Medical Officer, Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA.

Joan Davis Nagel, MD, MPH., is a Medical Officer in the Office of Research on Women’s Health and serves as Director, Interdisciplinary Research Programs. She is Program Director of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Mentored Scientist Career Development Program and the ORWH Research Coordinator for the Specialized Centers of Research (SCOR) on Sex Differences. BIRCWH programs support junior faculty who have recently completed clinical training or postdoctoral fellowships and are conducting interdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical or health services research relevant to women’s health. The 11 SCOR Centers are conducting research on the role of sex/gender in conditions such as depression, pain, addiction, metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, urinary tract, reproductive health and aging. Prior to coming to the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Nagel worked as a Physician for the New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH), Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Diseases; and as a Medical Consultant for the Urban Women’s Retreat, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Harlem, New York.

Dr. Nagel took on the role of Moderator in the workshop on Fostering Interdisciplinary Careers at the Gender Summit 3 North America 2013 (GS3NA).She brought to this role her extensive experience of managing the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH—pronounced “BIRCH”), a mentored career development program. It connects junior faculty, known as “BIRCWH Scholars,” to senior faculty with shared research interest in women’s health and sex differences research. Since the program was created in 2000, 63 grants to 39 institutions supporting more than 493 junior faculty have been awarded by ORWH and BIRCWH program co-sponsors.