The UNC Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program has appointed three scholars who will receive funding and protected time for research relevant to women’s health and sex as a biological variable.
The UNC-Chapel Hill Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program is delighted to announce the appointment of three scholars who will comprise the first cohort supported by the most recent grant reissuance (2025-2030). These researchers represent some of UNC’s most innovative rising women’s health scientists across multiple departments and divisions.
BIRCWH is a National Institutes of Health mentored career development program designed to connect junior faculty to senior faculty with shared interest in interdisciplinary research relevant to women’s health and sex as a biological variable. The program supports each scholar for a minimum of two years during which they will receive funding and protected time for research efforts to generate preliminary data needed for an individual K- or R- equivalent grant submission.
Hiral Master, PT, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Evidence-Based Practice II, Department of Health Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy
Hiral Master is a clinician-scientist, Certified in Public Health (CPH), and a licensed physical therapist whose research focuses on digital health and physical activity interventions to support long-term self-management, mobility, and health disparities among individuals with arthritis.
The goal of Dr. Master’s BIRCWH project is to develop and pilot a digitally enhanced, theory-informed intervention that delivers timely, personalized support to women with arthritis to promote physical activity. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability among women, who experience greater pain, functional limitations, and lower physical activity levels than men.
“BIRCWH provides the mentorship and protected time needed to build an independent research program focused on developing scalable, technology-enabled interventions that improve mobility and quality of life for women with arthritis.” – Hiral Master
Margo Nathan, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Margo Nathan is a physician researcher and faculty member in the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Nathan’s clinical interests include the care of perinatal and perimenopausal women with affective disorders while her research interests are focused on examining the pathophysiology of perimenopausal onset depression and developing novel treatments for this illness.
Dr. Nathan’s BIRCWH-supported research will expand the understanding of perimenopausal depression (PMD) and serve as proof-of-concept for future treatment studies. PMD impacts 10-20% women and is linked with significant health and societal burdens.
“Being awarded the BIRCWH grant is a tremendous opportunity to study perimenopausal depression, which is profoundly understudied yet a highly burdensome condition. This project represents an important step towards understanding whether GABAergic mechanisms may underlie the biology of this illness. By examining these pathways, our work hopes to support the development of new targeted treatments for women impacted by this illness.” – Margo Nathan
Kandyce Brennan, DNP, CNM
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Kandyce Brennan is a certified nurse midwife specializing in the care of pregnant-capable individuals and their families. Her research focuses on improving access to care and reducing disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes through patient-centered digital tools. Drawing on her clinical background, Dr. Brennan leads interdisciplinary work that prioritizes trust and reproductive autonomy to ensure innovations meaningfully support patients and communities.
Through her BIRCWH appointment, Dr. Brennan will develop methods for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) health tools to reduce disparities in sexual and reproductive health among rural and underserved young adults. Real-world AI implementation is constrained by translational barriers including trustworthiness, acceptability, accessibility, and sustained engagement; this project will address trust as a central barrier.
“AI-enabled digital health tools have the potential to increase access to reliable health information and care for rural and underserved communities, but trust and community partnership must guide these tools from design to implementation.” – Kandyce Brennan
UNC-Chapel Hill was one of the first institutions to receive a BIRCWH award in 2000 and maintained an active program through 2019. During that time, the program graduated 38 scholars who went on to garner more than $1.5 billion in research funding. The new UNC BIRCWH program will build on previous foundational successes by leveraging the University’s extensive institutional resources and collaborative culture.
On having the BIRCWH award return to UNC-Chapel Hill, PI Dr. Lisa Rahangdale said, “The BIRCWH program has been influential for many successful women’s health researchers and leaders at UNC. We are thrilled to have the program back and to welcome our new scholars and their mentorship teams to the program.”
To learn more about the UNC BIRCWH program mission and leadership, see the original story here: UNC Receives “Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health” Award.
The BIRCWH Program is a K12 Institutional Career Development Program funded through the NIH Office of the Director.