Researchers in this area are focused on exploring the synergy of clinical trials and precision health to advance personalized medicine and optimize healthcare outcomes. Areas within this category include oncology (e.g. immunotherapy, genetics), neurology (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive impairment, dementia), and cardiology (e.g. hypertensive diseases, ischemic heart diseases).
Edwin Aroke, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Epigenomic and Gene Expression Signatures of Racial Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain
NIH/NIAMS R079178
The purpose of this study is to compare DNA methylation patterns in 100 people with chronic lower back pain. We will also determine whether differential DNA methylation correlates with differential gene expression in our study participants.
Epigenomic and Gene Expression Signatures of Racial Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain
3R01AR079178-04S1
This project will foster a better understanding of the relative influences psychological, social, and epigenomic factors have on chronic lower back pain and will also give insight into the mechanism the drives racial disparities in chronic lower back pain. The proposed project is in response to NIAMS RFA-AR-20-001, Mechanistic Ancillary Studies to Ongoing Clinical Projects. This work lays the foundation for a long-term program of research in developing targeted interventions to reduce chronic lower back pain disability and improve outcomes for racial minorities.
Marie Bakitas, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Improving Health Across the Lifespan (iHEAL) T32 Training Program (Contact MPI)
NIH/NINR/T32NR021681-01
This award is to establish the inaugural University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing T32 training program, Improving HEalth Across the Lifespan (iHEAL), which will be one of the first few Deep South nurse scientist training programs addressing comprehensive healthy living from a life-course lens. This program aims to cultivate the next generation of nurse scientists who can address a wide variety of health challenges through lenses of health disparities, social determinants of health, population and community health, prevention and health promotion, and systems and models of care. Through high-quality mentorship, experiential learning, and required coursework, pre- and postdoctoral trainees will acquire in-depth knowledge about transdisciplinary research, research ethics, professional development, and leadership skills.
A Community-Developed, Culturally-Based Palliative Care Tele-Consult Program for African American and White Rural Southern Elders with A Life-limiting Illness
NIH/NINR/NR017181
This study compares a robust, culturally-based Palliative Care Tele-consult program to usual hospital care to determine whether a culturally-based Palliative Care Tele-consult program leads to lower symptom burden (primary aim) and higher patient and caregiver quality of life, care satisfaction, and lower caregiver burden at Day 7 post-consultation, and lower resource use 30-days post-discharge (secondary aim) in hospitalized AA and W older adults with a life-limiting illness.
SWOG NCORP Research Base
NIH/NCI NCORP
The SWOG Cancer Research Network is a global, publicly-funded clinical trials network that designs and conducts trials to improve cancer treatment, prevention, and survivorship care. SWOG committee Co-Chairs are expected to work with the committee chair to provide strategic direction within their committees, contribute to the strategic planning of SWOG, and participate regularly in the management of the group. Committee specific activities include oversight and input regarding developing and ongoing protocols, mentoring investigators, trial monitoring, analysis and reporting or results, partnering with committee patient advocates, evaluating and incorporating diversity and disparities and leveraging SWOG resources.
Learn more about the SWOG Cancer Research NetworkOpens an external link.
Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Early Integrated Telehealth versus In-Person Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer (REACH PC)
PCORI/Mass. General Hospital
The purpose of this project is to serve as a recruitment site with target enrollment and retention of sixty (60) subjects at baseline and follow-up.
InSPIRe:CF (Integrating Specialist PC to Improve care and Reduce Suffering: CF): A Multi-Site Study
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation/Emory University/KAVAL20Q10
This phase III, multisite, randomized clinical trial, sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, compares care as usual by a CF clinic team, versus usual care plus palliative care by a palliative care specialist.
Introducing Palliative Care within the Treatment of End-Stage Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
PCORI (PLC-1609036174)
Comparative effectiveness of 2 possible palliative care (PC) models for patients with end-stage liver disease in improving quality of life (QoL) from baseline to 4 months as assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-HEP).
Peng Li, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Dr. Li's major research interests include design, management, conduct, analysis and interpretation of clinical trials, epidemiologic studies and evaluation research, with particular expertise in cluster-randomized trials. He has broad collaborative experience with researchers from multidiscipline including clinicians and biologists, involving in study design, power and sample size calculation, data management and analysis.
James Nicholas Odom, PhD
Scholarly Projects
A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Values Elicitation Experiences of Patients with an LVAD and their Family Caregivers
Signa/HPNA
Co-PI: Avery Bechthold
This convergent mixed methods dissertation study focuses on exploring facilitators and barriers to values discussions between patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), their family caregivers, and the healthcare team.
BMT-Care: Randomized Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for Caregivers of Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
R01CA282182/Massachusetts General Hospital
The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a multimodal psychosocial intervention for improving quality of life and reducing caregiving burden for caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Decision Support Training for Advanced Cancer Family Caregivers: The CASCADE Factorial Trial
NIH/NCI/R01CA262039
A priority focus in oncology and palliative care is preparing the 3.2 million US family caregivers of persons with cancer to effectively partner with patients in health-related decision making from diagnosis to the end of life, particularly in underserved settings. Over 70% of patients with cancer involve relatives, friends and partners in healthcare decisions, including choices about cancer treatments, surgery, transitions, location of care, accessing palliative and hospice care, and many others. Patients making healthcare decisions with unprepared family caregivers may experience inadequate family decision support leading to heightened distress and receipt of care inconsistent with their values and preferences, which may in turn increase distress for family caregivers.
Lay Coach-led Early Palliative Care for Underserved Advanced Cancer Caregivers
NIH/NCI/R37CA252868
The burden placed on family caregivers and the toll on their mental and physical health have never been greater and will continue to rise; by 2026 the number of individuals with cancer is expected to be over 20 million and in 2019, the number in their last year of life was over 600,000. Healthcare clinicians should be concerned with the health of family caregivers for their own sake, but also because these caregivers deliver over 80% of the home care to community-dwelling patients with advanced illness. It is thus imperative that interventions be developed that keep caregivers healthy and functioning, not only for their own sake, but also so they can provide the best care possible to patients with cancer.
Ellen Smith, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Cancer Control and Prevention T32 Training Program Competitive Renewal: Focus on Health Disparities
2T32CA047888: Institutional Research Training Grant
The overall objective of the T32 Training Grant is to develop scientific research capacity through training of pre- and post-doctoral scholars with interest in building careers in cancer prevention and control research and addressing associated health disparities.
Duloxetine to Prevent Oxaliplatin-Induced Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II to Phase III Study
NIH/NCI/R01CA235726
This randomized controlled trial will test a well- tolerated, widely available, non-opioid, preventive treatment for a debilitating chemotherapy side effect (oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN)) experienced by millions of cancer survivors, for which there is no good treatment.
ICE COMPRESS: Randomized Trial of Limb Cryocompression versus Continuous COMPRESSion versus Low Cyclic Compression for the Prevention of Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
SWOG S2205 – NCT#05642611
The main objective of this 3-arm randomized study is to test ccyrocompression to prevent taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with breast and GYN cancers.
International Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN) Assessment and Validation Study (CAVS)
UAB Intramural Funding
The purpose of this study is to test the psychometric properties of varied assessment approaches for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicy in diverse neuropathy types.
David Vance, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Evaluating Social Brain Health in HIV: An RDoC Based Approach
R01MH139613
Using a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach, this project aims to evaluate a hypothesis that social brain function is compromised in people with HIV (PWH), which can in turn lead to inefficient social functioning. This hypothesis was developed by synthesizing evidence across multiple lines of work, including our own. With well-validated paradigms and state of the art fMRI tools, we will examine neural circuits and performance related to two core Research Domain Criteria recommended social cognitive constructs: Perceiving social cues (i.e. facial expression, prosody) and understanding others. We will also examine the relationships between social cognition, neurocognition and social functioning in PWH. By systematically evaluating this hypothesis using an Research Domain Criteria based approach, the findings of this project could offer mechanistic knowledge about HIV-associated CNS complications, insights into the heterogeneity of neurocognitive impairments in PWH, and novel treatment targets for improving brain health and quality of life of PWH.
Executive Function Training to Reduce Cognitive Intra-Individual Variability in Adults with HIV
NIH/NIA/R21AG077957
Compare adults who receive Executive Functioning Training to those who do not to determine whether they improve in global cognitive ability (i.e., clinical ratings & HAND diagnoses) and overall cognitive IIV
Rachel Wells, PhD
Scholarly Projects
Optimizing an Early Palliative Care Intervention for Advanced Heart Failure Patients
NIH/R00NR01984
The overall R00 goals are to gain advanced research training in developing behavioral interventions, conducting randomized controlled trials using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), and advanced research ethics to refine and pilot test components of a lay navigator-led early palliative care intervention for underserved persons with advanced heart failure in the Southern U.S. The goal of the UPHOLDS intervention (Utilizing Palliative Care for Heart Failure Optimized using Lay Navigators to Decrease Suffering), will be to improve quality of life (QOL) by activating advanced heart failure patients through trained lay navigators coaching.
ADAPT HF (Addressing pain through A navigator-led Palliative care optimized for Heart Failure)
Alex and Rita Hillman Foundation
Co-PI: Shena Gazaway, PhD
Over 80% of the 6.2 million U.S. adults with heart failure (HF) report frequent pain with nearly 75% indicating that pain interferes with their daily living; yet pain is often unaddressed. The goals of this study are two-fold: 1) to develop and refine community-based, navigator-nurse led palliative care pain intervention components to address pain disparities in older Black adults with heart failure and 2) to determine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the refined intervention components. These findings will directly inform a fully-powered optimization trial leading to an optimized palliative care pain intervention to improve pain outcomes for older Black adults with heart failure.
Learn more about ICAR Pilot Funding ProgramOpens an external link.