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Collaborations of the Heart:Cardiology Research
Research
| Four-School Project Seeks Answers to Health Disparity in Vascular Disease |
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Answering a simple question is not always so easy, however, and in Dr. Kent’s case, it will take the expertise of researchers from all fours schools at the medical center. A new grant for a four-school pilot project is now allowing a broad collaboration to uncover the reasons behind the disparity.
“In research today, it is impossible for one person to have all the skills and expertise necessary to fully investigate such a broad question,” Dr. Kent says. “The most successful researchers are those who develop robust collaborations with a wide range of investigators who offer complementary perspectives and knowledge.”
It is these types of collaborations that the four-school pilot project initiative was designed to encourage. And though only one project could be funded, some of the other 13 applicants, having come together to conceive new projects, are continuing with research that they might otherwise not have embarked upon.
“The goal of the program is to improve interactions among the four schools and also encourage new groups to apply for NIH funding, and so far we’re happy with the results,” says Marian Carlson, Ph.D., vice dean for research. “We did not expect to find so many collaborations involving all four schools, but we had many very strong proposals.”
Several factors may contribute to the greater impact of peripheral vascular disease on Hispanics, such as genetics, poor access to care, or a cultural perception that even a drastic outcome like amputation, though unwanted, may be unavoidable. Gum disease may also play a role. Hispanics may suffer more from peripheral vascular disease because they have a higher incidence of periodontal disease, a known contributor to vascular disease in the heart.
“We need the perspectives of researchers in all four schools to understand why these differences exist and ultimately to design effective interventions,” Dr. Kent says.
With funds from the four-school initiative – up to $300,000 over two years – Dr. Kent’s team will study whether the disparity found in two state medical databases also exists in the more comprehensive and nationwide Medicaid database. If the disparity is actually there, the team plans to use these findings to apply for an NIH grant to conduct a prospective study to determine which factors are most responsible for these differences.
Other four-school pilot project applicants have either received funding from elsewhere or are continuing to look for funding opportunities.
Marianthi Markatou, Ph.D., professor of clinical biostatistics in Mailman, and her collaborators, for example, recently received funding to create statistical methods needed to answer fundamental questions in medicine, nursing, dentistry or public health, such as rapidly identifying patients who respond to treatment for hepatitis C and extracting useful information from large datasets.
Another group, led by Wendy Chung, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, is beginning to conduct studies on cleft palate etiology, while applying for Clinical and Translational Science Award funding.
The four-school pilot project initiative is made possible by the David A Gardner New Initiatives Fund, created by CUMC Board of Visitors member Lynn Shostack in memory of her husband. The fund also supports the Dean’s Pilot Project Grant at P&S, which promotes collaboration between clinical and basic science researchers. Alice Prince, M.D., professor of pediatrics, is the PI of a group studying bacterial pneumonia with funding provided by the first Dean’s Pilot Project Grant.
Other Members of the Team
Panos N. Papapanou, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of dentistry, director of Division of Periodontics; Giampaolo Greco, Ph.D., senior staff associate in surgery; Ryan Demmer, postdoctoral research scientist in epidemiology; Natalia Egorova, Ph. D., project manager in surgery; Moise Desvarieux, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of clinical epidemiology; Nancy Reame, Ph.D., Mary Dickey Lindsay Professor of Nursing; Bernadette Boden-Albala, DrPH, assistant professor of sociomedical sciences in neurology; Jeannine K. Giacovelli, M.D., postdoctoral research fellow in surgery; James F. McKinsey, M.D., associate professor of clinical surgery; Nicholas J. Morrissey, M.D., assistant professor of surgery; Maya Salameh, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine; Annetine Gelijns, Ph.D., professor of surgical science (in surgery) and health policy & management; Alan Moskowitz, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine and clinical health policy & management (in surgery).
—Susan Conova
