
Media Contact
Kay Torrance
Director of Communications
Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
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ATLANTA—The Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions hit $2.91 million in research funding this past fiscal year, which ended June 30. In just two years, the college has almost doubled its research funding. The college was awarded $1.49 million in FY '22.
“We made a significant jump in our research funding thanks to our dedicated faculty,” said Sujay Galen, associate dean for research in the college. “We’ve made a number of significant hires of faculty over the past several years, and we have supported all of our faculty members in their research endeavors from securing substantial fellowships to putting forth strong grant proposals to helping them administer their funding, all with the end goal of having a successful project. Our faculty really deserve the kudos!”
Here are several research projects funded this past fiscal year in the Lewis College:
Traumatic knee injuries, such as meniscus tears, increase the risk of osteoarthritis by 10 times and can lead to disability later in life, costing the United States up to $3 billion annually in healthcare expenses. Liang-Ching Tsai, associate professor of physical therapy, was a awarded a $2.1 million R01 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research novel regenerative rehabilitation programs that can slow the progression of osteoarthritis following injury. Dr. Tsai’s clinical research will be in the college’s Biomechanics and Motor Control Laboratory, which has a nine-camera, 3D motion-capture system, wireless electromyography and portable ultrasound imaging systems.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common lethal genetic disease among Caucasians in the United States, with approximately half of cystic fibrosis patients also developing diabetes. Assistant Professor of Nutrition Xiangming Ji was awarded an R01 grant from the NIH to better understand the role of the antioxidant protein Metallothionein 1 E in suppressing cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD). Metallothionein 1 E mainly acts as a regulator of homeostasis of metals, such as zinc and copper, in tissues, but it also works as a potent antioxidant to protect cells and tissues from oxidative stress. The development of CFRD has been attributed to increased oxidative stress. Currently there is very little research into the role of Metallothionein 1 E in the development of CFRD. This pre-clinical study, in collaboration with Desi Wanders, associate professor and chair of nutrition, and Jenny Yang, Regents' Professor of Chemistry, will identify essential biomarkers during the progression of CFRD.
Rafaela Feresin, associate professor of nutrition, was awarded $176,711 from the Wild Blueberry Association of North America to study the effects of wild blueberry consumption in Black and white adults with high blood pressure. The study will look particularly at their gut, brain and cardiovascular health. Approximately 120 million adults in the United States have hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal diseases.
Feresin and colleagues previously have shown that daily consumption of blueberries results in antihypertensive and vascular-protective effects in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage-1 hypertension. Blueberries’ hypertensive properties may be mainly due to their rich polyphenol content and high antioxidant capacity.
Occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech-language pathologists often do not receive training in their coursework to serve infants and young children with significant disabilities. Sutanuka Bhattacharjya, assistant professor of occupational therapy, and Yu-Ping Chen, professor of physical therapy, aim to change that. They received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop and implement the Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation for Early Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy Services (Early SPOTS) Program. The program is designed to train personnel in early intervention settings to be well-prepared to work with infants and toddlers with significant and multiple disabilities, including cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities and significant autism. The program is expected to train 48 students in the three disciplines.
