CTSI / Iris Cantor Women's Health Center Awards

Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center / Augmentation Awards 

Pilot funding is available to augment currently funded NIH or major foundation grants for UCLA researchers, this includes researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center/Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, to promote exploration of sex and gender-based differences and women’s health research. Funds can be used to focus on, expand, or strengthen a research project’s applicability to women’s health.  

Funding from the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health must be used in a manner consistent with the mission of the Center, described below:

The Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health seeks to promote comprehensive health care for women by providing support for research to understand human sex differences in health and disease and medical issues and diseases unique to women, as well as to develop and test clinical interventions for women.  An equally important component of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission is training future leaders in women’s health research. Specific aims include:

• To encourage and support interdisciplinary research in the field of women’s health and gender-based medicine, including:
  • To study medical issues (including reproductive issues) and diseases unique to women or more common in women
  • To use established methods of health, utility, and cost measurement to assess and suggest ways to improve the cost effectiveness of clinical interventions for women.
  • To promote research on sex at the cellular level, including how genetic sex differences influence cells, organs, organ systems, and organisms
  • To study sex differences across the life span
  • To study sex differences and similarities for human diseases that affect both sexes
• To train researchers capable of leading and conducting research programs that are consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
• To extend resources into the UCLA campus to increase the quality of women’s health research throughout the campus and to attract new and established researchers into women’s health research
• To study a wide range of populations in these research efforts, including women of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who have been traditionally underrepresented in research studies
• To translate research findings into improvements in health care practice for women

Co-Sponsorship: The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UCLA CTSI) is co-sponsoring this award made available by the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. The CTSI provides the infrastructure to bring

UCLA innovations and resources to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles and the nation. It is a dynamic partnership among UCLA Westwood, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and our Los Angeles community. It is one of more than 60 NIH-funded CTSIs nationwide.

Pilot Funding Amount Available:  $30,000 for one-year (non-renewable).

Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet and Timeline

Candidates interested in applying for pilot funding must submit a Letter of Intent and supporting documentation packet.  This submission must include:

1. 1. Applicant contact information
   2. One-page letter of intent that covers:
      1. Summary of current research
      2. Long range research goals and plans for future research
      3. Brief budget overview, specifying how pilot funds would be used
      4. For any augmentation requests, how additional funds will strengthen current work and specify how increased budget amount would be used in your pilot work

1. 3. CV and NIH biosketch of applicant
   4. NIH biosketch of sponsoring mentor (required if applicant does not hold a faculty appointment at the level of Associate Professor or Professor)
   5. One letter of support from the sponsoring mentor only; no additional letters will be accepted

Allowed use of funds:  Funding may be requested for any purpose which meets the scientific advancement needs of the investigator and complies with UCLA policies for expenditure of funds.  

Letters of intent and supporting documentation packets will be reviewed by a scientific committee.  Criteria for an invitation to submit a full application invitation are: 

(a) Potential of the applicant’s work to further research in women’s health; (b) Credentials of the applicant and sponsoring mentor (if applicable); (c) Relatedness to the Center mission.

Priority for pilot funding will be given to projects that would likely lead to an R01 (or equivalent level funding from extramural sources) consistent with the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission within 1-3 years. Future research goals should be consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. 

Successful applicants may be asked to attend a team science training.

How to Submit Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet

• Items 1-5 listed above should be e-mailed to Gabrielle Pascua, gpascua@mednet.ucla.edu.
• All application materials must be received by noon, Monday, January 22nd, 2024; materials received after that date /time will not be considered.
• Submission will undergo scientific review and the selected candidates will be asked to submit a full proposal.

• Invitations for submission of a full proposal will be sent by Monday, March 18th, 2024.

Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center / Pilot Awards

Pilot funding is available for UCLA researchers, this includes researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center/Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, who perform women’s health research, and/or research where exploration of sex and gender-based differences is relevant.  

Funding from the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health must be used in a manner consistent with the mission of the Center, described below:

The Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health seeks to promote comprehensive health care for women by providing support for research to understand human sex differences in health and disease and medical issues and diseases unique to women, as well as to develop and test clinical interventions for women. An equally important component of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission is training future leaders in women’s health research. Specific aims include:

• To encourage and support interdisciplinary research in the field of women’s health and gender-based medicine, including:
  • To study medical issues (including reproductive issues) and diseases unique to women or more common in women
  • To use established methods of health, utility, and cost measurement to assess and suggest ways to improve the cost effectiveness of clinical interventions for women.
  • To promote research on sex at the cellular level, including how genetic sex differences influence cells, organs, organ systems, and organisms
  • To study sex differences across the life span
  • To study sex differences and similarities for human diseases that affect both sexes
• To train researchers capable of leading and conducting research programs that are consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
• To extend resources into the UCLA campus to increase the quality of women’s health research throughout the campus and to attract new and established researchers into women’s health research
• To study a wide range of populations in these research efforts, including women of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who have been traditionally underrepresented in research studies
• To translate research findings into improvements in health care practice for women

Co-Sponsorship: The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UCLA CTSI) is co-sponsoring this award made available by the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. The CTSI provides the infrastructure to bring

UCLA innovations and resources to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles and the nation. It is a dynamic partnership among UCLA Westwood, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Lundquist Institute at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and our Los Angeles community. It is one of more than 60 NIH-funded CTSIs nationwide.

Pilot Funding Amount Available:  $30,000 for one-year (non-renewable).

Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet and Timeline

Candidates interested in applying for pilot funding must submit a Letter of Intent and supporting documentation packet.  This submission must include:

1. Applicant contact information
2. One-page letter of intent that covers:
   1. Summary of current research
   2. Long range research goals and plans for future research
   3. Brief budget overview, specifying how pilot funds would be used
3. CV and NIH biosketch of applicant
4. NIH biosketch of sponsoring mentor (required if applicant does not hold a faculty appointment at the level of Associate Professor or Professor)
5. One letter of support from the sponsoring mentor only; no additional letters will be accepted

Allowed use of funds:  Funding may be requested for any purpose which meets the scientific advancement needs of the investigator and complies with UCLA policies for expenditure of funds.  

Letters of intent and supporting documentation packets will be reviewed by a scientific committee.  Criteria for an invitation to submit a full application invitation are: 

(a) Potential of the applicant’s work to further research in women’s health; (b) Credentials of the applicant and sponsoring mentor (if applicable); (c) Relatedness to the Center mission.

Priority for pilot funding will be given to projects that would likely lead to an R01 (or equivalent level funding from extramural sources) consistent with the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission within 1-3 years. Future research goals should be consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. 

Successful applicants may be asked to attend a team science training.

How to Submit Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet

• Items 1-5 listed above should be e-mailed to Gabrielle Pascua, gpascua@mednet.ucla.edu.
• All application materials must be received by noon, Monday, January 22nd, 2024; materials received after that date /time will not be considered.
• Submission will undergo scientific review and the selected candidates will be asked to submit a full proposal.
• Invitations for submission of a full proposal will be sent by Monday, March 18th, 2024.

Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center / Young Investigator Awards

Young Investigator funding is available for one doctoral level investigator (must have an M.D., Ph.D. or dual degree) or post-doctoral student engaged in research related to women’s health at UCLA. This includes University of California Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center/Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation. All applicants must have a sponsoring, principal, mentor who holds a UCLA faculty appointment.

Funding from the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health must be used in a manner consistent with the mission of the Center, described below:

The Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health seeks to promote comprehensive health care for women by providing support for research to understand human sex differences in health and disease and medical issues and diseases unique to women, as well as to develop and test clinical interventions for women.  An equally important component of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission is training future leaders in women’s health research. Specific aims include:

• To encourage and support interdisciplinary research in the field of women’s health and gender-based medicine, including:
  • To study medical issues (including reproductive issues) and diseases unique to women or more common in women
  • To use established methods of health, utility, and cost measurement to assess and suggest ways to improve the cost effectiveness of clinical interventions for women.
  • To promote research on sex at the cellular level, including how genetic sex differences influence cells, organs, organ systems, and organisms
  • To study sex differences across the life span
  • To study sex differences and similarities for human diseases that affect both sexes
• To train researchers capable of leading and conducting research programs that are consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
• To extend resources into the UCLA campus to increase the quality of women’s health research throughout the campus and to attract new and established researchers into women’s health research
• To study a wide range of populations in these research efforts, including women of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who have been traditionally underrepresented in research studies
• To translate research findings into improvements in health care practice for women

Co-Sponsorship: The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UCLA CTSI) is co-sponsoring this award made available by the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. The CTSI provides the infrastructure to bring

UCLA innovations and resources to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles and the nation. It is a dynamic partnership among UCLA Westwood, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and our Los Angeles community. It is one of more than 60 NIH-funded CTSIs nationwide.

Young Investigator Award Funding Amount Available:  $20,000 for one-year (non-renewable).

Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet and Timeline

Candidates interested in applying for the Young Investigator Award must submit a Letter of Intent and supporting documentation packet.  This submission must include:

1. 1. Applicant contact information
   2. One-page letter of intent that covers:
      1. Summary of current research
      2. Long range research goals and plans for future research
      3. Brief budget overview, specifying how the Young Investigator funds would be used

1. 3. CV and NIH biosketch of Young Investigator Award applicant
   4. NIH biosketch of sponsoring mentor
   5. One letter of support from the sponsoring mentor only; no additional letters will be accepted.

Allowed use of funds:  Funding may be requested for any purpose which meets the scientific advancement needs of the investigator and complies with UCLA policies for expenditure of funds.  

Letters of intent and supporting documentation packets will be reviewed by a scientific committee. Criteria for an invitation to submit a full application invitation are: 

(a) Potential of the applicant’s work to further research in women’s health; (b) Credentials of the applicant and sponsoring mentor; (c) Relatedness to the Center mission.

Priority for the Young Investigator Award will be given to applicants whose research trajectory makes it likely that they will qualify for a research faculty position at UCLA or at another academic medical center or research institute. Future research goals should be consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. 

Successful applicants may be asked to attend a team science training.

How to Submit Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet

• Items 1-5 listed above should be e-mailed to Gabrielle Pascua, gpascua@mednet.ucla.edu.
• All application materials must be received by noon, Monday, January 22nd, 2024; materials received after that date /time will not be considered.
• Submission will undergo scientific review and the selected candidates will be asked to submit a full proposal.
• Invitations for submission of a full proposal will be sent by Monday, March 18th, 2024.

Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center / Health Disparities Research in Women's Health Awards

Pilot funding is available for UCLA researchers, including researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center/Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, who perform research on health disparities.

The Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health seeks to promote women’s health equity by targeting this pilot funding to address health disparities in traditionally underserved populations of women (examples include but are not limited to racial/ethnic/sexual minorities, low socioeconomic status, rural residence, disabled).

Co-Sponsorship: The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UCLA CTSI) is co-sponsoring this award made available by the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. The CTSI provides the infrastructure to bring UCLA innovations and resources to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles and the nation. It is a dynamic partnership among UCLA Westwood, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and our Los Angeles community. It is one of more than 60 NIH-funded CTSIs nationwide.

• We are open to research that elucidates mechanisms driving health disparities as well as research that evaluates interventions to address health disparities.
• We welcome research that focuses on medical issues and diseases unique to women; however, projects need not be restricted to these health issues/diseases.
• Additionally, projects may address a wide range of factors including but not limited to health care, health policy and the social determinants of health.

Funding Amount Available: $30,000 one-year pilot awards for all types of research (non-renewable)

Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet and Timeline

Candidates interested in applying for the Health Disparities Award must submit a Letter of Intent and supporting documentation packet.  This submission must include:

1. Applicant contact information
2. One-page letter of intent that covers:
   1. Summary of current research
   2. Long range research goals and plans for future research
   3. Brief budget overview, specifying how pilot funds would be used
3. CV and NIH biosketch of applicant
4. NIH biosketch of sponsoring mentor (required if applicant does not hold a faculty appointment at the level of Associate Professor or Professor)
5. One letter of support from the sponsoring mentor only; no additional letters will be accepted

Allowed use of funds:  Funding may be requested for any purpose which meets the scientific advancement needs of the investigator and complies with UCLA policies for expenditure of funds.  

Letters of intent and supporting documentation packets will be reviewed by a scientific committee.  Criteria for an invitation to submit a full application invitation are: 

(a) Potential of the applicant’s work to further research in women’s health; (b) Credentials of the applicant and sponsoring mentor (if applicable); (c) Relatedness to the Center mission.

Priority for pilot funding will be given to projects that would likely lead to an R01 (or equivalent level funding from extramural sources) consistent with the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health mission within 1-3 years. Future research goals should be consistent with the mission of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. 

Successful applicants may be asked to attend a team science training.

How to Submit Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials Packet

• Items 1-5 listed above should be e-mailed to Gabrielle Pascua, gpascua@mednet.ucla.edu.
• All application materials must be received by noon, Monday, January 22nd, 2024; materials received after that date /time will not be considered.
• Submission will undergo scientific review and the selected candidates will be asked to submit a full proposal.
• Invitations for submission of a full proposal will be sent by Monday, March 18th, 2024.