The Women’s Health Collaborative at the University of South Florida celebrated National Women’s Health Week by awarding four seed grants to interdisciplinary research projects at its third annual luncheon on May 11 at the University Club of Tampa.  USF Health also honored ophthalmologist Moira J. Burke, MD, and retired WFLA-TV news anchor Gayle Sierens with its “Remark-a-Bull” awards for advancing women’s health issues in the Tampa Bay area.

An interdisciplinary project to assess neonatal pain received the largest seed grant of $15,000 from the USF Women’s Health Collaborative. From left are Catherine Lynch, MD, associate vice president for women’s health, USF Health; Denise Maguire, PhD, lead investigator and professor of nursing; Terri Ashmeade, MD, John and Aliese Price Chair in Pediatrics; and Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean, Morsani College of Medicine.

Catherine Lynch, MD, associate vice president for women’s health at USF Health, presented $45,000 in seed grants to the following projects:

• “Automated Neonatal Pain Assessment” received $15,000 to develop a computer-aided assessment tool to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of pain in hospitalized newborns.  The research team includes Terri Ashmeade, MD, Morsani College of Medicine; Denise Maguire, PhD, College of Nursing; and Yu Sun, PhD; Dmitry Goldgof, PhD; Rangachar Kasturi, PhD; and Branko Miladinovic, PhD; all of the College of Engineering.
• “Lower Extremity Injury Risk Factor Identification in Adolescent High School Female Athletes” received $10,000 to investigate risk factors for injury in young female athletes, who are at much higher risk for ACL injuries than male athletes. The team includes Amanda Tritsch, PhD, Morsani College of Medicine; Patricia Teran-Yengle, PhD, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and Candi Ashley, PhD, College of Education.
• “Supportive Care Needs of African American Women Diagnosed with Cervical Cancer” received $10,000 to identify factors that influence quality of life among African-American women diagnosed with cervical cancer. The team includes Alicia Best, PhD, College of Public Health; Lawrence Berk, MD, PhD, Morsani College of Medicine; and Clement Gwede, PhD, Moffitt Cancer Center.
• “Emerging Risk Factors for High Risk Pregnancy: Prediabetes” received $10,000 for a retrospective study to assess the risk prediabetes poses to pregnant women. The team includes Nicholas Carris, PharmD, College of Pharmacy; Roneé Wilson, PhD, College of Public Health; and Ronald Magnass, PhD, and Judette Louis, MD, both of the Morsani College of Medicine.

The Women’s Heath Collaborative honored keynote speaker Gayle Sierens, retired WFLA-TV news anchor, with one of two 2016 Remark-a-Bull awards for her community service and professional leadership.

Over the last four years, the USF Health Women’s Health Collaborative has provided more than $220,000 in seed grant funding to 22 research projects, many of which have been presented at medical conferences and are in consideration for larger external grants for further research. Seed grants must involve faculty from at least three different USF colleges or USF Health partners, and preference is given to teams led by a junior faculty member with senior professors to encourage mentorship.

The second Remark-a-Bull award was presented to Moira Burke, MD, medical director of Premier Eye Care, whose 40-year career in ophthalmology includes service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Medical Corps. (Desert Storm) and six years of award-winning teaching as a Morsani College of Medicine clinical faculty member.

“Women are carrying a heavy burden of responsibility – and that takes a toll on their health,” said USF President Judy Genshaft. “We must create a health care system that is more effective, efficient, affordable and accessible – and that comes through research, education and combined efforts like the Women’s Health Collaborative.”

“As a nation, we need to focus more research on women’s health, and at USF Health we are doing just that,” said Dr. Lockwood, an internationally recognized maternal-fetal medicine specialist. “This event promotes cross-pollination of ideas among clinicians, researchers and our hospital partners to protect the health of women, mothers and babies – from working to improve pregnancy outcomes, to advancing evidence-based clinical practices and process, to promoting heart disease and cancer prevention.”

A sell-out crowd of more than 200 health professionals and community leaders attended the event, which was sponsored by Florida Hospital Tampa, Tampa General Hospital, Premier Eye Care, and eight other organizations.

Dr. Charles Lockwood and Dr. Cathy Lynch present Gayle Sierens with her Remark-a-Bull award.

Story by Davina Gould, USF Health Development
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications