Pregnant women in the U.S. are prescribed a daily prenatal supplement containing iron to prevent iron deficiency anemia (IDA), a condition associated with adverse maternal and neonatal health. However, this one-size-fits-all approach to preventing IDA may not be appropriate for women with inflammation, including obese women. We propose to test oral lactoferrin along with a prenatal supplement devoid of iron in obese pregnant women to assess whether it is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective at preventing IDA than a traditional daily prenatal supplement containing iron.
The aim of this study, the Follow-Up After Sedentary Reducing Intervention (FASRI) Study, is to investigate the feasibility of post-intervention follow-up and the preliminary efficacy of a sedentary reducing intervention to lead to sustained decreases in sedentary time in a diverse, representative sample of adults with CKD.
Using a mixed methods design, we co-design a CenteringParenting prototype for an integrated postnatal and well-child group healthcare model and evaluate the prototype’s feasibility and acceptability.
Aim 1. Explore Malawian women’s expectations for culturally appropriate postnatal and well-child clinic care.
Aim 2. Integrate the findings from Aim 1 to work with women and nurses to co-design the health promotion content and implementation structure of the group postnatal and well-child care prototype.
Aim 3. Pilot the prototype and evaluate its feasibility and acceptability
The proposed research tests the effectiveness of an evidence-based model of group antenatal care, compared to individual (usual) antenatal care. We simultaneously identify the degree of successful implementation success and factors associated with success across 6 antenatal clinics in Blantyre District, Malawi. If results are negative, governments will avoid spending on ineffective care. Positive maternal, neonatal and HIV-related outcomes of group antenatal care will save lives, impact the cost and quality of antenatal care, and influence health policy as governments adopt this transformative model of care nationally.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Project Duration
2020-09-21 — 2025-08-31
Sickle Cell Disease patients are living with a high burden of pain and high prescription opioid use. There are three priorities for this study: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of guided relaxation and acupuncture to improve pain control; (2) determine what is the most appropriate and effective treatment sequence for any given patient based on unique characteristics; and (3) describe the processes and structures required to implement guided relaxation and acupuncture into health care systems. Results from this research may reduce opioid use and improve pain management among sickle cell disease patients.
The purpose of this study to investigate an intervention to reduce sedentary time in adults with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The aims are to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of an established theory-based motivational interviewing intervention to decrease sedentary time in a diverse, representative sample of adults with CKD. The motivational interviewing is guided by principles of social cognitive theory and cognitive behavioral theory to address individual personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that promote sedentary behavior.
Transfer application: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the leading cause of long-term disability in the US, and about 50% of AIS survivors exhibit fatigue and depressive symptoms, cognitive deficits, and poorer functional and health-related quality of life outcomes. The proposed project will examine biological mechanisms associated with symptoms and outcomes in AIS survivors.
Low-income populations are disproportionately burdened by tobacco use and carry a greater burden of pulmonary health inequalities related to smoking. Despite widespread usage by populations burdened by tobacco use, Federally Qualified Health Care (FQHC) systems are an under-utilized model for reducing pulmonary and other smoking-related health inequalities among disadvantaged populations. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of electronically delivered smoking cessation interventions via patient portals in a network of FQHC clinics.
Our research team pioneered the multivariable artificial pancreas (mvAP) that uses physiological and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data to mitigate the effects of meals and exercise without any manual inputs. Our mvAP has performed successfully in clinical experiments. We have also collected data in experiments with various types of physical activities and acute stress inducements and developed classification and intensity estimation algorithms for these activities using machine learning. Our multidisciplinary team includes endocrinologists, nurse researchers, biomedical engineers, exercise physiologists, behavioral scientists and statisticians. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop mvAP technology that addresses physical activity and stress-related challenges and complex situations such as their concurrent occurrence.
Building on the success of our initial Phases, in the fifth Phase of this project, the NExT team has four objectives: 1) Expand the online NExT modules to include evidence-based practice content applicable to all public health professionals while continuing outreach to public health, school health, acute, and ambulatory care nurses; 2) Create an additional website link and path for the public health professional modules; 3) Continue and extend marketing/promotion of EBP to underserved community hospitals, health departments, and clinical agencies across the state, NNLM Region 6 area, and nation by targeting these institutions and specific national nursing and public health organizations and associations; 4) Continue the current public health and school health and acute and ambulatory care module design, navigation, social media presence and access to all nursing EBP modules and 5) Provide continuing education units for librarians, public health professionals, practicing acute/ambulatory care and public/school health nurses.
The proposed research is important to public health because how one responds to stress can have a positive or negative impact on the heart. The expected outcomes of this research are identifying the relationships among heart patients’ perception of their social support, heart rate changes, and hopelessness levels following the stressor of being hospitalized for a heart disease diagnosis. Together, these findings will assist in identifying persons that may be at risk for poorer outcomes following a heart disease diagnosis and provide direction for the next steps in the applicant’s program of research in the development and testing of personalized interventions to improve the health of individuals with heart disease who report hopelessness.
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of a 1-month protocol and to describe self-reported symptoms and their association to cognitive and functional outcomes in persons with AIS who did and did not receive reperfusion intervention. We will explore these factors and their association to underlying lipid biomarker signatures.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Project Duration
2021-09-28 — 2024-08-31
This K24 investigator award will provide 25% support for Dr. Ardith Doorenbos to (1) promote the development and retention of junior scientists in independent careers in patient-oriented research related to providing effective non-opioid options for the treatment of pain conditions; (2) expand and strengthen important leadership and mentorship skills; and (3) further her own line of patient-oriented research in pain and symptom science. The K24 funding will support active, productive participation in leading and mentoring patient-oriented research opportunities that are currently in progress or can be realized in the next few years. These activities aim to develop new information relevant to clinical practice and public policy
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Project Duration
2017-09-11 — 2024-05-31
This proposed research will refine and prospectively validate the effectiveness of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) technology [QUS parameters: cervical ultrasound attenuation coefficient (ATTEN), cervical ultrasound backscatter coefficient (BSC)], when compared to ultrasound (US)-estimated cervical length (CL), to identify women at-risk for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB).
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Disorders
Project Duration
2020-07-01 — 2025-04-30
Up to 40% of adults with type 1 diabetes have insufficient sleep (less than 6.5 hours per night) which is associated with negative health consequences including poor blood glucose control and greater diabetes complications. We propose a sleep intervention (Sleep-Optimize) that uses wearable sleep tracking technology, telephone coaching and informational content designed to improve sleep and glycemic control. Sleep-Optimize could lead to reduced development of diabetes complications and improve quality of life for adults with type 1 diabetes.
Aim 1. Determine the feasibility and usability of (1) EMA to assess self-report residential environmental exposures and asthma symptoms, (2) home monitoring of objective environmental exposures (VOC, PM2.5), and lung function (home spirometry).
Aim 2a. Assess the frequency and degree of residential environmental exposures (e.g., disinfectants/cleaners, second-hand smoke, pesticides) via (1) EMA self-reported data, and (2) home monitoring objective measures.
Aim 2b. Assess the level of asthma control as indicated by self-reported asthma symptoms and lung function (FEV1%).
Aim 3. Explore associations of self-reported and objective measures of residential environmental exposures with self-reported and objective measures of asthma control.
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Disorders
Project Duration
2023-05-15 — 2028-02-29
People with end-stage kidney disease may experience moderate to severe pain as a result of the inability of their kidneys to filter toxins that cause inflammation, and for many pain persists after restoration of kidney function following kidney transplantation. We all coexist with trillions of bacteria and other microbes, collectively known as the microbiome, that live in communities on and within the human body and make chemicals that reduce or exacerbate pain through the brain-gut-microbiome-axis. The goal of this study is to better understand how the communities of microbes, and the chemicals they produce that may affect pain, change after kidney transplantation, and how these changes affect pain over time in order to develop patient-centered treatments for pain by manipulating the microbiome through diet, stress reduction, and or supplementation with pre/probiotics
The State University of New York - SUNY Downstate Med Center
Project Duration
2021-11-01 — 2023-06-30
Aim 1. Understand personal (beliefs and attitudes), behavioral (self-efficacy) and environmental factors (accessibility and availability) associated with healthy dietary behaviors and considerations for FIM interventions from Black women with stage 1 hypertension (BP >130/80 mmHg and < 140/90 mmHg).
Aim 2. Assess perceptions of providers toward feasibility and sustainability of a FIM intervention in primary care settings for optimizing blood pressure and improving dietary behaviors. We will conduct interviews with primary care providers familiar with FIM programs to obtain insights on best practices, their ability to prescribe and adapt FIM interventions for different chronic conditions among diverse ethno-racial populations and their vision for sustainability of FIM interventions.
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Disorders
Project Duration
2019-09-24 — 2024-05-31
The purpose of this study is to evaluate novel strategies to reduce opioid use and pain in HD patients. Specifically, we will examine the effect of non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic (buprenorphine) interventions in HD patients who are receiving chronic opioid medications (>90 days/year) due to chronic pain (>3 months duration) and/or high pain interference. The proposed study will follow a quantitative Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design.
The specific aims are to (1) conduct a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with religious leaders to identify barriers and facilitators to discussing ACP and death-related topics among Asian Americans with cancer; (2) conduct a usability test of a culturally tailored digital resilience-building intervention prototype to collect feedback on the intervention’s content using think-aloud interviews with Asian American patients with cancer and family caregivers; and (3) conduct a process evaluation to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the intervention prototype. The expected outcomes are identification and development of the essential components of the intervention and data that contribute to a revised version of the intervention to be optimized in future research that follows the second phase of MOST.