UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of has programs to meet the needs
of women and their families. We have several research studies currently recruiting
patients in our different division:
Endocrinology
Intenational
Maternal Fetal
Oncology
Urogynecology
Center for Women's Reproductive
Health (CWRH) established in 1993, the mission of
CWRH is to conduct research aimed at improving the reproductive health
of all women, especially minority and under-served women and their families and
to facilitate collaboration between UAB researchers and developing scholars interested
in women's reproductive health issues.
The CWRH works in conjunction with UAB's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
and many other disciplines across the campus — including the School of Health Related
Professions, School of Medicine, School of Dentistry and School of Public Health
— to conduct research aimed at improving the health of all women, especially minority
and under-served women and their families. It aims to bring researchers interested
in women's reproductive health issues into a more formal research collaboration.
The center also supports extensive education and graduate training programs for
young investigators and scientists to develop research careers in the area of women's
health.
The first floor of the CWRH houses 16 exam rooms, four consult rooms,
laboratories and medical records. Special touches and a contemporary design allows for maximum patient comfort; while the four, self-contained, color-coordinated
"pods" (each containing four patient rooms and a physician and nurse work area) allows multiple clinics to take place at one time. The third floor houses administrative offices, conference rooms and research work areas. The second floor will open in January
2008, and will contain clinical space for MFM and Genetics.
The Center's
clinical research focus includes the following:
improvement of infant mortality and pregnancy outcomes
(particularly in disadvantaged and minority populations as well as in sub-Saharan Africa); prevention of premature labor;
infectious disease in pregnancy and its relationship to
premature labor;
study of treatment strategies and their cost effectiveness
in gynecological disorders such as infertility, dysfunctional uterine bleeding,
pelvic inflammatory disease, menopause, pelvic relaxation/incontinence, and abnormal
pap smears; study of treatment strategies aimed at cancerous gynecological disorders;
development of novel therapeutics in reproductive tract cancers; prevention of maternal
to fetal HIV transmission;
evaluation of smoking cessation interventions; longitudinal studies aimed at nutrition
status and intrauterine growth retardation and its relationship to child development;
and cancer prevention and control.
The CWRH is also involved in basic/translational research, including extensive research
activities in collaboration with the Division of Gene Therapy. These activities
include the development of novel strategies to accomplish gene therapy for ovarian
cancer and rapid implementation of these strategies into clinical protocols.
The Center is also involved in a number of service programs. The Colposcopy Clinic
provides follow-up of abnormal pap smears for women referred by Jefferson and surrounding
counties' public health departments, as well as consultation/medical directorship
of their patient screening protocols. Center faculty are also involved in a service
center, the Center for Genitourinary Disorders, that includes urogynecologists,
urologists, geriatricians, health behaviorists, nurses and immunologists.