PFDN members come from medical centers across the United States, along with a coordinating center and a project scientist from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The PFDN members work together to develop and perform research studies related to women with pelvic floor disorders. In this way, studies can be done more quickly than if the medical centers were working alone. Doctors, nurses, other health care workers, and support staff all play important roles.

The PFDN wants to learn more about how to help women with pelvic floor problems. Treatments are available, but many questions about how best to take care of women with pelvic floor problems are still unanswered. The PFDN was started to study pelvic floor problems and come up with answers to these questions.

This website is one way to let the public know the results of the studies. PFDN study results may be found in the Network’s publications. Whether you are a woman with a pelvic floor problem -- or have a mother, sister, aunt, daughter or friend with one -- we want you to have the best and most up-to-date information when you need it most.

The centers that make up the PFDN are:

Network Sponsor:

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Donna Mazloomdoost, MD
Medical Officer, Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch
Project Scientist, Pelvic Floor Disorders Network

Data Coordinating Center:

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International
Marie Gantz, PhD, Principal Investigator

Clinical Centers:

Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Nazema Siddiqui, MD, Principal Investigator

University of California at San Diego (UCSD)
San Diego, California
Emily Lukacz, MD, Principal Investigator

Kaiser Permanente (affiliated under UCSD)
San Diego, California
Shawn Menefee, MD, Principal Investigator

University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Kimberly Kenton, MD, Principal Investigator

Southern California Permanente Medical Group (affiliated under Kaiser Permanente)
Downey, California
John Nguyen, MD, Principal Investigator

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Heidi Harvie, MD, Principal Investigator

Women and Infants Hospital (Brown University)
Providence, Rhode Island
Vivian Sung, MD, Principal Investigator