CIRWH News

Dr. Abbey Berenson presented Ruth L. Kirschstein keynote address at the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health annual BIRCWH meeting in Bethesda, MD on October 1, 2024.

JAMA published research to evaluate temporal trends and geospatial patterns of HPV vaccination initiation and up-to-date status as well as HPV-related cancer rates at county and HSR levels in Texas

Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine published research on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances possible correlation with Chlamydia trachomatis

Cancer Epidemiological, Biomarkers and Prevention published research on Cervical cancer screening utilization among kidney transplant recipients, 2001-2018

CPRIT awards Dr. Abbey Berenson a $2.4 million cancer prevention grant for the expansion of a multi-pronged intervention to increase HPV vaccination rates among adolescents from rural and medically underserved areas in Texas.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health (CIRWH) presents the 2024 CIRWH Spring Lecture Series with guest speakers Dr. Heidi Brown, Dr. Ananth Karumanchi, and Dr. Udo Markert.

CPRIT 2023 Annual Report: Prevention Highlights include Abbey Berenson' grant to provide up-to-date, accurate, and credible data to inform the design of programs and interventions to address the high rate of incomplete HPV vaccine series.

“No study has previously examined the non-inferiority of the 9vHPV vaccine among 15- to 26-year-olds. Thus, our findings are beginning to fill an important gap of knowledge within the medical field,” said lead researcher Dr. Abbey Berenson, a UTMB professor within the department of OB/GYN and director of the UTMB Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health. “This study was designed to fill that gap of knowledge.”

Journal of Medical Virology published research on one dose versus two doses COVID-19 vaccine for breakthrough infection prevention.

CPRIT awards Dr. Abbey Berenson a $2.4 million grant for the continuation and expansion of a highly successful postpartum HPV vaccination program at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) conducted in collaboration with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).

Vaccines journal published research examining the independent effects of individual- and neighborhood-level factors on incomplete HPV vaccination rates in the United States (U.S.) among those aged 27-45 years.

The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) 2022 Annual Report on Prevention Outreach featured Dr. Abbey Berenson's HPV prevention outreach project. The project investigated the impact of HPV vaccination on the incidence of HPV-related OPSCC in the U.S. among male and female adults from different age groups.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health (CIRWH) presents the 2023 CIRWH Spring Lecture Series with guest speakers Dr. Marc Ferrer, Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, and Dr. Adrian Erlebacher.

AIDS journal published research on Medicare enrollees with disabilities and HIV.

JAMA Oncology published research examining the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination with incidence of squamous cell carcinomas of the anus in a vaccine-eligible US cohort.

Frontiers in Pain Research published research on Mexican Americans with multimorbidity

Cell Reports published RNA research

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics published research on importance of reminders as part of a multi-component intervention to increase completion of the HPV vaccine series.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) awarded Dr. Abbey Berenson $1.9 million academic research grant for "A Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing the Immunogenicity of 2 doses vs 3 doses of the 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Females 27 to 45 Years of Age."

The CPRIT 2021 Annual Report: Awards & Prestigious Appointments for CPRIT Grantees report and the Prevention Outreach in FY 2021 report recognize Abbey Berenson for being named a 2021 Immunization Champion by ACOG, as well as being featured in the National Cancer Institute's official blog Cancer Currents for her HPV vaccination projects.

The JAMA Network Open published research study on an increase in Z-hypnotic as well as SSRI and SNRI prescriptions in both men and women, along with an increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions in women, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Findings suggest a substantial mental health impact of COVID-19-associated mitigation measures.

The American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias published research assessing gender differences in prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) among community-dwelling Mexican Americans ≥80 years.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics published research on the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination among young, low-income, diverse populations.

CPRIT awards $1.9M grant to Dr. Abbey Berenson for "Vaccinating Medically Underserved Women Against HPV: Expansion of Clinical Services to Increase Access."

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recognized Dr. Abbey Berenson as a leader in maternal and adult immunization in their list of 2021 Immunization Champion Award Winners.

AIDS published research study assessing the effect of newly diagnosed HIV infection on overall mortality among Medicare beneficiaries for both disabled and older adults (≥65 years old) based on their original entitlement.

Clinical Infectious Diseases published oral HPV research by Abbey Berenson, Jacqueline Hirth, and Mihyun Chang.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics published research study examining whether a HPV educational intervention could improve nursing students' HPV knowledge, beliefs, and comfort with counseling.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published research showing the inclusion of human papillomavirus vaccination in routine postpartum care is a relatively easy way to reach many adults not vaccinated at a younger age and could help address low vaccination rates among young women in the United States, including hard-to-reach populations.

Texas Department of Health and Human Services recognized Bay Colony Pediatrics as Number 1 in Galveston County for 2019 vaccination rates, putting that clinic in the Top 10% statewide.

The CPRIT 2020 Annual Report Highlights recognized UTMB Health's Dr. Abbey Berenson's efforts to continue a clinical HPV vaccination trial during COVID-19.

The Journal of Women’s Health published research on how reasons for birth control method choice may inform interventions that help young women choose the best method for them.

Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics published research examining infant vaccination education preferences in a population of low-income pregnant women by ethnicity, nativity, and language.

JAMA Network Open published BRCA test results research by Fangjian Guo, Matthew Scholl, and Erika L. Fuchs.

BMC Public Health published research study on gaining a better understanding about gender, school-level socioeconomic status, and children's cardiorespiratory fitness.

Contemporary OB/GYN article features Dr. Jacqueline Hirth's research on how young women choose contraceptives.

The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) renews Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) mentored career-development program at UTMB Health for FY2020.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) awarded Dr. Abbey Berenson a $1.9M cancer prevention grant to expand a successful postpartum HPV vaccination project to women in the Rio Grande Valley.

Cancer Medicine published HPV herd protection research by Abbey Berenson, Jacqueline Hirth, and Mihyun Chang.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) awarded $1.9M cancer prevention grant to Abbey Berenson for maximizing opportunities for HPV vaccination in medically underserved counties in Southeast Texas.

Cancer published BRCA testing research by Fangjian Guo, Matthew Scholl, Erika L. Fuchs, Abbey B. Berenson, and Yong-Fang Kuo.

Tara C. Smith, Professor, Kent State University, NBC News interviewed UTMB Health's Dr. Abbey Berenson on the anti-vax movement targeting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

The Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology published research on the distribution of contraceptive type according to age of the patients in our clinic system and the differences in this distribution over the past decade.

Preventative Medicine published research examining associations between prenatal Tdap vaccination and influenza vaccination of mothers and hepatitis B vaccination of their infants.

CPRIT announced that Dr. Abbey Berenson received a nearly $1.5M research grant and Dr. Ana Rodriguez received a nearly $2M prevention grant.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) awarded UTMB's Dr. Abbey Berenson a $1.4M research grant and $2.4M cancer prevention grant.

CPRIT awarded Dr. Abbey Berenson over $1.3 million to prevent HPV-related cancers in young women in Galveston and Hidalgo counties.

Cervical cancer diagnoses dropped by one-third among young U.S. women after the HPV vaccine became available, according to CIRWH researchers.

Winners of the 2018 CIRWCH Poster Session for Research in Women's Health.

The Journal of Adolescent Health published research on the financial cost of childbirth in the U.S., specifically focusing on understanding the impact of adolescent childbirth in comparison to that of adult women and of annual childbirth as a whole.