(Listed by PI)
Emily Ahonen, PhD
EMPLOYMENT QUALITY
Sponsor: CDC IPA
Dates: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2023
Project Description: This project seeks to research, intervention, outreach and education, and evaluation activities that advance the overall safety, health and well-being of the diverse population of workers in our nation, with emphasis on the creation and implementation of evidence-based solutions related to worker safety, mental and physical health and well-being.
HEALTH DISPARITIES IN ELDERLY
Sponsor: University of Washington
Dates: 09/01/2021 – 06/30/2023
Project Description: A project with researchers at the University of Washington. The goals of this project are to address the health disparities in elderly populations.
UTAH CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF WORK EQUITY (U-POWER)
Sponsor: CDC Natl Inst Occupational SAF U19
Dates: 09/01/2021 – 08/31/2026
Project Description: The Utah Center for Promotion of Work Equity Research (U-POWER) envisions work and workplaces that are safe, healthy, and equitable, and has the mission of U-POWER is to create a sustainable community of practice that changes the conditions of work and advances Total Worker Health® (TWH) through research and outreach. The integrating theme of U-POWER is the role of power in defining work conditions that create and sustain inequity and ill health among workers. U-POWER will facilitate a community of practice that shares the concern of changing the conditions of work and advancing TWH and advance TWH through innovative research and outreach, guided by the translational research process and community engagement.
Joseph A. Allen, PhD
CREATIVITY IN TEAMS: IDENTIFYING THE ROLE OF MEETINGS IN FOSTERING EFFECTIVE COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN TEAMS
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Dates: 08/01/2020 - 07/31/2023
Project Description: In the last two decades, interest in creativity and innovation has grown tremendously. Creativity and innovation have been suggested as important for organizational performance. In addition, the use of teams in organizations is on the rise. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the interrelationships between social and cognitive processes in team meetings for generating a creative idea or product. The project will assess the team cognitive process sequences that effectively result in more creative ideas, the effect of team dynamics on these cognitive processes, and how cognitive and social processes interact to produce creative outcomes. We will further investigate whether an intervention to facilitate team creativity will improve creativity and the effect it has on both cognitive and social processes.
TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS: FIRE SERVICES SAFETY CULTURE ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING
Sponsor: Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FEMA)
Dates: 09/07/2021 – 09/06/2023
Project Description: A project with researchers at Drexel University. This project will develop and deploy Culture Camps, both in-person and online, to support the continued improvement of a safety culture.
SAFETY MEETINGS IN SMALL CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE MEETING BEHAVIORS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SAFETY
Sponsor: US Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: 06/01/2022 – 05/31/2023
Project Description: Construction workers face a number of concerns related to their personal safety while at work and often discuss these concerns and hazards in safety meetings. An exploration of meeting practices, based on meeting science research that has identified good and bad practices, may shed light on how to improve the safety culture of small construction companies. Understanding the practical ways to improve the collaboration within safety meetings may ultimately improve safety culture and increase overall safety and well-being of construction workers.
Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM
CHARMS: DYADIC SLEEP, BIOBEHAVIORAL RHYTHMS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Sponsor: NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA) R01
Dates: 04/01/2023 - 03/31/2027
Project Description: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are becoming among the most prevalent causes of disability, death and healthcare costs worldwide. Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances are common among individuals with MCI as well as their spouses/ partners and may increase risk of the development of ADRD in both patients and partners. This is the first study to systematically investigate sleep as a shared health behavior within couples in which one member has MCI, and the degree to which sleep and circadian disturbances impact both partners health and well-being, including cognitive decline and risk for ADRD.
A NOVEL COUPLES- BASED SLEEP HEALTH INTERVENTION FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA: IMPLICATIONS FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RISK AND HEALTHY AGING
Sponsor: NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA) R21
Dates: 09/15/2020 - 08/31/2023
Project Description: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious and debilitating health condition that affects both patients and their bedpartners' sleep, quality of life and health risk, including cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of this project is to develop and test a novel couples-based behavioral intervention that seeks to improve PAP adherence and sleep health among older patients with OSA and their partners. The results of this study could significantly advance the treatment of OSA and improve the lives of OSA patients and their partners, as well as reduce risk for downstream consequences of poor sleep.
EFFECTS OF A BEHAVIORAL SLEEP EXTENSION INTERVENTION ON CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS AMONG PATIENTS WITH ELEVATED BP/HYPERTENSION
Sponsor: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Dates: 09/25/2020 - 06/30/2025
Project Description: One in two adults in the U.S. have at least one cardiometabolic disease (CMD) including hypertension, heart disease diabetes or stroke. Despite links between short sleep duration and cardiometabolic health, few studies have sought to improve CMD risk by extending sleep. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a behavioral sleep extension intervention on sleep and CMD risk factors among patients with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Successful completion of this study will advance the possibility of increasing sleep duration for improving cardiometabolic health.
CIRCADIAN AND SLEEP PATHWAYS TO CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASE RISK: ROLE OF NEUROBEHAVIORAL PROCESSES
Sponsor: NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) R01
Dates: 02/01/2019 - 12/31/2023
Project Description: This project will investigate how disruptions in the body’s internal 24-hour sleep wake rhythms affects obesity and diabetes risk. We are interested in understanding how disrupted rhythms along with short sleep duration affects eating behavior behaviors (e.g. decreased ability to withstand temptation), metabolism and weight gain over a 12-month period. Results of this study will advance knowledge of the complex relationship between sleep/circadian rhythms providing the basis for new behavioral interventions.
SLEEP OPTIMIZATION & DIABETES
Sponsor: University of Illinois Chicago (Prime: NIH/NIDDK)
Dates: 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2025
Project Description: The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a T1D specific sleep optimization intervention (Sleep-Optimize) on the primary outcome of glycemic control (A1C). My role on this study will be overseeing the intervention protocol, setting up training, scoring and quality control for actigraphy and self-report sleep measures.
Jeremy Biggs MD, MSPH
INFECTIOUS CONTAINMENT
Sponsor: Army Medical Research Acquisit
Dates: 11/01/2020 - 01/14/2024
Project Description: A project aimed at infectious containment in occupational and environmental health.
COVID-19: U-POWER IWISH
Sponsor: CDC Natl Inst Occupational SAF
Dates: 09/01/2021 - 08/31/2026
Project Description: Approximately 10% of US workers (14.4 million) are thought to be exposed to infectious diseases at least once per week, and 18.5% (26.7 million) at least once per month. Workers deemed essential to sustaining the well-being of others have had to continue working during the COVID-19 pandemic, often at great risk of infection. This burden has disproportionately affected racialized groups, foreign-born workers, and other vulnerable groups. While COVID-19 continues to disrupt businesses and cause psychosocial stress, illness, and mortality among workers, we must also anticipate future pandemics of respiratory infectious diseases. The aims of this study are to 1) assess a worker-engaged process to implement controls to decrease exposure to respiratory pathogens in the workplace and 2) synthesize mixed methods data to develop guidelines and training to support translation of worker-engaged solutions to mitigate workplace exposure to respiratory pathogens. The process will use a community-based participatory research approach to engage workers, employers, and subject matter experts to identify and implement environmental controls using the Burden-Need-Impact framework and Evidence Integration Triangle at five manufacturing businesses in Utah. The long-term goal of this study is to improve workers’ safety, health, and well-being through the development and dissemination of guidelines for responding to respiratory infectious disease epidemics.
Melissa Cheng, MD, MOH, MHS
UTAH SCREENING, BRIEF INTERVENTION AND REFERRAL TO TREATMENT (SBIRT) TRAINING CENTER
Sponsor: Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Dates: 09/01/2020 - 09/29/2022
Project Description: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive public health approach for delivering early intervention and treatment services to people with, or at risk of developing substance use disorders. This project provides SBIRT training to Utah-based providers.
Susan Cochella, MD, MPH
DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRAINING IN FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 12/31/2022 - 09/29/2027
Project Description: Increase the number of primary care physicians who are trained in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral of services for mental and behavioral health conditions. Also develop or expand partnerships with integrated behavioral health and primary care settings and community-based organizations to provide clinical rotations for at least one month in duration for primary care residents.
Jennifer Coombs, PhD, MPAS, PA-C
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 07/01/19 - 06/30/2024
Project Description: The purpose of this program is to increase the number of primary care physician assistants (PA), particularly in rural and underserved settings, and improve primary care training in order to strengthen access to and delivery of primary care services nationally.
Lisa Gren, PhD
COVID-19: U-POWER IWISH
Sponsor: CDC Natl Inst Occupational SAF
Dates: 09/01/2021 – 08/31/2026
Project Description: Approximately 10% of US workers (14.4 million) are thought to be exposed to infectious diseases at least once per week, and 18.5% (26.7 million) at least once per month. Workers deemed essential to sustaining the well-being of others have had to continue working during the COVID-19 pandemic, often at great risk of infection. This burden has disproportionately affected racialized groups, foreign-born workers, and other vulnerable groups. While COVID-19 continues to disrupt businesses and cause psychosocial stress, illness, and mortality among workers, we must also anticipate future pandemics of respiratory infectious diseases. The aims of this study are to 1) assess a worker-engaged process to implement controls to decrease exposure to respiratory pathogens in the workplace and 2) synthesize mixed methods data to develop guidelines and training to support translation of worker-engaged solutions to mitigate workplace exposure to respiratory pathogens. The process will use a community-based participatory research approach to engage workers, employers, and subject matter experts to identify and implement environmental controls using the Burden-Need-Impact framework and Evidence Integration Triangle at five manufacturing businesses in Utah. The long-term goal of this study is to improve workers’ safety, health, and well-being through the development and dissemination of guidelines for responding to respiratory infectious disease epidemics.
DEVELOPING FAMILY SUPPORT OPTIONS THROUGH TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER COUNSELORS
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 09/2020 - 08/2024
Project Description: The major goals of this project are to (1) education student trainees and apprentices as substance use disorder counselors (SUDC), and (2) increase the quality and quantity of SUDC professionals in the behavioral health workforce in Utah.
CDCC/PLCO Trial
Sponsor: Westat
Dates: 02/2021 - 02/2026
Project Description: The major goal of this project is to ascertain cancer and vital status of individuals enrolled in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial through the Utah site.
Rodney G. Handy, MBA, PhD, CIH
2EO21 AIR TOXIC ETHYLENE OXIDE
Sponsor: Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Dates: 05/01/2021 - 04/05/2023
Project Description: This project seeks to characterize ambient emissions of Ethylene Oxide from Utah-based sterilization facilities and conduct a subsequent health risk assessment to identify cancer and non-cancer risks associated with exposure.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD SITE TRAINING IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (BIOSTET) FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY
Sponsor: NIHN IEHS R25
Dates: 09/2021 - 08/2026
Project Description: The goal of this study is to establish academic and continuing education (CE) courses in emerging technologies specific to site biological/infectious agent safety.
Mia Hashibe, PhD
UTAH ADVANCED COURSE ON MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP ON CANCER-RELATED HEALTH DISPARITIES
Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI) UE5
Dates: 04/01/2020 - 03/31/2024
Project Description: The overarching goal of the Utah Advanced Course on Mentoring, Leadership, and Cancer-related Health Disparities is to provide innovative state-of-the-art, evidence-based career development experiences to current NCI grantees to enhance their skills in leadership, mentoring, and cancer disparities research for successful transition to independent academic careers. More specifically, this UE5 program will focus on three educational domains-1) Enhancing Mentoring Skills, 2) Strengthening Leadership Capacity, and 3) Leveraging Cancer-related databases. We bring expertise in mentoring and leadership training through the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), clinical and community-engaged research scholarship, cancer-related databases including population databases that are unique to Utah, and networking opportunities available in cancer consortia.
LONG-TERM ADVERSE OUTCOMES AMONG RURAL CANCER SURVIVORS IN A POPULATION-BASED COHORT
Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01
Dates: 07/16/2020 - 06/30/2025
Project Description: There are an estimated 2.8 million rural cancer survivors today, and they experience lower survival rates than cancer patients living in urban areas. We propose to conduct a study of rural prostate, rural breast, rural colorectal cancer patients and comparison groups of urban cancer patients in Utah and in elderly patients across the US, to investigate whether rural cancer survivors experience higher rates of adverse outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, opioid use disorders and mental illness than urban cancer survivors. We will also assess why rural cancer survivors may experience higher adverse outcome rates, with possible reasons including differences in the cancer treatment they receive or the distance to care.
IDENTIFYING CANCER RECURRENCE WITH NOVEL DATA LINKAGES WITH A CANCER REGISTRY
Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01
Dates: 08/2022 - 07/2027
Project Description: The major goals of the project are to estimate predictive performance to identify recurrence using cancer registry data and novel administrative data linkages for prostate and breast cancer patients, and to evaluate the scalability and transportability of algorithms.
CORE INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT FOR SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND END RESULTS (SEER; UTAH CANCER REGISTRY)
Sponsor: University of California (Prime: NIH)
Dates: 03/2021 - 02/2026
Project Description: The SEER Program was initiated in 1972 in response to requirements of the National Cancer Program for assessing the magnitude of the cancer burden in the United States, and for identifying factors related to cancer risk and/or patient survival.
Kurt T. Hegmann, MD, MPH
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Dates: 07/18/2018 - 06/30/2023
Project Description: The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH) is among the largest graduate occupational safety and health (OSH) training programs in the US. It serves Region VIII, which has among the highest occupational death and injury rates. The RMCOEH's NORA research programs address major deficits in the region/nation's OSH. Research foci particularly include musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory protection, transportation safety, and mining issues.
CDC COVID
Sponsor: CDC/NIOSH/DFSE
Dates: 08/2022 - 07/2023
Project Description: Extension is to continue providing occupational safety and health technical assistance, addressing the work-related risk of exposure to COVID-19. This includes the Employer Testing of COVID-19 History (ETCH) study, finalizing the survey, creating presentations for TWU sector, and conduct a research study for assessment of vaccine hesitancy across all groups in the TWU sector.
Darrah K. Sleeth Howe, PhD, MPH
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES OF THE NORTHERN ARAPAHO TRIBE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
Sponsor: NIH/NIEHS R21
Dates: 04/2021 - 03/2024
Project Description: The goal of this project is to (1) characterize indoor and outdoor environmental exposures using a citizen science approach, (2) characterize related respiratory health outcomes, and (3) examine the effect of real-time exposure feedback on changes to risk perception and behavior.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD SITE TRAINING IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (BIOSTET) FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY
Sponsor: NIH NIEHS R25
Dates: 09/2021 - 08/2026
Project Description: The goal of this study is to establish academic and continuing education (CE) courses in emerging technologies specific to site biological/infectious agent safety.
Matthew Hughes, MD, MPH, FACOEM
HAZARDOUS & WASTE WORKER TRAINING PROGRAM (HWWTP)
Sponsor: NIH NIEHS HWWTP
Dates: 06/01/2021 - 05/31/2025
Project Description: The goal of HWWTP is to train workers to identify and prevent hazardous exposures to themselves, their colleagues, their community, and the environment.
HAZMAT DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TRAINING PROGRAM (HDPTP)
Sponsor: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) HDPTP
Dates: 06/01/2021 - 05/31/2025
Project Description: The goal of HDPTP is to prepare managers and workers from a variety of industrial sectors, vulnerable populations, and the general community, to respond to emergencies and intentional and natural disasters, including resiliency.
Amy Locke, MD, FAAFP
PROMOTING RESILIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONAL WORKERS
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2024
Project Description: The goal of this project is to promote resilience and mental health amongst professional health workers.
Ivette A. López, PhD, MPH
AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS POINT OF SERVICE MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 09/2022 - 08/2027
Project Description: The purpose of the AHEC program is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals via strategic partnerships with academic programs, communities, and professional organizations.
UTAH CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF WORK EQUITY (U-POWER)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dates: 09/2021 - 08/2026
Project Description: The long-term goal of this study is to improve workers’ safety, health, and well-being through the development and dissemination of guidelines for responding to respiratory infectious disease epidemics.
Amanda Moloney-Johnes, MPAS, PA-C
PHYSICIANS ASSITANTS RURAL
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 07/01/2022 - 06/30/2024
Project Description: The purpose of this instructional award is to education physicians assistants in rural Utah.
Kola S. Okuyemi, MD, MPH
UTAH ADVANCED COURSE ON MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP ON CANCER-RELATED HEALTH DISPARITIES
Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI) UE5
Dates: 04/01/2020 - 03/31/2023
Project Description: The overarching goal of the Utah Advanced Course on Mentoring, Leadership, and Cancer-related Health Disparities is to provide innovative state-of-the-art, evidence-based career development experiences to current NCI grantees to enhance their skills in leadership, mentoring, and cancer disparities research for successful transition to independent academic careers.
HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE PATHMAKER PROGRAMS FOR CANCER LEADERSHIP
Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI) R25
Dates: 09/01/2019 - 07/31/2025
Project Description: This project establishes cancer research programs for high school and undergraduate students, as well as for middle and high school science teachers, to increase the pipeline of students currently underrepresented in the biomedical sciences who are interested in biomedical research careers.
ENHANCED GRANT WRITING COACHING INTERVENTION FOR A DIVERSE BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE
Sponsor: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) U01
Dates: 07/01/2019 - 06/30/2024
Project Description: NIH and other national public and private agencies and groups have steadfastly established the compelling need for a diverse scientific and biomedical research workforce, particularly in academia which drives the majority of health-related research and both trains and determines future generations of life science researchers. This intensive grant writing coaching intervention will be rigorously tested and studied in this project.
STIMULATING ACCESS TO RESEARCH IN RESIDENCY (STARR)
Sponsor: NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) R38
Dates: 02/01/2023 - 01/31/2028
Project Description: University of Utah Health will offer the Utah Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (Utah StARR) training program to resident physicians from the departments of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics with the goal of transitioning resident investigators to successful careers as physician researchers to conduct clinical, translational, and health services research. Trainees will be provided didactic coursework in research methods, leadership training and career development, and extensive mentoring throughout the program.
STROKE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH TRAINING (SCART) INSTITUTE
Sponsor: NIH NINDS D43
Dates: 06/01/2022 - 05/31/2023
Project Description: The program, known as Stroke-CaRT, is a consortium of NYU, UCSF, Loyola University and two African countries (Ghana and Nigeria). We will enroll 100 trainees in 4 cohorts of 25 trainees (12-13 from each country) in either a Health Services Research (HSR) track or a Patient-Oriented Research (POR) track. Trainees in the HSR track will be chosen from candidates with a background in public health (nurses, pharmacists, etc.), while those in the POR track will be chosen from a pool of physicians enrolled in postgraduate residency programs. The unifying theme of both tracks is trainees’ common interest in stroke and CVD. The long-term goal is to develop a sustainable network of trainees with expertise in HSR and POR, who are poised to assume leadership roles in academia in SSA.
José E. Rodríguez, MD
STFM PROJECT
Sponsor: Society of Teachers of Family
Dates: 03/01/2019 - 09/30/2023
Project Description: Instruction/Education
Christy A. Porucznik, PhD, MSPH
EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES AND CHILD TRAJECTORIES: GROWTH AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) UH3
Dates: 09/21/2016 - 08/31/2023
Project Description: The research team will re-enroll members of two previous birth cohorts with existing biospecimens and information about environmental exposures during peri-conception and early pregnancy, which they will use to evaluate innovative approaches to assess exposures at the earliest critical windows of human development, including the microbiome. They will also collect additional data for early life exposures and health outcomes, with a focus on growth, obesity, respiratory health, and asthma.
Susan Saffel-Shrier, MS, RD
Advancing Health Equity Among Congregate Meal Program Participants through Utilizing Appropriate Malnutrition, Frailty and Social Determinants of Health Screenings, Assessments, and Interventions
Sponsor: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) / Administration for Community Living
Dates: 08/01/2022 - 07/31/2027
Project Description: The goal of this innovative project is to elucidate effective screenings, assessments and interventions for malnutrition and physical frailty through quantifying the intersection with the SDoH. Currently, there are numerous malnutrition screening and assessment tools available but there is a significant void of validated tools for community-living older adults. In addition, a frailty component is rarely included. The utilization of a combined malnutrition and frailty screening along with a SDoH-based assessment and intervention at multiple SNP-CM sites will provide a model to assess effective treatment and outcomes.
Karen C. Schliep, PhD, MSPH
HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY AND SUBSEQUENT RISK OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, OR RELATED DEMENTIA: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT MID-LIFE MEDIATING FACTORS
Sponsor: NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA) K01
Dates: 09/01/2020 - 04/30/2025
Project Description: Women have a two-fold higher lifetime risk for Alzheimer Disease (AD), vascular dementia, and related dementias (RD) compared to men. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, eclampsia, and gestational hypertension, may contribute to sex differences in ADRD, with midlife experiences such as depression influencing the magnitude of risk. We propose to 1) create a model that can identify AD and related dementias in a large health administrative database; and 2) test the link (and mediating factors) between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and ADRD, which will serve as the first step towards creating women’s tailored intervention that can mitigate ADRD risk for women.
Kimberley Shoaf, MPH, DrPH
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING CENTER
Sponsor: University of Colorado at Denver
Dates: 07/01/2022 - 06/30/2023
Project Description: Public Health workforce development
Joseph B. Stanford, MD, MSPH
EARLY LIFE EXPOSURES AND CHILD TRAJECTORIES: GROWTH AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH (ECHO)
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)
Dates: 09/01/2018 - 08/31/2023
Project Description: This study will re-enroll members of two previous birth cohorts with existing biospecimens and information about environmental exposures during peri-conception and early pregnancy, which will be used to evaluate innovative approaches to assess exposures at the earliest critical windows of human development, including the microbiome. Researchers will also collect additional data for early life exposures and health outcomes, with a focus on growth, obesity, respiratory health, and asthma.
A COMPARISON OF TWO DIFFERENT ROUTES OF ADMINISTRATION OF PROGESTERONE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF PREGNANCY IN WOMEN TO HAVE TAKEN MIFEPRISTONE IN EARLY PREGNANCY
Sponsor: Watson Bowes Research Institute
Dates: 01/2020 - 06/2023
Project Description: The major aim of this study is to conduct a pragmatic randomized controlled, single-blinded trail of oral vs vaginally administered human-identical progesterone to increase the probably of ongoing pregnancy in women who have taken mifepristone within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. We hypothesize that oral administration of progesterone will be more effective than vaginal administration of progesterone for ongoing pregnancy rates.
Sharon L. Talboys, PhD, MPH
NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS COVID-19 HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG POPULATIONS AT HIGH-RISK AND UNDERSERVED, INCLUDING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY POPULATIONS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES
Sponsor: Utah Department of Health (UDOH) / Centers for Disease Prevention and Control
Dates: 06/01/2021 - 05/31/2023
Project Description: The research team will participate in the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities, acting as a sub-contractor to the Utah Department of Health. Researchers and staff participating in the grant will provide technical assistance to Utah’s health departments and community partners in reducing health disparities among high-risk and underserved communities. They will assist in improving data collection and leveraging data linkages, evaluating the effectiveness of COVID-19 efforts in reaching underserved communities and supporting public health systems and the healthcare workforce. The grant also supports internships and field placements for Public Health graduate students and AHEC scholars.
Matthew S. Thiese, PhD, MSPH
CDC COVID
Sponsor: CDC/NIOSH/DFSE
Dates: 08/2020 - 07/2023
Project Description: Extension is to continue providing occupational safety and health technical assistance, addressing the work-related risk of exposure to COVID-19. This includes the Employer Testing of COVID-19 History (ETCH) study, finalizing the survey, creating presentations for TWU sector, and conduct a research study for assessment of vaccine hesitancy across all groups in the TWU sector.
James Vanderslice, PhD
THE INFLUENCE OF MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES ON SUICIDE RISK
Sponsor: NIH/NIEHS
Dates: 05/2021 - 04/2026
Project Description: The major goal of this project is to determine the independent, additive, and synergistic effects of ambient air pollution and weather exposures on suicide risk in the context of individual-level characteristics and genotype.
Carl Whittaker, MD
MATERNAL HEALTH CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED IN RURAL AND URBAN UTAH
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Dates: 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2026
Project Description: This project is designed to allow the Family Medicine Residency program greater resources for preparing their residents via education such as UDOH Title V opioid training, and instruction on telehealth and care delivery. Additionally, residents will have expanded rotations opportunities in rural Utah facilities. The grant will also fund two additional HRSA fellows, increasing the total number of fellows in the program to four.
Eric Wood, MD, MPH
CDC COVID
Sponsor: CDC/NIOSH/DFSE
Dates: 08/2022 - 07/2023
Project Description: Extension is to continue providing occupational safety and health technical assistance, addressing the work-related risk of exposure to COVID-19. This includes the Employer Testing of COVID-19 History (ETCH) study, finalizing the survey, creating presentations for TWU sector, and conduct a research study for assessment of vaccine hesitancy across all groups in the TWU sector.
Sarang Yoon, DO, MOH
RECOVER/PROTECT: COVID-19: HWC TESTING
Sponsor: ABT Associates (CDC)
Dates: 05/01/2020 – 07/31/2023
Project Description: This project is designed to observe testing, exposure, and trends in COVID-19 in pediatric cases.
RAIVEN: LABORATORY-CONFIRMED INFLUENZA AMONG ADULTS AGED 18-64 YEARS
Sponsor: Westat Inc. (Prime: Center for Disease Control)
Dates: 06/01/2022 – 08/31/2024
Project Description: A pilot study to assess enrollment strategies, infection surveillance and sample.