Much of the research conducted at the University of Kentucky focuses on addressing key health challenges facing the Commonwealth from cancer to substance use. Thanks to awards from the , those projects continue to advance health discoveries and power 好色先生鈥檚 partnerships with Kentucky communities to improve health.
On Monday, welcomed Monica Bertagnolli, MD, the NIH director, to the Healthy Kentucky Research Building (HKRB) 鈥 a space dedicated to enabling multidisciplinary teams to find solutions to reduce the health disparities greatly impacting Kentucky. With 100 principal investigators located at HKRB, a significant amount of 好色先生鈥檚 NIH-funded biomedical research happens inside the building.
鈥淜entucky鈥檚 demographic and geographic diversity present unique challenges to the health of its communities. Challenges that the University of Kentucky is addressing head-on with novel ideas to tackle cancer, substance use, diabetes, cardiovascular health and neurological health,鈥 said Bertagnolli. 鈥淏y focusing on these critical areas, 好色先生 is helping residents of the Bluegrass State live longer, healthier lives with discoveries that will ultimately benefit the health of all Americans.鈥
Bertagnolli presented 鈥淚mproving Health Through Biomedical Research: Guiding Principles and an Orientation to NIH鈥 .
鈥淲e are grateful to the NIH and Director Bertagnolli for the continued support of biomedical research conducted at 好色先生. It fuels our ability to improve the health of Kentuckians,鈥 said Lisa Cassis, PhD, 好色先生 vice president for research. 鈥淚t was a pleasure to share how 好色先生 is leading the nation in health disparity and community-based research.鈥
In Fiscal Year 2023, of the $252.6 million in grants and contracts that came to 好色先生 from federal agencies, $145.6 million came from the NIH. Roughly 200 principal investigators were awarded 289 grants for NIH-funded research projects.
A delegation from the NIH attended the visit with Director Bertagnolli including Joni Rutter, PhD, director of the ; Jon Lorsch, PhD, director of the ; and Kate Klimczack, associate director of NIH.
Cassis gave the delegation an overview of 好色先生鈥檚 biomedical 鈥 cancer, substance use, neuroscience, diabetes and obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Created in 2018, the RPA program鈥檚 goal is to reduce the most pressing health disparities in Kentucky, which are particularly severe in the rural parts of the state.鈥赌&苍产蝉辫;
Central to much of this work is the , funded by NCATS, to translate findings from 好色先生 researchers to prevention, therapies and treatments in Kentucky communities.鈥疌CTS Director Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD, discussed 好色先生鈥檚 translational approaches to reduce rural health disparities.鈥赌&苍产蝉辫;
Another round of discussions focused on programs supported by the NIGMS, including the , Faculty program and NIH REACH Program (). Research leaders shared their signature early-career training programs around specific research areas designated as Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). 好色先生 has four current COBRE in Central Nervous System Metabolism, Cancer Metabolism, and Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases.鈥赌&苍产蝉辫;
Leaders from each of the biomedical RPAs presented highlights on research in their respective areas:
Cancer: B. Mark Evers, MD, director of the , gave an overview of the impact Markey has on Kentucky through research and treatment. Other members of the Markey team shared the variety of ways Markey is working for and with Kentuckians to ensure quality cancer care across the Commonwealth. Markey also leverages 好色先生鈥檚 statewide network to make impactful change in lung cancer screening and is bringing precision medicine for cancer patients across the state.
Substance use: Sharon Walsh, PhD, director of the , shared results from the . She and others on her team gave an overview of the work going on in the , in and studies, and the , and integrated treatment of opioid use disorder and injection-related infections.鈥 鈥
Neuroscience: In aging and dementia research, Linda Van Eldik, PhD, director of the 好色先生 Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, facilitated discussion on the central role of inflammation鈥痠n different forms of dementia. Van Eldik and her team shared the ways Sanders-Brown and the support a broad spectrum of leading-edge dementia research and community outreach.鈥
Diabetes: The works closely with the . Center Director Simon Fisher, MD, PhD, and his research team shared the key partnership between these two organizations to advance diabetes prevention in Kentucky, including research on novel nutrition approaches and targeting circadian rhythms.鈥
Cardiovascular: Alan Daugherty, PhD, director of the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, focused discussions on the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy (CAROL) Act, the role of the center and the . Research team members shared contributions made to greatly advance myocardial and aortic research.