Skip to main content
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at IU School of Medicine is offering a course in Clinical Research Design and Academic Advancement to junior faculty and subspecialty fellows in training.

Clinical Research Course

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at IU School of Medicine is offering a course in Clinical Research Design and Academic Advancement to junior faculty and subspecialty fellows in training. The first Clinical Research Design course will take place in Stowe, Vermont from Aug. 6-10.

The Course Director, Jeffrey Peipert, MD, PhD, is the Clarence E. Ehrlich Professor and Chair of the of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at IU School of Medicine. Inspired by his medical school advisor, Dr. David Grimes, and other Emory University faculty members such as Dr. Herbert Peterson, Dr. Peipert pursued a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program Fellowship at Yale University where he also received a Master of Public Health degree. Dr. Peipert continued his clinical research and public health training at Brown University where he received his doctorate in epidemiology.

Dr. Peipert has led national courses in clinical research for more than two decades. He has published close to 300 peer-reviewed publications; received numerous NIH grants; served as a member of the US Preventive Services Task Force; served on the editorial boards of the medical journals Obstetrics and Gynecology and Contraception; and is currently the Deputy Editor for Gynecology for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His passion is clinical research and mentoring junior faculty and clinical investigators.

Additional course faculty will include Kavita Nanda, MD, MHS, the Medical Director at the nonprofit organization FHI360; and Christy Scifres, MD, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division Director at IU School of Medicine. Both are outstanding educators, mentors and accomplished clinical researchers. Participants can expect surprise guest faculty, as well.

Vermont was selected as the first course location as a state that is welcoming, affirming, and respects reproductive rights.

Junior faculty and fellows should apply using the link below. Applications from candidates that are underrepresented in medicine and represent diverse backgrounds are encouraged.

The application process is simple: submit a CV and a brief one-page statement indicating your reason for applying and potential clinical research interests. Participants and their departments will be responsible for travel, accommodations and tuition ($4,000).

Questions should be directed to Dr. Peipert. We look forward to seeing you in Vermont!

Dr. Jeffrey Peipert speaking with staff members

Submit an Application

Junior faculty and fellows should apply using the link below. Applications from candidates that are underrepresented in medicine and represent diverse backgrounds are encouraged.

Application Submission

Course Director and Faculty

Kavita Nanda, MD, MHS

Kavita Nanda, MD, MHS

Director of Medical Research at FHI360

Kavita Nanda, MD, MS, is an internationally recognized expert in contraception. She is the Director of Medical Research at FHI360, where she has worked as an obstetrician gynecologist, epidemiologist and scientist for almost 25 years.
For the past 18 years, she has worked as a temporary advisor to WHO, working to update the WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria and Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use. She is also a member of the CDC guidelines development group for contraception.
Nanda received her medical degree from Albany Medical College, completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University, and did a Women’s Health Research Fellowship and Master of Health Sciences (Clinical Research) at Duke University.

Read Bio

42737-Scifres, Christina

Christina M. Scifres, MD

Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Christina Scifres, MD, is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine. She joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology faculty as an associate professor in 2018 and was named the maternal-fetal medicine division director in 2020.
Her clinical and research interests include gestational diabetes, ovarian cysts, and improving outcomes in pregnancies complicated by diabetes and obesity. She was a co-investigator for an NIH-funded randomized clinical trial comparing two screening strategies for gestational diabetes.
Scifres graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completed residency and a fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine.

Read Bio Christina M. Scifres, MD

23687-Peipert, Jeffrey

Jeffrey F. Peipert, MD, PhD

Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Jeffrey F. Peipert, MD, PhD, is the Clarence E. Ehrlich Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and has a doctorate in epidemiology.
He has conducted numerous studies including: NICHD-funded randomized trial of a computer-based intervention to encourage dual method contraceptive use to prevent unplanned pregnancy and STIs; randomized trial of therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease (PEACH Study). He was also the Principal Investigator of a large prospective study, the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, which recruited 9,256 women and successfully followed them for 2-3 years for contraceptive effectiveness, satisfaction, and continuation rates.

Read Bio Jeffrey F. Peipert, MD, PhD