The Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund
A bold, high-impact initiative designed to revolutionize women’s health research.
The Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund is a bold new effort to transform how science and society understand the ways menstruation shapes women’s health.
Spearheaded by Professor Linda Griffith 
—an MIT leader in biological and mechanical engineering and a longtime advocate for gynecology and women’s health research—the initiative seeks to establish “menstruation science” as a frontier of scientific discovery and technological innovation, with wide-ranging impacts on all of women’s health.
Established through a generous gift from Emily and Malcolm Fairbairn, this initiative supports groundbreaking research on sex-based immunology and chronic diseases that disproportionately affect women.
Areas of Impact
The initial fund will support researchers and practitioners across MIT and partner institutions on pre-selected projects as they explore new frontiers in menstruation science including:
- Pioneering new approaches to image and measure molecular, cellular, and physiological behaviors in human endometrium and uterus across the menstrual cycle
- Creating and democratizing new tools to grow and probe human endometrial patient models on microfluidic devices with components of the immune system included
- Elevating awareness of pediatric gynecological disorders and fostering intensive collaborations between clinicians, scientists, and technology to address girls’ unique needs
- Posing and testing new hypotheses about systemic effects of menstruation cycles on infection and immunity across women’s lifespan
- Integrating menstruation science concepts into MIT core and elective curricular content
Goals and Vision
The Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund is designed to:
- Destigmatize menstruation in science, healthcare, and public discourse
- Spark new research into previously overlooked biological questions and opportunities
- Drive innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, and care delivery
- Empower interdisciplinary teams across MIT’s Schools and the College of Computing
- Engage international partners in co-creating a robust ecosystem containing patients, scientists, clinicians, and industry
There are currently no open funding calls for this program. Sign up for the newsletter on the Center for Gynepathology Research website to stay informed.