicians to practice in underserved rural communities. Pomeroy leads an active research team studying host responses to viral infections. As a clinician, she is a long-time advocate for patients with HIV/AIDS. She has a special interest in health care policy, and has led efforts to advance electronic health records to improve health care. She has published more than 100 articles and book chapters and edited three books.

Paul F. Terranova, Ph.D. is vice chancellor for research and president of the Research Institute at the Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC), Kansas City. He also serves as senior associate dean for research and graduate education in the School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and then moved to the University of Kansas Medical Center for postdoctoral studies related to ovarian function in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. He was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at KUMC in 1977 and rose through the ranks to professor in 1985. He has served as director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences from 1995 to 2007 which was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He has provided service to several journals by serving on their editorial boards including Endocrinology, Endocrine, Biology of Reproduction and the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He also has served on several NIH and National Science Foundation review panels as well as for the National Academy. Since 1979, his research has been supported by NIH and numerous other private and national agencies. He has over 140 peer reviewed publications and book chapters.

Continuing Members include: Margery L.S. Gass, M.D.; Ronald S. Gibbs, M.D.; Linda C. Giudice, M.D., Ph.D.; Scott J. Hultgren. Ph.D.; Paula A. Johnson, M.D.; Nancy Nielsen, M.D., Ph.D.; Mary Beth O’Connell, Pharm.D.; Mary I. O’Connor, M.D.; Sally Rosen, M.D., M.F.S.; Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D.; Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D.; Gary E. Striker, M.D.; Debra Toney, Ph.D., R.N.

The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) serves as the focal point for women's health research at the NIH. For more information about NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health or the Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health, visit http://orwh.od.nih.gov/ or http://orwh.od.nih.gov/about/advisory.html.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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