Reaching #5 in NIH funding

his year, for the first time, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center is proud to announce that we have reached #5 in our specialty ranked by funding received from the National Institutes of Health.

The past several years, under the leadership of Ron Wapner, MD, Director of Reproductive Genetics and former Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Ob/Gyn, as well as Michelle DiVito, MSN, RN, Chief Administrative Officer and former Administrative Director of Research for the Department of Ob/Gyn, have seen a major expansion of research efforts across many fields and specialties impacting women’s health. Over the last five years, the Department has recruited investigators to expand its portfolio even further, with a focus toward diversifying across research methods and taking a broader view of women’s health.

In 2018, the Department recruited Yousin Suh, PhD, the Charles and Marie Robertson professor of reproductive sciences in obstetrics and gynecology, professor of genetics and development, and director of reproductive aging at Columbia University. Since joining Columbia, Dr. Suh has acquired grants in ovarian aging and sex-specific cognitive and brain aging.

In 2019, the Department recruited Ka Kahe, MD, ScD, MPH, a nutritional epidemiologist with a focus on dietary and environmental factors in relation to the risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, and cancer. Dr. Kahe is the Tilden-Weger-Bieler professor of reproductive sciences in obstetrics and gynecology and professor of epidemiology. Together with Jason Wright, MD, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Ob/Gyn at NYP/CUIMC, Dr. Kahe is a co-director of the Department’s new Center for Women’s Population Health, which aims to expand outcomes research in our field and beyond.

In 2020, the department also welcomed Tal Korem, PhD, an assistant professor of systems biology and reproductive sciences with joint appointments in the Department of Ob/Gyn and the Department of Systems Biology. Working at the intersection between computational biology and medicine, Dr. Korem and his team develop algorithms and computational methods that aim to understand microbial growth, activity, and metabolic production, as well as apply these methodologies as the basis for clinical inquiries in diverse settings, with a special focus on reproductive sciences.

This fall, Blair Wylie, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and expert in the role of climate and environmental influences on women’s health will join the department to lead a new initiative in this area. For Dr. Wylie, understanding the intersection of nutrition, genetics, and the environment will be critical in order to identify solutions to some of the aspects of women’s health that have been harder to move the needle on, such as preterm birth.

“We were so pleased to reach the top five in the National Institutes of Health funding ranking this year – it’s been a long-term goal – but we have so much more to build in women’s health research.” says Mary D’Alton, MD, Chair of the Department of Ob/Gyn at NYP/CUIMC.

Expanding the scope of research is essential to advancing clinical care, according to Dr. Wright, who also serves as Editor in Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology (the Green Journal) and has made significant contributions to women’s health outcomes research.

“Clinical trials will always be a core part of advancing the field of women’s health, but we know that bringing together as many research methods as possible under one departmental umbrella is what will lead to the next generation of insights and innovations,” Dr. Wright said. “Understanding how care is actually being delivered to women and to determine how effective treatments are in real world populations is essential. To do this, we use large data sets to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, procedures, and new technologies. We believe this next step is critical for improving the health of women.”