The Sutcliffe Lab integrates epidemiologic and clinical research methods to better understand the etiology, progression, and exacerbation of clinical conditions, particularly urologic and gynecologic conditions.
Our ultimate goal is to identify novel, modifiable risk factors to inform primary and secondary prevention strategies.
The Lab is led by Siobhan Sutcliffe, PhD, ScM, MHS, a professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences, who also holds an appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Sutcliffe’s research program integrates epidemiologic and clinical research methodology to understand the etiology, progression, and exacerbation of clinically significant health problems that impact survival and quality of life. The ultimate goal of her research is to characterize modifiable risk factors and develop novel primary and secondary prevention strategies.
Dr. Sutcliffe’s research focuses on clinical conditions related to the male and female genitourinary and reproductive tracts. Conditions of interest include prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), urinary incontinence, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections.
With funding from the NIDDK and NCI, Dr. Sutcliffe leads investigations in a number of established, national cohort studies and research consortia, including:
The NIDDK-sponsored Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network
The Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium.
She also co-directs the NIDDK-sponsored T32 program in Clinical Outcomes Research Training in Women’s Health with a Focus on Female Lower Urinary Tract Disorders.
In addition to her independent research, Dr. Sutcliffe regularly teams with collaborators internal to WashU and beyond to conduct diverse studies involving clinical outcomes, therapeutic and preventive clinical trials, mixed-methods studies, comparative effectiveness analyses, and translational and biomarker studies.
Principal investigator
Siobhan Sutcliffe, PhD, ScM, MHS
Professor of Surgery
Division of Public Health Sciences
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Contact
600 S. Taylor Ave.
2nd floor
Room 208S
Box 8100
St. Louis, MO 63110
Opportunities
The Sutcliffe Lab welcomes post-doctoral associates, PhD students, and students from WashU undergraduate and graduate programs interested in epidemiologic research. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Sutcliffe:
Current research
Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network
Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) are common, chronic conditions characterized by persistent bladder or pelvic pain and urinary symptoms. The causes of these two debilitating conditions are poorly understand and their diagnosis and management are challenging. The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network was established in 2008 to help understand the underlying causes and natural history of these two conditions. As a Project Leader within the Network, Dr. Sutcliffe leads efforts to better describe and identify the causes of symptom exacerbations (flares) and variability in patients’ symptoms. Her work includes studies nested within the Trans-MAPP Epidemiology and Phenotyping Study, a 1-year longitudinal cohort study of 424 IC/BPS and CP/CPPS patients; the Symptom Patterns Study, a 3-year longitudinal cohort study of 620 patients that recently concluded; and a multi-site, qualitative focus group study.
Learn more about the MAPP Research Network>>
Funder: NIDDK
Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium
Although lower urinary tract symptoms affect almost half of American women, little is known about how to prevent them. As a site PI within the NIDDK-sponsored Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium, Dr. Sutcliffe leads studies to quantify the burden of LUTS and poor bladder health in American women, and to understand their underlying causes. She is currently co-leading the development of a large, community-based cohort study of bladder health, the RISE FOR HEALTH study, set to begin in 2022. This study will investigate novel risk and protective factors for bladder health in women, and estimate the distribution of bladder health in the general female US population, using a newly developed measure of bladder health.
Learn more about the PLUS Research Consortium>>
Funder: NIDDK
Early-life etiology of prostate cancer
Although most epidemiologic research on prostate cancer focuses on risk factors in mid- to later-life, the prostate gland may be as or more susceptible to these factors during earlier periods of rapid growth and development, such as gestation and adolescence. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Sutcliffe has used life-course epidemiologic approaches to study possible early-life risk factors for prostate cancer, including hormonal, infectious, and inflammatory factors. She has studied these possible risk factors in numerous large cohort studies, including the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, the Longitudinal Studies of Child Health and Development, and the Department of Defense Serum Repository.
T32 postdoctoral fellowship
Dr. Sutcliffe co-leads a PhD & MD postdoctoral fellowship in prevention and outcomes research training in women’s health with a focus on lower female urinary tract disorders. The T32 program, funded by the NIDDK, is administered through the Division of Public Health Sciences and the Division of Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at WashU Medicine.
Learn more about the program>>
Our team
Siobhan Sutcliffe, PhD, ScM, MHS
Professor of Surgery
Division of Public Health Sciences
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Staff
Ratna Pakpahan
Staff Scientist
Research Coordinator
Julia Maki
Supervisor of Public Health Research
Community Engagement Coordinator
Amy Ayala
Public Health Research Coordinator
Trainees
Haidy Morsy, MD
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Clinical Fellow and T32 trainee
Kimmie Chiu, MD
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Clinical Fellow
Tuo Lan
PhD student
Qinran Liu
PhD student
News and updates
Lab alumni
- Jingwen (Margaret) Chen, BA (Undergraduate student)
- Jason Cohen, PhD (Post-doctoral fellow)
- Stacy Lenger, MD, MTPCI (Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery clinical fellow)
- Marvin Langston, PhD (MPH student and Post-doctoral fellow)
- Saira Khan, PhD (Post-doctoral fellow)
- Melanie Meister, MD, MSCI (Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery clinical fellow)
- Ashley Thakur, MPH (MPH student)
- Tiange (Viola) Yu, MPH (MPH student)
- Chaitanya Siddagunta, MBBS, MPH (MPH student)
- Tianlin (Frank) Xu, MPH (MPH student)
- Jieni Li, MPH (MPH student)
- Irum Javed, MPH (MPH student)
- Karyn Stewart, PhD (Post-doctoral fellow)
- Aliya Alimujiang, MPH (MPH student)
- Ankita Bhalla, BDS, MPH
- Mara Horn, BA (Undergraduate student)
- Melissa Milbrandt, MBA, MHA (Undergraduate student)
- Johanna Hansen, BA (Undergraduate student)
- Miguelle Marous, MD (Medical student)
- Lin Yang, PhD (Post-doctoral fellow)