The 43rd AOA Research Conference was held on October 24-28, 1999, in San Francisco in conjunction with the 104th AOA Convention & Scientific Seminar. The theme of this yearšs conference was immune disorders and infections of the 21st century. Four posters and one oral presentation were contributed to the conference by OU-COM.
As part of the AOA Osteopathic Research Fellowship presentations, Gavin Baumgardner, MS-IV and Family Medicine Primary Care Associate, described his project examining how to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for acute bronchitis and URIs in an ambulatory family practice resident clinic. This paper was co-authored by Jack Brose, D.O., and Dan Marazon, D.O.
Al Pheley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Director of Research Development, and Director of the Center for Appalachian and Rural Health Research, presented two posters at the meeting. The first, co-authored by Jack Brose, D.O., and Chris Simpson, D.O., explored the health status of rural patients seen in traditional and non-traditional service settings. The second poster presented data from the Ohio Appalachian region on food security and how hunger issues can impact on health status.
Jack Blazyk, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Associate Dean for Research, and Brooke Hallowell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences and Adjunct Associate Professor of Family Medicine, also presented two posters. The first showed that diabetes, which is prevalent in Southeast Ohio, appears to increase problems with cognition, hearing, and verbal communication. The second examined the health status, communicative ability, and quality of life in rural patients with diabetes.
On the final day of the conference, a session was devoted to the importance of research at osteopathic medical schools. Murray Goldstein, D.O., M.P.H., gave a thought-provoking commentary on why research has lagged behind at osteopathic institutions. He concluded that the lack of commitment to research by the leadership of both the AOA and medical schools was responsible in large measure for the problem. His presentation prompted much discussion among attendees. Follow-up talks on what it takes to succeed in research at osteopathic medical schools and how to foster more research collaborations rounded out the session. OU-COM has proposed a rural health coalition among osteopathic medical schools to create research partnerships in this area.
This past summer eleven second-year medical students participated in research projects with faculty mentors at OU-COM through the Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship program. This is a ten-week program that enhances hands-on research with weekly seminar topics related to research. The participants and their research topics included:
Poster displays of these projects are exhibited in Irvine Hall throughout the academic year. The call for faculty mentors will be circulated in January for the 2000 summer program. Descriptions of the research opportunities will be distributed to Phase I students in February and they can apply for one of the positions available by early March. For additional information, contact Judi Rioch, Program Director.
One important benefit of the CORE consortium is the potential for collaborative research projects that involves large numbers of patients from diverse regions in Ohio. In order to establish an infrastructure that fosters research in the system, the CORE Board established the CORE Research Committee (CRC).
The committee brings together knowledgeable researchers from the CORE system that represent all CORE hospitals. The chief executive officers of member hospitals and the CORE Assistant Deans made nominations to the committee. In addition, there are members from the Ohio University Psychology Department, as well as future members that will be named from the Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy. Current CRC members include:
The purpose of the CRC is to promote and facilitate the performance of research and serve as a liaison between and among the University, COMs, hospitals, disciplines, investigators, and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). To accomplish these goals, the committee has developed many programs for research in the CORE. Among these are:
New challenges now being addressed by the CRC include:
The CORE Research Committee is committed to developing high a quality research and research training program in the CORE system. Questions can be addressed to Jack Brose or Judi Rioch in the Office of Research.
OU-COM has joined with a major pharmaceutical company to bring another nationwide clinical drug trial to the Athens area. This study is for the treatment of bowel urgency in women with diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome Principal investigator for this trial is Jack Brose, D.O. Sub-investigators are John Wolf, D.O., Steve Carin, D.O., and Chris Simpson, D.O.
Enrollment has ended for the 12- week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy and tolerability study of a new medication. Subjects in this study enter daily information into a telephone data entry system instead of paper diaries. The data system notifies the investigator for follow-up when the subject misses a daily entry.
The primary venue of patient recruitment for this trial was advertising. Ads were placed through local newspapers and radio stations as well as a nationwide campaign in the USA Today daily news paper. Interest in the study from the community was very good. At least 30 telephone inquiries were received and screened. The initial inclusion/exclusion criteria were very strict. Three subjects failed lab screening, and one subject was a randomized failure. Currently, OU-COM has three active subjects in this study. The pharmaceutical company funds all tests, examinations, and medications.
The Brentwood Foundation sponsored program "Developing Researchers in the CORE" announces the agenda for the first four months of 2000. Each session includes a keynote address on the topic of interest, followed by a didactic presentation on basic research methodology.
This year-long series of programs is designed to provide information for students, interns, residents, and faculty who are interested in how to get involved in research, along with ideas for getting started. It also provides an excellent means to develop the skills necessary to become a critical user of the professional literature. A skill needed by all physicians practicing in todayšs ever-changing world of medicine.
All fully-interactive sessions are broadcast from the Athens campus via the distance learning system to each of the CORE hospitals. Programs are presented twice on each date (7:009:00 AM and 11:30 AM1:30 PM) to provide participants with schedule flexibility. Contact your distance learning coordinator for the location at your site. Session participants will receive 2 hours of AOA Category 2 CME credits.
PI: Zachary Comeaux, D.O.
Agency: AOA
Title: Proprioceptive reflexive extension of the somatic dysfunction model
Amount: $31,695
PI: Mario Grijalva, Ph.D.
Agency: American Heart Association
Title: Mechanisms responsible for differential cardiac pathology during experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice
Amount: $69,786
PI: Richard Klabunde, Ph.D.
Agency: American Heart Association
Title: Mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in septic shock
Amount: $88,252
PI: John Kopchick, Ph.D.
Agency: Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Title: Identification of genes involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy using a PCR-based cDNA subtraction approach
Amount: $267,465
PI: John Kopchick, Ph.D.
Agency: NIH
Title: Novel genetic models of delayed aging in mammals
Amount: $180,000
PI: William Romoser, Ph.D.
Agency: NIH
Title: Host competence factors affect arbovirus transmission
Amount: $61,381
PI: Larry Witmer, Ph.D.
Agency: NSF
Title: Anatomy, evolution, and functional significance of cephalic vasculature in archo-sauria, with special emphasis on birds, crocodilians, and dinosaurs
Amount: $9,980
by Al Pheley
Two funding opportunities sponsored by organizational units within the Ohio University system have upcoming deadlines. These avenues provide an excellent resource for both new and established investigators who are seeking small research project funding.
The Ohio University Research Committee (OURC) offers grants of up to $7,000 for one year. This funding can be used to as seed money for data collection that will support grant or larger project development, to conduct otherwise unfunded research, or supplement funded projects where costs have arisen that were not part of the original budget. Funding is competitive, and investigators are advised to follow the application instructions closely. Proposals are due February 2, 2000 with funding available in April. Additional information about the OURC grants, along with downloadable application forms, is available at the following website: http://www.ohiou.edu/research/ourc.htm
The 1804 Fund of the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees has established a submission date of April 15, 2000 for proposals to its most recent request for applications. Project requests will be accepted if they address undergraduate learning and/or faculty research and graduate studies. From a research perspective, projects should be designed to provide undergraduate students with a first-hand experience that bridges the gap between learning and application. Funding can be used to purchase special equipment required for the project or to hire personnel with skills that are unavailable elsewhere in the University. Potential for future funding, and the attractiveness of the program to students, are just two of the review criteria that are considered. Proposals are due on April 15, 2000 with funding available in July. However, preliminary discussions with the Vice-President for Research are required prior to March 15, at which time investigators will receive application forms and instructions. Additional information about 1804 Fund Awards can be found at: http://http://www.ohiou.edu/research/1804.html , or you can request a copy of the program brochure from the Office of Research.
If you have any questions about these or other funding programs, please call the Office or Research at 740-593-2336.
Contact Judi Rioch at 740-593-2336 or rioch@ohiou.edu for details
Provides support for research under the guidance of a faculty mentor
Deadline: February 18, 2000
Amount: $6,000
Research Project Grants (R01)
Research project grants are awarded to institutions on behalf of a principal investigator to facilitate pursuit of a scientific focus or objective in the area of the investigator's interest and competence. Institutional sponsorship assures the NIH that the institution will provide facilities necessary to accomplish the research and will be accountable for the grant funds. Applications are accepted for health-related research and development in all areas within the scope of NIH's mission.
Deadline: February 1, 2000
Award: December 1, 2000
Amount: Up to $500,000/year for up to 5 years
Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)
The Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) is designed to enhance the research environment of educational institutions that have not been traditional recipients of NIH research funds. This award provides limited funds for faculty members of these institutions to develop new research projects or expand ongoing research activities in areas related to the health sciences and to encourage students to participate in the research activity.
Deadline: January 25, 2000
Award: December 1, 2000
Amount: Up to $100,000/year for up to 3 years
Regular Grants: $5,000 - $50,000/year
Small Grants: Up to $5,000/year
Awarded to first-year medical students to conduct family medicine research in medical school, residency program, or family practice rural or urban office
Deadline: March 1, 2000
Amount: $2,500
