Improving the fibroid journey
In Community
PEACE is a community-based, participatory research project that is addressing disparities in the experience and care of Uterine Fibroids.
PEACE is committed to transforming fibroid care through community-engaged science, supporting the 70%+ of US women affected over their lifetime.
The PEACE Center is made possible through a 5-year, multi-site, grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The title underlying our acronym - Partnering for Equity: An Academic and Community Alliance to Eliminate Disparities through the Fibroid Experience - reflects our ambitious aim to improve women’s health, by targeting common disparities in healthcare access, experience, and outcomes through the lens of the fibroid journey.
Fibroids represent one of the most significant disparities in reproductive health, with Black women experiencing significant earlier onset, more severe symptoms, and more numerous/larger fibroids than other racial and ethnic groups. Understanding what drives these differences, and how care can be improved to better address patient needs and preferences, has the capacity to dramatically improve the health of ALL women.
To confront these challenging issues, the work of PEACE is led by a dynamic team of Principal Investigators (PIs): Dr. Erica Marsh (University of Michigan), a global expert in reproductive health and community-based research; Dr. Ganasa Wegienka (Henry Ford Health), an epidemiologist specializing in fibroid incidence and care; and Dr. David Williams (Harvard University), a leading scholar on social determinants of health
Our wider team includes physician-scientists, community leaders, and multi-level stakeholders - many of whom serve on our Community Advisory Board (CAB). This board guides our research priorities, execution, and outreach efforts to ensure the voice of the patient and the needs of the community are centered throughout our aims. Together, we all bring a shared commitment to transforming fibroid care through community-engaged science, supporting the 70%+ of US women affected, by fibroids, over their lifetimes.
The work of PEACE is centered around 3, important research projects which focus on disparities in fibroid care pathways (Project 1), the role of potential risk and protective factors in fibroid development (Project 2), and the development of tools to support improved fibroid care experiences (Project 3). Each of these projects is led by a co-investigator (see ‘Meet Our Team’), and advised by our CAB, as well as an external and internal advisory boards who bring critical oversight and expert advice to ensure optimal delivery of all aims.
We welcome you to learn more about the structure and outputs of PEACE, as we close out our first full year, by reading the first edition of our Newsletter (which you may view by clicking on the image below). If you are interested in collaborating with us, or think you may be a candidate for participating in our research, please feel welcome to reach out using the contact forms at both the header and footer of this webpage.
Newsletter
Click cover photo to view in full
Recent Events:
First Annual Open House: A Day of ‘Breaking the Silence’
Our first annual ‘Open House’, the PEACE flagship engagement event, was a success - thanks to you!
On August 2nd, at the Second Baptist Church in Ypsilanti, our community - including fibroid patients, researchers, providers, and their families and friends - gathered to ‘Break the Silence on Fibroids.’
The day included talks from patients and physicians, including a memorable, multi-generation panel exploring the challenge and necessity of communication about fibroids and women’s health.
Throughout the event, stations operated supporting ‘Healthy Eating,’ providing ‘Health Screenings,’ inviting ‘Post-It’ discussions, throwing a ‘Period Party, and other activities reflecting our goal of improving health for all. Our ‘Kids Activity Table’ also offered on-site entertainment and age-matched school supplies.
As a whole, the gathering offered a unique opportunity for attendees to share their experiences and gain new knowledge. All against a backdrop of great food and mutual support. We are already looking forward to our 2026 event (date TBD)!
Community Book Club: Our Fibroid Awareness Month Event
July is Fibroid Awareness Month! To mark the occasion, our team hosted a Community Book Club.
On July 30th, PEACE joined with the broader onWHARD team (also under direction of PEACE PI Dr. Erica Marsh) to host an evening with Dr. Arline Geronimus, author of Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.
The book explores themes of chronic stress and the impact of stress on women’s health, including fibroids. Dr. Geronimus shared reflections on her lifetime of research in this area and, in particular, on the concept of ‘weathering’ - the term she coined to describe the physical toll of social injustice and structural inequalities.
The event was a powerful reminder of the value in coming together, to share knowledge and learn in community.
We are grateful for Dr. Geronimus’ time and will be planning future book clubs in the coming project year.
Dissemination: Sharing Our Work and Inviting Engagement
Our team has been busy this fall, sharing important insights from the first year of the PEACE Center.
In September, we launched the first PEACE Newsletter, entitled ‘PEACE in Action.’ The current edition is linked here, and you can also sign up to receive future editions at the bottom of the page.
In October, Dr. Vanessa Dalton presented early findings from PEACE Project 1 to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). In her poster, she described differences in rates of fibroid diagnosis by age, race/ethnicity, and residence area (in Michigan). Work is currently underway to extend these analyses and provide further insight.
In November, Drs. Ganesa Wegienka and Lauren Wise introduced work from PEACE Project 2 to the American Public Health Association. They offered new findings from the Henry Ford Health SELF cohort, showing a relationship between specific fibroid types and higher rates of anemia in black women. Further investigation is being undertaken to understand the drivers of this relationship.
Watch, in 2026, as we add to these initial findings.
Meet the Team
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Erica Marsh
PEACE PI & Project 3 Co-PI
S. Jan Behrman Collegiate Professor of Reproductive Medicine
Vice-Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Professor of Women's & Gender Studies
University of Michigan
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Ganessa Wegienka
PEACE PI & Project 2 PI
Senior Scientist; Director of Women's Health Research
Department of Public Health Sciences; Henry Ford Health
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David Williams
PEACE PI
Florence Sprague Norman & Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health
Professor of African & African American Studies
Harvard University
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Vanessa Dalton
PEACE Project 1 PI
Professor & Associate Chair of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Michigan
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Lauren Wise
PEACE Project 2 Co-I
Professor, School of Public Health
Boston University
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Ken Resnicow
PEACE Project 3 Co-PI
Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota
Irwin M. Rosenstock Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Health Behavior & Health Equity, University of Michigan
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Whitney Robinson
PEACE Project 3 Co-I
Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology; Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Duke University; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Participate
We are interested in speaking with women who have been affected by fibroids.
Please read the flyer and, if interested, click to learn more.
Innovate
The PEACE Pilot Grant Program is now accepting applications.
Please read the flyer and follow instructions to apply.
Get in Touch
Have a question, collaboration idea, or comment? Reach out and a member of our team will respond promptly. We look forward to advancing women’s health together.