News Release

Friday, June 1, 2007

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

Five new members have been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health (ACRWH), which held its semiannual meeting recently in Bethesda, Maryland. The new members are: Ronald Gibbs, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado; Scott J. Hultgren, Ph.D., Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine; Mary Beth O’Connell, PHARM.D, BCPS, Associate Professor in the Pharmacy Practice Department at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University; Mary I. O’Connor, M.D., Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida; and Sally Rosen, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine and Director, Center for Women’s Health Research, Leadership and Advocacy, Temple University.

The NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 charges the Advisory Committee with advising the Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health on appropriate research activities to be undertaken by the national research institutes with respect to women’s health research and recommendations regarding the inclusion of women in clinical trials and opportunities for women in biomedical careers. The committee is composed of up to 18 members who are appointed by the NIH Director.

Dr. Gibbs brings to the ACRWH extensive knowledge in obstetric and gynecologic infections and high risk pregnancies. He is the co-author of the standard text in the field, "Infectious Diseases of the Female Genital Tract", as well as many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has provided extensive service to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has been a mentor for students, residents, fellows and faculty.

Dr. Hultgren’s major interests have been in elucidating the molecular details of host-pathogen interactions that occur during urinary tract infections caused by E. coli. He is a recognized authority on issues relating to the structure and function of adhesive fibers that play critical and unexpected roles in host-pathogen interactions. Dr. Hultgren is the Center Director of the Washington University Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women’s Health, which studies the molecular and epidemiologic basis of acute and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women. In addition to multiple honors, including a Nobel Fellowship, Dr. Hultgren was recently selected as Course Master-of-the Year at Washington University in honor of his dedication to teaching.

Dr. O’Connell has focused on drug therapy for the older population with an emphasis on prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. She is the course director of the Special Patient Populations module that includes women’s health. Dr. O’Connell is the Past President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, a clinical pharmacist and PharmD student preceptor at the Detroit Medical Center Geriatric Center of Excellence.

Named a “Local Legend” by the American Women’s Medical Association and the NIH as part of the “Changing the Face of Medicine” project, Dr. O’Connor is active in research and education. She has published leading research on saving limbs after treatment for pelvic and shoulder cancers. Dr. O’Connor was the first female member of both the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). She is Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. O’Connor is currently President of the Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society and Chair of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ’ Women’s Health Issues Advisory Board.

As Director for the Center for Women’s Health Research, Leadership and Advocacy, Temple University, Dr. Rosen helped initiate the Center in 2005 and has developed multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations to foster excellence in women’s health research and support the mentored research career development of junior faculty at Temple University. Dr. Rosen was recently named the first ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) Senior Scholar, a position created to help advance research and other initiatives aimed at addressing the lack of women leaders at the upper levels of U.S. academic health centers.

Continuing ACRWH members include:

Joanna M. Cain, M.D., Chair and Professor of OBGYN Department, Director, Center for Women’s Health, Oregon Health Sciences University; Luther Clark, M.D., Executive Director, Atherosclerosis Therapeutic Area, External Medical and Scientific Affairs, Merck and Company; PonJola Coney, M.D., FACOG, Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meharry Medical College; Andrea Dunaif, M.D., Charles F. Kettering Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University; Margaret M. Heitkemper, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Chair and Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, Director, Center for Women’s Health Research, University of Washington School of Nursing; Constance A. Howes, J.D., President and CEO, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence RI; Linda M. Kaste, DDS, MS, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Predoctoral Dental Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago; Nancy Norton, Founder and President, International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders; Eugene P. Orringer, M.D., Executive Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Susan P. Sloan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Associate Residency Program Director, East Tennessee State University; Phyllis M. Wise, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Washington; Barbara Yee, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa; and Carmen D. Zorrilla, M.D., Professor OB-GYN, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.

For more information about women’s health research at the NIH, visit http://orwh.od.nih.gov/ and for additional information on the ACRWH, go to 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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