As a women’s health researcher at
Michigan State University, Mary Nettleman noticed something.
“I have been able to network with a lot of the women’s health researchers on campus,” she says, “and while there is a large amount of this research going on at MSU, we often don’t think of ourselves as a women’s research university."
So Nettleman, who is a also a professor and chair of the
Department of Medicine, decided it was time the various researchers in her own field on campus made some sort of effort to support each other and the future of women’s health research on campus.
“The
NIH [National Institute of Health] provided an opportunity to help fund this kind of venture,” she says, “so I wrote a grant proposal.” The NIH funding was in the form of a
BIRCWH, or Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health grant - a perfect fit for the type research Nettleman wanted to highlight at MSU.
Nettleman’s proposal resulted in $2.5 million in funding for this kind of research at MSU. It will fund projects across four academic programs - geography, social work, criminal justice and nursing. The research varies from examining pregnancy-related medical conditions to studying the physical and mental health needs of women divorcing violent husbands with whom they share children.
“I think this will solidify our reputation as a women’s research university on a national scale,” Nettleman says. “It helps ensure the successful continuation of this research by inspiring and supporting some of our newest faculty members.”
Source: Mary Nettleman, MSU Department of Medicine
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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