1. Women’s Health Fellowship:
Clinical and Research Training
Women’s Health Congress
March 15, 2012
Timothy R. B. Johnson, MD
Professor and Chair
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

4. POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION AND
TRAINING
- Residency (4 years x 5, approved for 6 residents
beginning 2008)(ACGME)
- All four ABOG fellowships (ONC, MFM, REI, FPMRS)
(FPMRS is actually ACGME accredited starting 2012)
- Minimally Invasive Surg Training Program (2 yr)(AAGL)
- Women’s Health (OBG, Fam Med, Peds, Psych, Int Med )
- Family Planning/Reproductive health (2 yr) (National
Office, UCSF based)
- Pediatric/adolescent gynecology (1-2 years)(NASPAG)
- BIRCWH K-12 Training Program (Interdisciplinary)
- WRHR K-12 Training Program (OBGYN’S)
- Breast Training Program ( 1-2 yr)
- RWJ Clinical Scholars Training Program

5. • Interdisciplinary best practice
• Mentorship
• Work/life balance
• Lessons learned/advice
• Institutional impact

6. Disciplinary primer
• Multidisciplinary: Playing in the same sandbox
• Transdisciplinary: Playing with each other’s
toys
• Interdisciplinary: Playing and building together
to make new toys

7. Why interdisciplinary
research training?
• Collaborations benefit all involved. Publish
enough so that each investigator can take the
lead
• New career development mechanisms have
been funded (this K12 is one of them)
• NIH has instituted Study Section Boundaries
Teams to promote interdisciplinary research

8. First Tuesday Women’s Health
• Mandatory monthly meeting begins with lunch
(sponsored by IRWG), followed by a didactic
lecture on a career development topic by an
established mentor, then informal
presentations of ongoing research by scholars
in order to stimulate discussion and provide
scholars feedback from other mentors and
peers.

9. First Tuesday Women’s Health
• These meetings have taken on a central
importance and now attract regular
attendance by other women’s health junior
faculty members in other career development
and fellowship programs including Robert
Wood Johnson scholars and several post-
doctoral programs.

10. Other Best Practices
• Idea development – Opportunities to interact
with others to lead to projects that are
interdisciplinary
IDEA GENERATION AS KEY TO SCIENCE
• Manuscript Writing skills – “Work shopping”
manuscripts in preparation, revision of
manuscripts, grants in preparation, and grants
resubmission has proven extremely valuable

11. Importance of project
Low(1) Med(2) High(3)
Don’t Most
Far bother projects
Closeness (1)
to
finishing Most 2nd
Med projects priority
(2)
Most 2nd TOP
Almost
projects priority PRIORITY!
(3)
John DeLancey

12. • Presentation skills – Scholars present work in progress
in front of other fellows and faculty members and the
PI. Once accepted at meetings, plan for presentations
national meetings
• Evaluation and feedback – Regular planned evaluation
of both research and career development
• Reasonable goals – While R01 funding after only 2-3
years is a challenging goal, individual K awards and
smaller R grants are attainable

13. • Only minimal teaching responsibilities as appropriate to
optimize academic career development
• Bring together all scholars monthly for a sense of
community
• Teach ethics by example
• Be vigilant in detecting and correcting misalignment
between the institutional culture and scholar to prevent
research burnout

14. • Interdisciplinary best practice
• Mentorship
• Work/life balance
• Lessons learned/advice
• Institutional impact

15. Mentorship Best Practices
• Quality mentorship – Provided by PI, Advisory
Committee, research mentor, but also peers
• Strong research training – How to turn novel
research ideas into hypothesis-driven aims
• Provide a Career Development mentor who
knows your departmental culture for
promotion

16. Mentor “Quilt”
• A single mentor cannot be all things at all
times. Some mentors work best with the big
picture, while others can help with protocol
details
• Seek appropriate connections to expand your
research
• Include a work-life balance mentor who you
admire for personal support

17. • Interdisciplinary best practice
• Mentorship
• Work/life balance
• Lessons learned/advice
• Institutional impact

18. You have many roles
partner
scholar
person clinician
You, Inc
administrator
Parent
volunteer
Susan Johnson

19. Finding balance
Life
Work Loved ones
Self
Renewal
Giving
Community
http://www.centerforworkandfamily.com
http://hr.umich.edu/worklife/

20. Ways to prevent burnout
• Make peace with the bureaucracy
(Division, Department, IRB, University, NIH)
• Do not compromise your values (find a way
to work in what you believe in)
• Keep your skills updated
• Invest in your personal life

21. • Interdisciplinary best practice
• Mentorship
• Work/life balance
• Lessons learned/advice
• Institutional impact

22. Start with the basics
• Recruit scholars (fellows, post-docs) who’ve
demonstrated interest in research careers
• Keep mentors who have experience in
teaching how to turn novel research ideas into
hypothesis-driven fundable research programs
• Guaranteed research time (minimum 75%)
and follow-up on expectations

23. We specifically drew upon the other successful
programs at the U of M like the Michigan
Initiative for Women’s Health, Center for
Excellence, IRWG, RSP, departmental fellowships

24. • Interdisciplinary best practice
• Mentorship
• Work/life balance
• Lessons learned/advice
• Institutional impact

26. The birth center in the new Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital features 50 private patient
rooms, including six which offer birthing tubs. Each room also features a sofa which pulls out
into a sleep space and a comfortable chair which reclines fully for sleeping.

28. References
• Rogers J; Johnson TRB; Warner P; Thorson J; Punch M.
“Building a Sustainable Comprehensive Women’s Health
Program: The Michigan Model.” J Women’s Health, V 16, No
6, 2007.
• Domino S; Smith Y; Johnson TRB. “Opportunities and
Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research Career Development:
Implementation of a Women’s Health Research Training
Program.” J Women’s Health, V16, No 2, 2007.
• Domino S; Bodurtha J; Nagel J. “Interdisciplinary Research
Career Development: Building Interdisciplinary Research
Careers in Women’s Health Program Best Practices.” J
Women’s Health, V20, No 11, 2011.
• Keeton K, Fenner DE, Johnson TRBJ, Hayward RA: Predictors
of physician career satisfaction, work-life balance and
burnout. Obstet Gynecol 109(4):949-955, 2007.