CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Drs. Erin Carey, Shawn Hingtgen, and Elizabeth Geller have secured full funding for their Translational Research Grant proposal from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The project, titled “Developing a Vulvar Film Applicator for Precision Drug Delivery in Vestibulodynia,” provides critical support for advancing technology in women’s health. 
The initiative is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Shawn Hingtgen, Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, with Dr. Elizabeth Geller serving as co-investigator. Dr. Carey, an inventor on the project, contributed to the grant writing and will consult on early implementation efforts.
Dr. Erin Carey is the current Division Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health. She has served on the national Fellowship Board of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (FMIGS) and the interdisciplinary board of the International Pelvic Pain Society. She is a NIH funded clinical scientist, and her long-term goal is to develop personalized mechanism-based treatment strategies for patients with complex gynecologic conditions.