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Resources
- Research and Grant Opportunities
- AMA Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women
- American College Health Foundation (various awards)
- Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP)
- Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care
- Award for Innovation and Excellence in Clinical Education
- Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant
- ASAHP Interprofessional Innovation Grant Program
- ASAHP Student Scholarship of Excellence
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Grants.gov
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Pivot
- Texas Society for Advancement of Health Professions (TSAHP)
- American Academy of Physician Associates (various awards)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (various awards)
- American Counseling Association (various awards)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (various awards)
- Association of Audiology (various awards)
- Association on Higher Education & Disability
- National Society of Allied Health Faculty Development Award
COHP Research Council is one of the standing committees of the college, focusing on improving the research capacity of faculty and staff. The Council meets monthly.
- Vacant, Committee Chair
- Vacant, Secretary
- Dr. Kim Nguyen-Finn, School of Rehabilitation and Counseling (Faculty Profile: Dr. Kim Nguyen-Finn)
- Dr. Ruth Crutchfield, Sciences and Communication Disorders (Faculty Profile: Dr. Ruth Crutchfield)
- Dr. Upal Roy, Health & Biomedical Sciences (Faculty Profile: Dr. Upal Roy)
- Dr. Ivan Figueroa, Health & Human Performance (Faculty Profile: Dr. Ivan Figueroa)
- Dr. Wen-Pin Chang, Occupational Therapy (Faculty Profile: Dr. Wen-Pin Chang)
- Dr. Bassent Abdelbary, Physician Assistant (Faculty Profile: Dr. Bassent Abdelbary)
- Vacant, Integrated Health Science
- Vacant, Medical Laboratory Science
- Vacant, Nutrition & Dietetics
- Dr. Murat Karabulut, Ex-officio member
UTRGV Funding Opportunities
UTRGV-WIDE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Funded Research Projects
Project Title: The Impact of NF1 Mutation on Oligodendrocyte Development and Fine Motor Learning
Principal Investigator: Alejandro Lopez-Juarez
Department: BMED
Purpose: The brain white matter and its characteristic component, myelin, have emerged as key regulators of brain function, and their disruption may contribute to neurological conditions observed in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). This project uses myelin-focused mouse genetic models of NF1 to identify developmental and functional abnormalities in myelinating cells that may affect activity and learning. By identifying these mechanisms and critical developmental windows, the research aims to support the development of early preventive and therapeutic interventions for neurological issues associated with NF1.
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Award Amount and Period: $592,000; July 1, 2024 – May 31, 2028
Funding Source: Healthy Americas Foundation
Dates: May 2024 – October 2024
Total Award Amount: $10,000
Project Title: Biological and Genetic Markers Associated with Chronic Disease in Hispanics Nationally and in States Neighboring the Border
CoHP PI: Bassent Abdelbary
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Physician Assistant Training in Primary Care
CoHP PI: Frank Ambriz
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: July 2021 – June 2026
Total Award Amount: $1.03 million
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Mental Health Awareness Training at a Hispanic-Serving Institution
CoHP PI: Eluterio Blanco
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: December 2022 – December 2026
Total Award Amount: $250,000
Federal Agency Grant
CoHP PI: Sue Anne Chew
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: March 2020 – February 2025
Total Award Amount: $435,900
Project Title: Local Dual Delivery of Chemotherapy and an Anti-Angiogenic Agent from an Injectable Functionalized Biodegradable Biomaterial System for the Treatment of Gliomas
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
CoHP PI: Sue Anne Chew
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: August 2020 – July 2025
Total Award Amount: $732,842
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: GET PHIT: Gaining Equity in Training for Public Health Informatics and Technology
CoHP PI/Co-I(s): Tracia Forman (PI); Suad Ghaddar (Co-I)
Project Overview: The GET PHIT consortium, led by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health and School of Biomedical Informatics, in partnership with HBCUs, HSIs, other university partners, and state and local public health agencies across Texas, is focused on reducing health disparities and inequities by expanding the number of public health professionals trained in public health informatics and technology.
Funding Source: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: September 2021 – September 2025
Total Award Amount: UTRGV sub-award, $369,958
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students
CoHP PI: Daniela Gill
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: July 2020 – June 2025
Total Award Amount: $619,656
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Defining the Disease-Causing HRasG12V Mutation as a Link for Defective Myelin and Subnormal Learning
CoHP PI: Alejandro Lopez-Juarez
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: March 2022 – February 2025
Total Award Amount: $630,936
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Institutional Research Capacity Building and Infrastructure Model
CoHP PI: Ulku Karabulut
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (Langston University Subcontract)
Dates: October 2023 – September 2024
Total Award Amount: $25,000
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: Collaborative Research: Building Educational Theory Through Enacting Reforms in STEM
CoHP PI: Saraswathy Nair
Co-PI: Dr. Timothy Huber
Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Dates: September 2021 – August 2026
Total Award Amount: $2.99 million
Goals:
- Apply a promising theory of change to institutionalize the effective use of inclusive, research-based instructional strategies in STEM departments and undergraduate courses (i.e., Henderson, Beach, and Finkelstein's 2011 four categories of change strategies).
- Generate new knowledge about the ways in which a novel combination of change strategies enables STEM departments to institutionalize the use of inclusive, research-based instructional strategies in undergraduate STEM courses.
- Generate new knowledge about the institutional and departmental factors that support or constrain the effective use of inclusive, research-based instructional strategies in undergraduate STEM courses.
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: 2017 HHMI Inclusive Excellence
CoHP PI: Saraswathy Nair
Project Overview: The major goals of this project are to identify challenges minoritized students face and create an inclusive community to support undergraduate retention and success in STEM and biomedical careers. The HHMI Inclusive Excellence award provides mentoring and instructional facilitation to incoming BMED students during their first two years in the program. To support institutional change, the award also funds faculty development in inclusive, student-centered, and equitable pedagogy.
Funding Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dates: September 2017 – August 2024
Total Award Amount: $1.05 million
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: A Targeted Anti-HIV Drug Delivery to the GALT
CoHP PI: Upal Roy
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Dates: July 2020 – June 2026
Total Award Amount: $3.3 million
Federal Agency Grant
Project Title: MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN)
CoHP PI: Upal Roy
Funding Source: NASA
Dates: August 2023 – September 2024
Total Award Amount: $50,000
State Grant
Project Title: Virtual Reality Exercising vs. Traditional Exercise Training: A Comparative Study on Biochemical Salivary and Rate of Perceived Exertion Responses Among Young Males
CoHP PI/Co-I(s): Murat Karabulut
Project Overview: Approximately 25% of adults and 80% of adolescents worldwide are physically inactive (sedentary). The use of virtual reality (VR) technology in exercise has increased in recent years as a strategy to improve engagement and motivation among younger individuals. VR-based exercise may enhance participation and adherence to exercise programs by reducing perceived physical strain. This study compared (1) physiological and biochemical salivary responses and (2) participants' perceived exertion and satisfaction with exercise methods using virtual reality (VR) versus traditional resistance (TR) exercise.
Funding Source: Texas Society for Advancement of Health
Dates: September 2023 – August 2024
Total Award Amount: $1,500
State Grant
Project Title: Addiction Technology Transfer Center, HHS Region 6
CoHP PI: Fidencio Mercado
Funding Source: The University of Texas at Austin
Dates: September 2022 – September 2024
Total Award Amount: $50,000
State Grant
Project Title: South Texas Early Prevention Study
CoHP PI/Co-I(s): Zasha Romero
Funding Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Dates: October 2022 – March 2024
Total Award Amount: $781,348
State Grant
Project Title: Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed)
CoHP PI/Co-I(s): Zasha Romero
Funding Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Dates: October 2023 – September 2024
Total Award Amount: $781,348