Jane D. Claflin
In 1993, the Women in Academic Medicine Committee, originally chaired by the late Mrs. Jane D. Claflin, Honorary Trustee, was established to facilitate the academic careers of women in science at Massachusetts General Hospital.
This Committee, with the sponsorship of the Executive Committee on Research, established the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards in recognition of the fact that maintaining research productivity during child-rearing years is a significant obstacle to career advancement for a number of women. The awards provide $50K in support each year for two years.
Since 1993, over 100 women have received Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards, and in 2021 eight new scholars were named, four of whom are included in this first post. Be sure to check out part two to get to know the other four scholars and their work.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate and congratulate the 2021 Claflin Scholars!
“I am honored to have received a Claflin Award, which will facilitate the progression of my independent research agenda after giving birth to my first child in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The award will enable the completion of active projects and the pursuit of new funded projects at a critical juncture in my career.”
Dr. Batchelder is a Mass General clinical psychologist in Behavioral Medicine, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and an Affiliated Investigator at the Fenway Institute.
Despite advances in HIV treatment and prevention, less than 40% of people diagnosed with HIV in the US are currently receiving optimal care in part due to psychosocial barriers such as intersecting stigmas (e.g., stigma related to HIV, substance use, and sexual orientation) and related behaviorally influential emotions such as shame.
Dr. Batchelder’s research focuses on understanding and intervening on stigma and shame as barriers to engagement in HIV care and prevention among people with substance use disorders and other stigmatized identities including sexual minorities.
Obtaining the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award will enable Dr. Batchelder to complete a pilot randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention she developed to address these barriers among sexual minority men living with active substance use disorders and HIV who are sub-optimally engaged in care.
The award will also facilitate the pursuit of her larger innovative research agenda as she transitions from a mentored Early Career Development Award to independent funding.
“I am extremely honored to receive the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award. As a physician, clinical investigator, and mother, I am extremely grateful for the support of this award, which will help me maintain my productivity while raising a family.”
Dr. Haines is an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on the endocrine determinants of body composition, with a focus on muscle mass and quality, and their contribution to cardiometabolic disease and skeletal health across the weight spectrum.
The Claflin Award will support a clinical research coordinator to help complete her National Institutes of Health Career Development Award, which is investigating the effects of obesity-related relative hormone deficiencies on muscle and type 2 diabetes risk.
The award will also afford her dedicated time to continue her clinical investigation regarding the mechanisms of and therapy for bone loss in women with anorexia nervosa.
“The Claflin Award generously supports my continued pursuit of two great aspirations: enhancing care for patients with cancer and their families and being a mindful mother of two young children. I am honored to be in the company of so many women who are making an impact both at home and in the world.”
Dr. Jacobs is a clinical psychologist in the Mass General Cancer Center, an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of Caregiver Research in the Mass General Cancer Outcomes Research & Education Program.
After breast cancer, many patients are prescribed daily hormonal therapy for up to 5-10 years to help prevent cancer recurrence.
However, these medications cause several disruptive side effects (e.g., hot flashes, pain, fatigue, weight gain, and sleep disturbance), and patients may experience distress and difficulties taking these medications as prescribed.
Dr. Jacobs developed a program to improve symptom management, reduce distress, and enhance adherence for women on hormonal therapy after breast cancer. She is currently examining the benefits of this intervention in a randomized controlled trial.
The Claflin Award will allow Dr. Jacobs to hire critical support staff and additional resources for the ongoing trial efforts, while she also focuses on growing a parallel initiative to improve quality of life for family and friends caring for patients during or after cancer treatment.
“As a scientific researcher and single mother raising two daughters, I am incredibly grateful for the support of my research program, as well as for the opportunity to show my daughters that one can pursue a successful career in science and raise a family. I am excited and humbled to have received this award alongside such an exceptional group of women.”
Dr. Kingsbury is an Assistant Investigator in the Lurie Center for Autism and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
A main focus of the Kingsbury Laboratory is how immune challenges and stressors during pregnancy and birth impact neuroimmune function and gut-brain-immune interactions.
Kingsbury and her team are particularly interested in how changes in immune cell function within the brain and gut early in development may give rise to cognitive and social behavior deficits and contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The Kingsbury Lab is also exploring potential therapeutic treatments during critical windows of development to determine if we can shift developmental trajectories towards more favorable outcomes for offspring.
The Claflin Award will support their research aimed at determining how exposure to air pollution and maternal stress during pregnancy impacts the health outcomes of male and female offspring.
It will also allow the team to explore how the quality of maternal nutrition during the early postnatal period impacts brain and gut function and emergent social behavior.
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