Associate Professor Emily Jacobs, whose laboratory embraces a multimodal neuroimaging and endocrine approach to studying women’s health, will be leading a multicampus initiative to study the female brain: The Ann S. Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative. This project will pool data across several UC brain imaging centers to answer a wide range of critical questions about how reproductive factors (such as the use of hormonal birth control or an irregular menstrual cycle) may shape the brain. Dr. Jacobs highlights the unique potential brought by this initiative: “UC brain imaging centers generate data from thousands of participants annually. By harnessing that power and integrating neuroscience discoveries across campuses, we can usher in a new era of women’s brain health research.”

Outside the lab, Dr. Jacobs is also involved with advocacy work aimed at changing women’s representation in STEM. The Jacobs lab regularly partners with K-12 groups in Santa Barbara, and Dr. Jacobs has worked with members of Congress to advocate for sustained federal funding for women’s health research.

See more here: https://magazine.ucsb.edu/fall-winter-2022/women-first