The UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health is proud to be the home of the Bowes Cefalo Young Researcher Award, established by Dr. and Mrs. Watson Bowes and Dr. and Mrs. Robert Cefalo in the year 2000. This award provides start-up resources to study issues associated with maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Junior faculty members, fellows, or residents in the UNC OB/GYN Department are eligible to apply. Grant awards generally range from $3,000-$5,000.
This project has funded many researchers, including: Alexandria C. Kraus, Brianna Frame, Abby Schultz, Shilpa Darivemula, Jill Hagey, E. Nicole Teal, Asha Talati, Divya Mallampati, Anne West Honart, Jasmine Johnson, Alan Rosenbaum, Nerlyne Desravines, Andrea Knittel, Kartik Venkatesh, Ashley Battarbee, Angelica Glover, Kimberly Fryer, Laura Carlson, Nurain Fuseini, Jenna Beckham, Jessica McPherson, Matt Grace, Dawn Kopp, Sarah Dotters-Katz, Marcela Smid, Matt Zerden, Elizabeth Stringer, Samantha Wiegand, Neeta Vora, Elizabeth Geller-Robinson, Ursula Balthazar, Kacey Eichelberger, Elizabeth Dinkins Johnson, Rachel Peragallo Urrutia, and Jennifer Hong.
Projects have included clinical trials, health services research, technology assessment, and basic science. For example, studies have included studying the use of acupuncture to induce labor, a national survey on the use of progesterone to prevent recurring preterm birth, a utility assessment of maternal values of birth outcomes, obesity screening in early pregnancy, and the effects of fetal heart rate, angle correction on middle cerebral artery velocities in normal fetuses, and validation of the use of Metformin during pregnancy in women who were utilizing an oral medication prior to pregnancy or those who are diagnosed with abnormal glucose tolerance in early pregnancy.
2023 Application Process is closed. Awardees are Alexandria C. Kraus, Brianna Frame, Abby Schultz, and Shilpa Darivemula – congratulations!
2024 Application Dates are generally early in the year. The application and guidelines MAY be modified from 2023 but for those seeking to apply these documents will be helpful:
2023 Bowes/Cefalo Request for Applications
2023 Bowes/Cefalo Application Guidelines
Questions may be directed to Katherine Bryant at katherine_bryant@med.unc.edu or Alison Stuebe at alison_stuebe@med.unc.edu. Please include Bowes/Cefalo Application in the subject line.