NW Women's Health & Sex/Gender Differences Research Conference

Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at OHSU Auditorium (Old Library)

Conference registration is now open! This event is free. Although not required to attend, we encourage registering for the event to help ensure you receive timely conference updates.

The Oregon BIRCWH Program, OHSU Center for Women's Health, and the OHSU Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology are proud to announce the 2024 Northwest Women's Health and Sex/Gender Differences Research Conference at Oregon Health & Science University.

This year's theme is:  The power of collaborative research in women’s health and sex/gender differences. 

This full-day in-person conference is designed to ignite cross-institution, multidisciplinary research partnerships and collaborations within the Portland area and the greater state of Oregon. Previous conferences have been incredibly successful in developing new partnerships that have progressed to grant proposals, funding, and research. The conference takes place during OHSU Research Week to both highlight the BIRCWH and WRHR programs and their roles within the OHSU community, but also to give greater visibility to women’s health and sex/gender differences research on the OHSU campus.

Dr. Susan Reed

We are thrilled to have Susan D. Reed, MD, MPH, MS, joining us as keynote speaker. Dr. Reed is is Professor Emeritus and past Vice Chair for Research in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with an adjunct appointment in Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is immediate past president of The Menopause Society. Her undergraduate and medical degrees are from Stanford, and her master’s degrees are from Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Washington. She did her obstetrics and gynecology residency training at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Reed’s research focuses on women’s health issues related to reproductive hormones and she is internationally known for her expertise in menopause. She is the past Research Director for the National Institutes of Health funded Women’s Reproductive Health Research program at the University of Washington and a principal investigator for the NIH funded network, MsFLASH, performing clinical trials on the treatment of menopausal symptoms. She has over 170 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Reed was the Division Chief at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from 2008-2018 and has over 40 years of clinical experience.

Keynote:  Advancing Women’s Health Through Menopause Research
Dr. Reed will review why menopause research matters and describe current NIH funding for women’s health research. She will discuss key findings from prior NIH funded menopausal studies and present ideas about future directions for women’s health research that links the premenopausal and perimenopausal experience to healthy aging. 

2024 Agenda

7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. | Registration & breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 8:35 a.m. | Welcome & opening remarks

8:35 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | Keynote:  Advancing Women’s Health Through Menopause Research

Susan D. Reed, M.D., MPH, M.S.
Professor Emerita and past Vice Chair for Research, Obstetrics and Gynocology, University of Washington School of Medicine
Past President, The Menopause Society

9:30 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. | Presentations from WRHR Scholars

10:05 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Break & poster viewing   

10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Presentations from BIRCWH Scholars & selected abstracts

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch, Poster Session, and Networking 

1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. | Presentations from early phase investigators: OHSU Dept of OB/GYN

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Presentations from established & emerging research collaborations; Panel discussion

4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Raffle & closing remarks

4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Cocktail social hour & poster viewing

9:35 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
Elizabeth Rubin, MD
WRHR Scholar, Assistant Professor
OHSU Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
 

9:50 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. | Unpacking the impact of steroid hormones on benign breast tissue: a protocol to study androgenic progestins

Abigail Liberty, MD
WRHR Scholar, Assistant Professor
OHSU Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
 

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Women Report More Subtle Symptoms, Use More Healthcare Prior to a New Diagnosis of Heart Failure

Mary Roberts Davis, PhD, RN
BIRCWH Scholar, Assistant Professor
OHSU School of Nursing
 

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | A Diverse and Unique Sample of Middle to Older Age Latina Survivors of Cervical Cancer: Their Journey, Social Support, and Healthcare Experiences

Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman, PhD, MCR
BIRCWH Scholar, Assistant Professor
OHSU Family Medicine, School of Medicine
 

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | Investigating sex differences in immunotherapy treatment effects: the INSITE study

Deanne Tibbitts, PhD, MCR
BIRCWH Scholar, Research Assistant Professor
OHSU Division of Oncological Sciences, School of Medicine
 

11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Comparison of changes in PA-1, tPA and TFPI in venous and menstrual blood in individuals with or without heavy menstrual bleeding

Bethany Samuelson Bannow, MD, MCR
BIRCWH Scholar, Associate Professor
OHSU Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, School of Medicine
 

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Placental programming of infant behavioral health: Placental interleukin-6 is associated with infant negative affect at 6-months

Elizabeth Wood, PhD
BIRCWH Scholar, Postdoctoral Trainee
OHSU Department of Psychology
School of Medicine
 

11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Programming Asthmatic Traits: Maternal High-Fat Diet Induces Offspring Airway Hyperinnervation and Hyperresponsiveness

Kayla Williams, BS
OHSU Pulmonary and Critical Care Research
 

12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Status of the Legislative Climate as it Pertains to Abortion. A state-by-state review addressing the status and directionality of abortion related legislation in the 2023 legislative session

Ruby Aaron, MS
OHSU School of Medicine

Identifying a maternal morbidity cohort from electronic health records
Ayo Babatunde

Global analysis of iron deficiency using a ferritin cut-off of 50, 1992-2019
Emma Deloughery, MD

Oregon Bio Women (OBW) Mentorship Program
Laura Erker, PhD & Ally Wimberley, PhD

A modern model for assessing parent and infant biophysical stress response in the NICU
Emily Garavatti, MD

Recovered Acute Kidney Injury Results In Later Renal and Cardiovascular Dysfunction In Pregnancy
Jessica Hebert, PhD

Neuro-Derived Thai Zika Virus Elicits Altered Placental Immune Response With Low Signs Of Infarction In Rhesus Macaques
Hannah Jaeger, BS; Jessica L. Smith; Christopher J. Parkins; Nicole N. Haese; Craig N. Kreklywich; Matthias C. Schabel; Terry K. Morgan; Jaime O. Lo; Alec J. Hirsch; Victoria H.J. Roberts; Daniel N. Streblow

Circulating Fetal Troponin I May Reflect Cardiomyocyte Proliferation
Sonnet Jonker, PhD & Samantha Louey, PhD

The effects of in utero exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on cardiovascular tissues in rhesus macaques
Hillary Le, PhD; Lyndsey E. Shorey-Kendrick; Monica T. Hinds; Owen J. T. McCarty; Jamie O. Lo; Deirdre E. J. Anderson

Drawing on Arts-Based Methods to Elicit Transgender and Gender Diverse Children’s Experiences in Health Care
Eline Lenne, BA, MOT

Effects of Diet Changes and Maternal Metformin Consumption during Pregnancy on both Maternal and Offspring Insulin Resistance
Anna Maior-Leichtfried, BS; Hannah Blomenkamp; Tyler Dean; Melissa Kirigiti; Kristin Sauter; and Paul Kievit, PhD

The Impact of Removing Abortion Access to Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: a cost-effectiveness analysis
Sydney McCarthy, BS; Olivia Curl, MD, MPH; Sarah Dzubay; Uma Doshi, BS; Aaron B. Caughey, MD, PhD

Geographic Access to Urogynecology Care in the United States
Eleanor M. Schmidt, MD & Lucy Ward, MS

Childhood Trauma and Pregnancy: Analyzing Their Joint Influence on Executive Function
Deborah Sevigny-Resetco, BA

Sex Differences in Inflammation and Brain Function in Methamphetamine Use Disorder
Alea Sonnon, BA & Kristen Mackiewicz-Seghete, PhD

Postpartum hemorrhage device preferences among midwifery and physician trainees
Oluwadamilola Sosanya, BS; Lucy Ward, MS; Morinne Osborne, BS; Anna Rozzi, BA; Irina R. Cassimatis, MD, MSc 

Obstetric outcomes by hospital volume of operative vaginal delivery
Annika S. Willy, BS; Alyssa R. Hersh, MD, MPH; Bharti Garg, MBBS, MPH; Aaron B. Caughey, MD, PhD

OHSU Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine

“The Impact of Melatonin-Enriched Media on Epigenetic and Perinatal Changes Induced by Embryo Culture”

Molly Siegel Kornfield, MD
---

“Intensity of care among individuals with gynecologic cancer near the end of life”
Using statewide hospital records, we performed an analysis of patients with metastatic gynecologic cancer who experienced a hospitalization at the end of life. We found that aggressive end-of-life care was common and that certain subgroups within our cohort may be disproportionately burdened by this.

Ross Harrison, MD, MPH
---

Rinathia Hachmon, MD
---

Rahul D'Mello, MD, PhD
---

"Psilocybin for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: Pilot Study Proposal”
Summary of proposed feasibility study evaluating psilocybin for chronic pelvic pain in women.

Lynne Shinto, ND, MPH & Jacquelyn Knapp, MD
---

“Extracellular Heat Shock Protein 10 (HSP10): Is it a better marker than human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)?”
Heat Shock Protein 10 (Hsp10) is a molecular chaperone protein detected 24-hours post-fertilization with a faster rate of decline than serum hCG with the loss or end of a pregnancy. In this talk, we will discuss using Hsp10 as an alternative marker for determining pregnancy resolution. Our study compares the concentration curves of Hsp10 and hCG among pregnant individuals undergoing medication abortion.

Rachel Shin, MD, MPH
---

Julia Tasset, MD
---

Jackie Wong, MD, MSCR, FACOG
---

Established Collaborations

Ov Slayden, PhD
Division of Developmental and Reproductive Sciences at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, OHSU
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OHSU

Oleh Taratula, PhD
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Oregon State University

Olena Taratula, PhD
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Oregon State University

Les Myatt, PhD, FRCOG
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OHSU
Director of Moore Institute and Center for Developmental Health

Maureen Baldwin, MD, MPH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OHSU

Emerging Collaborations

“Collaborative Assessment of Institutional Supports for Pregnant and Parenting Trainees”
Our interdisciplinary team of faculty and students conducted a mixed-methods assessment of the experiences and unmet needs of pregnant and parenting trainees at OHSU. Our collaboration enabled us to contribute different perspectives to the study design and analysis, view the experiences of pregnant and parenting trainees through multiple lenses, and better understand how to support pregnant and parenting trainees in academic medical settings.

Eline Lenne, MOT, PhD Candidate1, 2, Emily Carter, MD, MPH2, Gillian Lashen, Psy D.2, Stephanie Dukhovny, MD2, Alinda Reimer, MSc, PhD Candidate3, Susanne Klawetter, PhD, LCSW4, and Marie Soller, MD2
1 Portland State University, 2 OHSU, 3 University of Cologne, 4 University of Colorado
---

Our interdisciplinary team consists of perinatal care providers (OBGYNs and CNMs), mental health providers (Psychologists, LMFTs, and LCSWs), health equity scientists (PhD-prepared maternal health equity scholars), community leaders (e.g., Black, Indigenous, and rural residing), and community partnerships (e.g., Healthy Birth Initiative, Astoria Birth Center). Together, and supported by NIMH and foundation funding, we have developed, refined and piloted a perinatal mental health preventative intervention: Center M.  The Center M solution is derived from a clinically proven prevention focused intervention: Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Pregnancy (MBCT-PD).

Ellen L. Tilden PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
---

"Menstrual perceptions, information sources and management strategies: a U.S.-Based Survey Study"
We are a 3 person team spanning widely different health professions who work together to study and better understand education, stigma and impact of menstruation on health and social interactions. We conducted an extensive, national survey of menstruating individuals asking questions about perceptions of normality around menstruation, information sources and management strategies around menstruation and menstruation-related health concerns.

Bethany Samuelson Bannow, MD, MCR
OHSU Hemostasis & Thrombosis Center

Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman, PhD MCR
OHSU Department of Family Medicine

Marybec Griffin, PhD
New York University
Sarah Lawrence College

---

"A Collaborative Study of Fitness Tests in Transgender Adolescents"
This talk will introduce a collaborative study examining the results of fitness tests, and associated parameters in a cohort of transgender adolescents and cisgender controls. There are four institutions including OHSU in the study. The talk will also mention interschool collaboration within OHSU.

Kathryn Ackerman, MD, MPH – Study PI, sports medicine physician and endocrinologist at Boston Children’s Hospital

Kara Connelly, MD – Site PI, Oregon Health & Sciences University, pediatric endocrinologist, and director of the Doernbecher Gender Clinic at OHSU

Jeremi Carswell, MD – Site PI, Boston Children’s Hospital, pediatric endocrinologist, and director of the Gender Management Service at BCH

Natalie Nokoff, MD – Site PI, Colorado Children’s Hospital, pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Colorado, and director of the gender clinic at Colorado Children's Hospital.

Tandy Aye, MD – Site PI, Standford Medicine Children’s Health, professor of pediatric endocrinology at Stanford University, and director of the gender clinic at SCH.

Joanna Harper, PhD – Postdoctoral scholar OHSU, PhD in exercise physiology Loughborough University, expert in exercise performance in transgender athletes.

Kerri Winters, PhD - Professor of Oncological Sciences OHSU, Co-leader, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, School of Medicine

We are excited to be a part of OHSU Research Week this year. For updates, follow us on X! @OregonBIRCWH

View a recording of last year's 2023 conference