Our department has a diverse portfolio of research activities in women's health that spans the spectrum from basic biological, translational and clinical investigation to patient-centered outcome, epidemiological inquiry, population studies and the development of public health policy. Our interdisciplinary approach includes representation from our clinical faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents and members of our various research units. The spirit of cooperation and innovation, coupled with an unswerving standard of excellence, has been conducive to the development of the Department as one of the preeminent academic research institutions for women's health and disease.
Investigators within the biomedical sciences utilize the latest biochemical and information systems technology to study reproductive physiology and its disorders. The continuum from whole organisms to cellular and molecular levels of detail is explored routinely. Transgenic mouse and rat models, tissue and cell culture methods, subcellular imaging techniques, genomics, proteomics and sophisticated structural analyses promise to improve current nutritional recommendations, provide sensitive, less expensive and less invasive diagnostic tests and assist in the development of new pharmaceuticals to prolong normal health and prevent or reverse pathological processes.
Modern innovations in research methods for conducting clinical investigations are also being widely applied in the Department. Drawing on contemporary principles of epidemiology and statistical analysis, faculty are conducting investigations involving multiple study designs, including randomized clinical trials, cohort studies and case-control studies, to identify effective interventions. Direct studies in normal women and those with particular disorders, from adolescence through menopause, are also carried out. In addition, meta-analysis, decision analysis and patient preference measurement are being employed to advance the practice of evidence-based medicine that is patient-centered. Finally, economic analyses completed by faculty, including cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses, are helping shape health policy nationally and internationally.
In addition to our Center for Reproductive Sciences, our department is associated with these research centers and programs:
UCSF Specialized Cooperative Center Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (SCCPIR)
Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health
Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH)
Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinical Studies: Current Eligibility for UCSF Obstetrics Studies
Clinical Trials in Gynecology Oncology
Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program
Women’s Health Clinical Research Center
Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) Summary of Affliated Studies