The University of Pittsburgh has established a new strategic partnership with Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation (MWRIF), a Pittsburgh-based research institute devoted to women’s health research.
Under a new agreement, the university will assume responsibility for all research components of MWRIF and its grant activities, including sponsored project proposals, extramural grant management, regulatory compliance, and associated research costs. Additionally, scholars at MWRIF will now have full access to Pitt’s information technology network and suite of biomedical research resources and infrastructure.
“This exciting new agreement will spur and accelerate synergistic advancement of scientific discovery, education, mentoring, leadership development, recruitment, innovation, and multidisciplinary partnerships and collaborations across MWRIF, the university, and [the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center]. In so doing, it will further strengthen our existing national and global leadership in women’s health research,” said Anantha Shekhar, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine.
Following two years of interim service, Pamela Moalli, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences and of bioengineering at Pitt, has been named executive and scientific director of MWRIF. A leading physician-scientist in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, Dr. Moalli directs Pitt’s Translational Research Laboratories in Urogynecology, an interdisciplinary program integrating engineering, biomaterials science, immunology, and regenerative medicine to improve outcomes for women with pelvic floor disorders.
A faculty member for more than 25 years, Dr. Moali earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and both a medical degree and a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and her fellowship in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.