VA & NIH announce new partnership to advance Women’s Health research

VA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are pleased to offer NIH’s Office of Research on Women's Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program to VA’s early career researchers, in a collaboration formalized in June 2025, The inaugural NIH-VA BIRCWH Scholars Program will pair VA junior investigators, known as VA-BIRCWH Scholars, with senior faculty from the BIRCWH program. BIRCWH is a mentored career development program that pairs scholars with senior faculty with shared interests in women’s health and sex differences research. VA-BIRCWH Scholars, who will be current VA Office of Research and Development career development awardees, will join the BIRCWH community and receive mentorship in areas such as grant writing.

The VA will provide the BIRCWH Scholars community at large with training in health systems research and implementation science through VA’s Women's Health Research Network, a national resource for accelerating women Veterans’ health toward evidence-based policy and practice.

The synergies between VA and NIH across the full scientific translational spectrum will advance research for improving the health and healthcare of women. 

Questions can be directed to (VABIRCWH@va.gov).

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Four VA Investigators Selected for First NIH–VA BIRCWH Scholars Program

The Office of Research and Development is pleased to announce the four VA investigators, all career development awardees (CDA2s), selected for the inaugural year of the NIH–VA BIRCWH Scholars Program. These scholars represent the first VA cohort to join the longstanding NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) initiative, helping strengthen VA’s commitment to advancing research that improves the health and wellbeing of women Veterans.

The scholars selected for the 2026-2028 cohort are:

Kendra Clark, PhD
VA Nebraska–Western Iowa
BIRCWH Site: Magee‑Womens Research Institute
CDA2 Project: Determining Mechanisms of Ovotoxicity from Per‑ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAs)
Kendra L. Clark, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a research physiologist at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System in Omaha. Her research examines the reproductive impacts of exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), chemical compounds widely used in products to repel water, oil and heat. Exposure to these chemicals have been linked to effects including harm to ovaries, relevant to women Veterans. As a VA-BIRCWH Scholar, Dr. Clark will continue to investigate PFAS‑associated reproductive risks and work to support future prevention and intervention efforts.

Sarah Javier, PhD
VA Palo Alto
BIRCWH Site: University of California – Davis
CDA2 Project: Addressing Disparities in Pain Management

Sarah Javier, PhD, MS, is a Core Investigator at the VA Palo Alto Center for Innovation to Implementation and a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford. Her work focuses on health accessibility, implementation science, and pain interventions that do not use pharmaceuticals. Dr. Javier brings a strong record of policy engagement and involvement in federal health initiatives. Through the BIRCWH program, she will continue advancing research aimed at addressing disparities in pain treatment and expanding evidence-based, non-pharmaceutical options for women Veterans.

Haley Miles McLean, PhD
VA Baltimore, VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center
BIRCWH Site: Johns Hopkins University
CDA2 Project: Improving Functioning Among Aging Women Veterans

Haley A. Miles McLean, PhD, is Assistant Director of the Education Core at the VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in Baltimore and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research examines the intersections of major mental illness, aging, and menopause, with a focus on recovery‑oriented approaches that support functioning among women Veterans. As a VA-BIRCWH Scholar, she will expand this work by developing research that improves outcomes and daily functioning for aging women Veterans navigating both mental health conditions and the menopause transition.

Michelle Pebole, PhD
VA Boston, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders
BIRCWH Site: Tufts University
CDA2 Project: Developing and Testing a Trauma‑Informed Exercise Intervention for Women Veterans with Histories of Sexual Violence
Michelle Pebole, PhD, MA, is a Research Health Scientist at VA Boston and Assistant Professor at Boston University. She advances trauma‑informed exercise interventions for women Veterans who have experienced sexual or partner violence. Through her BIRCWH participation, she will continue refining and testing approaches that support physical and psychological recovery for women affected by trauma.

These VA-BIRCWH scholars will participate in interdisciplinary career development, mentorship, and research activities through the NIH’s national BIRCWH network while continuing to advance VA research focused on women Veterans’ health. ORD congratulates the scholars and looks forward to sharing more about their work in the coming months.

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