BWH Celebrates Women Scientists on September 14- Clinical & Research News - For and about the Physicians and Researchers of Brigham and Women's HospitalBWH Celebrates Women Scientists on September 14- Clinical & Research News - For and about the Physicians and Researchers of Brigham and Women's Hospital

Skip to contents

BWH Celebrates Women Scientists on September 14


Researchers working in the lab of Dr. Elena Aikawa.

From Marie Curie's pioneering research into radioactivity to Rosalind Franklin's contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA, women have been trailblazers in many scientific endeavors that have influenced the way societies practice medicine today. To celebrate Women in Medicine and Science Month, BWH is recognizing the inspiring work of its talented pool of women scientists.

The Office for Women's Careers and the Center for Faculty Development and Diversity will host its first BWH Women's Research Day on Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., in the Shapiro Conference Center. The event will highlight the collaborations and research achievements of women faculty and trainees at BWH. Co-sponsors of the event include the Office for Research Careers, the Biomedical Research Institute and the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology. 

"This event is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the stellar accomplishments of our women faculty and trainees, and to share our research and achievements with each other and our community. I hope that this day will initiate an ongoing tradition," said Carol Nadelson, MD, director of the Office for Women's Careers.

The keynote address will be delivered by Julie Glowacki, PhD, director of the Skeletal Biology Laboratory, and Meryl S. LeBoff, MD, director of the Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis Center.

Winning Women

A highlight of BWH Women's Research Day will be oral presentations of six winning abstracts. This year's winners are:

  • Julia Charles, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine; Division of Rheumatology, Immunology & Allergy: A Mouse Myeloid Precursor with Osteoclastogenic and Suppressor Function in vivo Increases in Inflammatory Arthritis
  • Nicole Joller, PhD, Department of Neurology: TIGIT Expression Defines a Functionally Distinct Treg Subset
  • Linda Lee, MD, Department of Medicine; Division of Gastroenterology: Investigation of MicroRNA in Pancreatic Cystic Tumors (IMPACT) Study: Differential Expression Observed Among Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms
  • Cecilia Lezcano, MD, Department of Pathology: Immunopathologic Detection of MDR-transporter, ABCB5, in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
  • Zehra Ordulu, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Lessons Learned from Next-Gen Cytogenetics: Whole Genome Sequence-Based Prenatal Diagnosis of Apparently Balanced de novo Chromosome Rearrangements
  • Sabina Signoretti, MD, Department of Pathology, Genetic Lineage Tracing Reveals that p63-Positive Cells are the Stem Cells of the Prostate Epithelium and Urothelium During Development

"These abstracts represent different disciplines from basic to translational research," said Barbara Bierer, MD, senior vice president of BWH Research and director of the Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. "We hope that those who attend the presentations and other festivities on Women's Research Day will be inspired to form research collaborations with one another that will strengthen our research community as a whole," said Elena Aikawa, MD, PhD, of the BWH Cardiovascular Division, stressing the importance of hospital support of women at all phases of their careers, especially in the early stages.

"Women's Research Day at BWH is a groundbreaking event that aims to provide a stage where women can showcase their accomplishments and leadership," said Aikawa.

You can RSVP online to attend BWH Women's Research Day on Sept. 14 in the Shapiro Breakout Room from 2:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.