LeVine Earns Schmidlapp Scholar Award
CINCINNATI – Ann Marie LeVine, MD, a physician in the Division of Critical Care Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has been selected as the sixth scholar to receive a two-year, $80,000 Schmidlapp Scholar Award from the Fifth Third Bank / Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Women Scholars Program.
With a $500,000 grant from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee, Cincinnati Children's established the Fifth Third Bank / Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Women Scholars Program in1997 to enhance the recruitment and retention of female researchers. The program, believed to be the first of its kind in the United States, includes a mentoring program and protected time for research.
The goal of the Schmidlapp Scholar Award is to identify junior female faculty members who show promise and leadership skills, to provide them with financial support and protected time for research, and to help them through the tenure and promotion process. The program targets women a few years into their careers who are judged likely to succeed.
"The number of women in basic science and clinical research drops sharply as they move up the career ladder," says Sandra Degen, PhD, associate chair of academic affairs at Cincinnati Children's.
"There are several reasons for this lack of advancement, including society's attitude about women in science, lack of mentoring, and children and family responsibilities," she adds. "Not only is the pool of candidates small, but the competition among the eight major pediatric centers in the country to attract them is great. An institution that guarantees financial support and limits the pressures of finding external funding is more likely to retain that scientist."
Dr. LeVine joined Cincinnati Children's in 1995 as a William Cooper Procter Scholar, serving a three-year research fellowship in the division of Pulmonary Biology. In 1998, she became an assistant professor in the divisions of Pulmonary Biology and Critical Care Medicine. She also is an attending physician in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Dr. LeVine's research focuses on the role of surfactant protein A (SP-A) in protecting the lung from bacterial infection. SP-A is a protein produced specifically in the lung and secreted in the airway that appears to play a central role in protecting the lung from bacterial and viral infection. Premature infants, children with cystic fibrosis and children requiring support from a ventilator are particularly susceptible to infection.
Clarification of the role of SP-A "may provide the basis for future therapy or prevention of lung infections from a variety of organisms," says Dr. LeVine. "This is an issue of clinical importance, as organisms become increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapies."
The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund was created in 1907 by a gift from former Fifth Third president Jacob G. Schmidlapp in memory of his daughter, Charlotte, who died at the age of 19. Mr. Schmidlapp directed that grants be restricted to helping women establish themselves in life. The tradition and history of the fund has been to assist women by helping them gain an education and access to services.
Contact Information
Jim Feuer (
jfeuer@cchmc.org), 513-636-4420
