ORWH: SCOR on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women's Health

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the last four years, the Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women's Health has functioned as a productive interdisciplinary research center focused on treatment and relapse in substance use disorders in women. When the MUSC SCOR was established in 2002, it filled an important gap. While MUSC had significant depth and strength in translational, interdisciplinary research in the area of substance use disorders, there was no gender-specific focus. Furthermore, the MUSC SCOR was the first women's health research initiative to be undertaken on the MUSC campus. The active, campus-wide collaborations of SCOR investigators, combined with the SCOR pilot project program have encouraged and impacted gender-based research campus-wide. During the renewal period, we propose to more closely link our scientific projects and follow up on intriguing findings from the previous funding period. Each core research project will involve the investigation of the biological basis of sex differences in drug abuse reinstatement, craving and/or relapse, and treatment implications. The overarching goals of the center will focus not only on supporting and maximizing the translational scientific collaborations of the core and pilot research projects, but also on continuing to catalyze the growth of gender-based research throughout the MUSC campus. The Specific Aims for the years 6-10 of the MUSC SCOR are: Specific Aim #1: To continue the well-established, multi-disciplinary, translational program of research focused on gender-related issues in substance use disorders at MUSC. Specific Aim #2: To provide common resources through the Administrative Core to assist investigators in increasing efficiency, maximizing scientific rigor and productivity, and collecting pilot data. Specific Aim #3: To encourage and support the growth of gender-based research throughout the MUSC campus. Specific Aim #4: To attract and mentor young investigators and new faculty in the area of research, particularly patient-oriented research, in women's health issues. Specific Aim #5: To provide a regional education and training resource for research in women's health research. Center funding through the P50 funding mechanism has allowed us to 1) carve out a unique identity on campus, bringing energy and visibility to the importance of gender-specific research, 2) bring together institutional and scientific leadership to form a single operational unit, 3) establish critical infrastructure support to allow for efficient operations, integration, and stability of resources, 4) coalesce a group of senior investigators to integrate their scientific expertise and research skills and advance gender-specific research in the substance abuse area, 5) attract and train new and junior investigators in gender-specific research, 6) support the development and testing of innovative ideas through pilot project funding, and 7) provide an impressive and supportive training environment for future basic and clinical researchers interested in gender based research. The next funding period will allow us to build on these accomplishments, expand our research program into new areas utilizing innovative techniques, enhance our outreach and dissemination efforts, and attract new investigators through the Pilot Core. Our SCOR, with a truly interdisciplinary focus on gender issues in substance use disorders, is a ready resource for inter-ORWH Center collaborations and, as such, is an asset to the ORWH program.