ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University's College of Osteopathic Medicine has received nearly $860,000 in grant funding to support its scientific research and health-care outreach in Southeastern Ohio.
The two largest of these grants -- $441,104 from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and $346,000 from the National Science Foundation -- will provide funding for research. A $59,881 grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will support breast cancer screenings throughout a 10-county area.
The OHF award comes from the Columbus office of the foundation and will fund a director of research position for the Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education system. The director of research will enhance and monitor research efforts among CORE students, resident physicians and faculty. The college's CORE system is a statewide medical consortium of 12 hospitals that support osteopathic medical education and training through graduate rotations, clerkships, internships and residency programs.
"I am very grateful to the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, President Rick Vincent and Director of Programs Terri Donlin for their continued support of OU-COM and the CORE," said OU-COM Dean Jack
Brose, D.O.
Previously the foundation awarded the college more than $1.7 million in grants to fund the James O. Watson, D.O., research chair, which will focus on diabetes and heart disease research, and the Osteopathic Heritage Health Policy Fellowship Program, which trains osteopathic physicians and allied health professionals on local, state and national health-care policy issues.
The NSF grant will fund a three-year study of neuropeptides in insects by Frank Horodyski, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences. Horodyski uses insect models as a basis for research on neuropeptides in humans. The grant will fund the study of a specific peptide, allatotrophin, which is important in controlling development and metamorphosis in insects. Neuropeptides also control a range of critical physiological functions in human beings.
"A major goal of the college is to increase the number of research grants at OU-COM, particularly from major organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the NSF," said Brose.
"A medical school's research program is often judged by its success in obtaining grants from organizations such as these."
The $59,881 grant from the Komen Foundation's Columbus chapter will fund outreach efforts by the college's Community Service Programs. These funds will allow CSP to continue its breast cancer-screening program as a part of the Healthy Adult Project in Southeastern Ohio. This year's grant is double that of last year's.
"This grant is very important to the program because it helps us to provide the services of a nurse and a nurse practitioner," said Kathy Trace, OU-COM director of community and clinical services. "The increase in the amount of the grant is great news for women in Southeastern Ohio."
Also supporting the college's community outreach efforts was a $10,883 grant from the Area Agency on Aging for Health Screenings.
