Lisa Begg, Dr.P.H., R.N.

Senior Research Program Officer, NIH Office of Research on Women's Health

Over her career, Lisa Begg, Dr.P.H., R.N., has worked as a senior scientist, administrator and educator within the federal government, academia, clinical, and research settings. Since joining the NIH in 1998, she has developed, implemented, and managed several large, complex NIH extramural research programs. She initially served as the chief of the NCI Cancer Training Branch, overseeing a budget of $110M/year, while implementing a broad strategic plan for research training and career development. Later, she joined the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, working across the NIH institutes and centers to develop and enhance a variety of initiatives in women’s health and sex differences research, including several NIH-wide and federal-wide research initiatives. In addition to these activities, Begg oversees the BIRCWH Program, Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health, an institutional career development grant program. The BIRCWH program was originally created in 2000 and continues to provide career development to junior faculty who have recently completed clinical training or postdoctoral fellowships, and who will be engaged in interdisciplinary basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, and/or health services research relevant to the health of women and, where appropriate, the use of both sexes to better understand the influence of sex as a biological variable on health and disease.

While working in academia, Begg created a large breast cancer research program with support from several extramural research grants and contracts. As faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, she also taught graduate students in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and the School of Nursing. She held faculty positions in the GSPH, the School of Nursing, and the School of Medicine. Earlier in her career, she founded the Oncology Nursing Society, which now has over 35,000 members domestically and worldwide, and which provides nursing research support second only to the NIH-National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).

Begg holds earned degrees in epidemiology and nursing - a Dr.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.P.H. in epidemiology from UCLA, a Master of Science in nursing from UCSF, and a BSN from Boston College.