Carolyn Wins Award!

What is the name of the award?

​I received a grant from the UCSF/Kaiser Permanente Grants Program for Fellows.

What is the award is for?

The award is for one of my projects called Intimate Partner Violence, Menopausal Symptoms, and Healthcare Utilization among Women in Midlife and Older Age. The award includes $35,000 in direct salary support for a programmer to provide data management and analysis as well as commitment to project from UCSF and Kaiser mentorship team and oversight from Kaiser.

What is this project about?

"In this study, we aim to examine the impact of intimate partner violence and PTSD on women’s experience of the menopause transition as well as healthcare utilization during middle and older age, using survey and clinical record data from a well-described, multi-ethnic cohort of Kaiser Permanente Northern California enrollees.  Findings will contribute to our understanding of the healthcare needs of middle-aged and older women who have experienced intimate partner violence, an issue under-recognized among this age cohort.  By addressing our knowledge gap in the prevalence and health-related impact of these intimate partner violence and PTSD among post-reproductive aged women, we hope to provide evidence to support more systematic screening and early intervention for IPV, sexual violence, and PTSD in this vulnerable population, and help providers anticipate and prepare for the complex healthcare needs of these patients." –from the grant application

What did you do to get this grant? What steps did you take and what did you achieve?

It's a competitive application process open to UCSF postdoctoral fellows. It includes commitment from and collaboration with mentors from UCSF and Kaiser Division of Research. But to get the grant, I created a research proposal, with Specific Aims, Significance, Approach, Timeline, Deliverables, Collaborators, References and NIH-style Biosketch. I also planned out a budget along with a budget justification document. I received letters of support and statements of commitment from UCSF and KP DOR mentors as well.

What does receiving this award mean to you?

​It is wonderful to get institutional support and buy-in for women’s health, especially related to menopause and aging—the challenges in this population are often under-recognized.  The chance to work on this project will be great for my professional development, and will hopefully lead to continued collaboration.  Conducting research that integrates survey and medical record data will add significantly to my methodological skills, while the opportunity to learn from my mentorship team will provide invaluable training in research related to aging, trauma, and PTSD as I move toward an independent research career.  The rich data available and expertise of this research team may pave the way for further examination of other reproductive health concerns in association with trauma or PTSD, and the impact of trauma, PTSD, and menopausal symptoms on cognitive functioning, comorbid chronic health conditions, and physical functioning in an aging female population.