Search

Asserting that college advisers have the opportunity to enrich prehealth students' growth by becoming mentors, discusses issues mentors will encounter when supporting students, including career selection; roles for the mentor; curriculum, classes, and grades; application; moving beyond the medical school option; innovative opportunities for mentorship; and redesigning the advisory or mentor network. (EV)

Background: A key component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research is the development of interdisciplinary research teams. How best to teach and foster interdisciplinary research skills has not been determined. An effort at promoting interdisciplinary research was initiated by the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at NIH in 1999. The following year, 12 academic centers were funded to support 56 scholar positions for 2–5 years under Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH). A second cohort of 12 centers, called BIRCWH II, was funded in 2002. Methods: In this paper, we present the experience of the University of Michigan BIRCWH program, including a practical approach to dealing with the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary research training. Scholars are mentored not only by their primary research advisor but also by a three-person mentor team as well as by their peers. All scholars and a core of supportive faculty meet regularly to discuss interdisciplinary research career development and approaches to apply knowledge in new ways. Results: Of the original cohort of 10 scholars at the University of Michigan, 7 have achieved independent research funding. Conclusions: Challenges include arranging times to meet, developing a common language and knowledge base, dealing proactively with expectations and misunderstandings, focusing on a conceptual model, and providing timely feedback.

Although no guidelines support the use of benzodiazepines in bereavement care, clinicians continue to use this medication for surviving family members. An anonymous survey about perinatal death was sent to 1500 United States obstetricians. One question assessed beliefs about prescribing sedatives to bereaved mothers. Almost half (49%) of 804 obstetricians endorsed the use of sedatives, such as benzodiazepines, for acute bereavement. Grieving families may experience mental and physical anguish after a death; however, benzodiazepines are not part of recommended care for bereavement. The surprisingly high support from physicians for the use of sedatives in the case of maternal grief raises important questions about how physicians can best support bereaved mothers and what effect benzodiazepines may have in the grieving process.

Objective: The goal was to develop the Women's Health Registry, a research participant database that prospectively collects detailed information on potential research subjects to assist in linking them with open research protocols and to assess investigator use and satisfaction with this Registry. Methods: The Women's Health Registry was launched in 1999. Women aged ≥18 years were recruited to enroll in a database of women with interest in research participation and to complete a health questionnaire. Women's health researchers with IRB-approved projects were encouraged to apply for access to the Registry participants. In 2003, the first 15 investigators to use the Women's Health Registry were asked to participate in a standardized open-ended interview to assess investigator satisfaction with this recruitment tool. Results: The Women's Health Registry is currently populated with 2436 women: 36.8% aged 18–34, 39.9% aged 35–54, 16.8% aged 55–69, and 6.4% aged ≥70 years. Of these women, 84% are Caucasian and 8.5% are African American. Structured interviews with 13 of the 15 investigators contacted revealed that 36.4% of the total subject enrollment recruited by these investigators was recruited from the Women's Health Registry. In addition, Registry participants were more likely to enroll in their research protocols than women contacted through other methods. Most of the investigators' expectations from the Women's Health Registry were met, except for access to menopausal women. Conclusions: The Women's Health Registry was successfully developed, and the goal of linking women with appropriate protocols was met with significant investigator satisfaction.

The Women's Health Program at the University of Michigan was established in 1993 and has developed into a successful, federally supported program that links clinical research and education activities across the University. It has focused on human resource capacity building, sustainable financial support and infrastructure, and adaptability to change and opportunities. Widely accepted standards, demonstrated value, committed leaders/champions, and participatory culture have contributed to its success and are important to its future.

Background: Recruiting minority women into clinical research remains a significant challenge to conducting ethnically representative research. The main objective of this Office on Women's Health, DHHS-funded e-health database evaluation project was to examine African American women 's thoughts and perceptions about the clinical research process and about participation in the University of Michigan Women's Health Registry research database. Methods: Thirty-one African American women were recruited from the community to participate in a total of five 90-minute focus group discussions. All sessions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to identify relevant themes about participation in clinical research and the Women's Health Registry. Results: Ten common trends were identified. (1) Information about the Women's Health Registry is not reaching the community. (2) Research is perceived as biased to benefit Caucasians. (3) Community involvement by the research team is critical for trust to develop. (4) Research directly relevant to African Americans or their community will encourage participation. (5) Researchers should use existing networks and advertise in appropriate locations. (6) The community needs more information concerning research. (7) Compensation is important. (8) Research that addresses a personal or family medical problem encourages involvement. (9) Minority representation on the research team is a motivator to participation. (10) There is limited time for healthcare-related activities. Conclusions: Successful recruitment strategies for African American women should feature community-based, culturally appropriate approaches. Online research databases for subject recruitment will likely be successful only if implemented within a broader community-oriented program.