2023 Funded Projects
A kidney-on-a-chip for investigating glomerular filtration barrier functions
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The glomerulus plays a crucial role in kidney function by filtering blood through the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). The GFB is composed of two types of cells: fenestrated glomerular endothelial cells and visceral epithelial ...
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Addressing a GAP in MENOpausal Latinas’ Healthcare: Adapting MENOGAP for Community Health Worker Delivery in Hispanic/Latinx Communities
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Approximately 128M Hispanic/Latinx people will reside in the United States (US) by 2050 and Latinas will represent 25% of the total female population.1 Research on disparities in healthcare access identifies Hispanics/Latinx as on ...
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An Inexpensive Point-of-Care Sensor for Monitoring Blood Acetaldehyde Concentration with Application to Alcohol Metabolism and Cancer Risk
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Elevated blood acetaldehyde concentrations are damaging to body organs and increase cancer risk. Smoking substantially increases blood acetaldehyde levels, as does alcohol consumption by individuals lacking the enzyme acetaldehyd ...
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Collaboration led by Medical and Business Schools to create, fund, and sustain student-led clinics benefitting Utah’s underserved populations
Funded in 2023 for $30K
We propose a collaboration between multiple schools of the University of Utah to create, fund, and sustain five Student-led Clinics, as part of the Medical School’s new MD Program (mission-driven medical doctor program). Through ...
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Creating sustainable pathways for Utah Native Americans toward health careers
Funded in 2023 for $30K
We propose a partnership between the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC), the Honors College (HC), and School of Medicine (SOM) to build a sustainable pathway program for Utah American Indian students to study at the U. This ne ...
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Development of a Science-Theater collaborative platform
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Science and technology have transformed our lives and will disrupt and reshape jobs within our community. Yet, from genetic modifications to quantum computing, science remains enigmatic to the public. In recognition of this proble ...
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Emerging Perovskite Dosimetry for In-Situ and High-Dose Radiotherapy
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Robust radiation detectors are essential in state-of-the-art radiotherapy and cancer treatment. This project exploits an innovative perovskite detector that meets the stringent requirements for such dosimeters. Our interdisciplina ...
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Fostering mental and physical health among LGBTQ+ Mormons and their families
Funded in 2023 for $30K
One of the 4 strategic missions of the University of Utah is to partner with local communities to address critical mental/physical health needs. Our project will serve this aim by identifying evidence-based strategies for fosteri ...
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Fostering Retention, Growth, and Belonging: A Case for Underrepresented Faculty and Students
Funded in 2023 for $30K
This project aims to foster retention, growth, and belonging to underrepresented faculty and students through two complementary components. The first addresses biopsychosocial factors and the second centers on developing learning ...
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Identifying Environmental Predictors of Child Maltreatment
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The proposed work is inspired by previous research that identified social factors (primarily poverty and criminal behavior) that predict child maltreatment as measured by referrals to child protective services. This is a hypothesi ...
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Implementation Strategies to Improve the Availability and Prophylactic Use of Oxytocin by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers for Pre-Hospital Births
Funded in 2023 for $15K
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a life-threatening condition accounting for 12% of all maternal deaths in the US. The World Health Organization and all American medical associations and colleges recommend that a uterotonic (e.g. ox ...
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Investigating Actinium-225 Radiochemistry: A Step Towards Next-Generation Radiotherapy
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) highlighted potential applications of Actinium-225 (225Ac) in treating prostate cancer in 2018, opening a new era of alpha emitter-based targeted therapy. Alpha particle emitter, 225Ac has high ...
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Investigating Gender Bias in the Trauma Bay: A Study of Team Responses and Patient Outcomes
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Each year, over 2,000 critically injured patients receive specialized care at the U's Trauma Surgery Center. The prompt and effective collaboration of a team of specialists is essential in delivering quality care and minimizing th ...
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Investigation of Polymer Functional Groups and Their Impact on Sperm Viability
Funded in 2023 for $30K
We have observed that the viability of sperm decreases depending on the polymer materials used in assisted reproductive technologies. We have done some preliminary studies and have determined that sperm can be negatively impacted ...
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Let’s talk about (prenatal) sex (chromosomes): Understanding opportunities for gender inclusive health care provision and parent education
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The purpose of this project is to understand the current landscape of disclosure of Non-Invasive Pregnancy Testing (NIPT) results from the provider, patient, and stakeholder perspective and to generate ideas for an intervention to ...
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Medical and Pharmacy Student Perceptions of a “First-Year-Free” Tuition Model.
Funded in 2023 for $30K
This study serves as the first phase (qualitative phase) of an exploratory sequential mixed method study to understand impacts of student debt on patient safety, and academic and labor force burnout. Current levels of student debt ...
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Nanobubbles for disinfection of nosocomial pathogens
Funded in 2023 for $30K
This exploratory project investigates the applications of nanobubble technology in healthcare. We aim to collect supporting data for extramural proposals to NSF, NIH and DoD in disinfection/decay of opportunistic and multi-drug re ...
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Native Research Methods: Creating Cross-Campus Pathways for Ethical Research with Native Communities
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Building from Native Research Methods, this proposal seeks to catalyze and lay the groundwork for ongoing structures of support for ethical and reciprocal research with Native peoples and communities across campus. This proposal a ...
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Organ Donor Appreciation Project: giving, hope and gratitude through design.
Funded in 2023 for $15K
The Organ Donor Appreciation Project brings together the UHealth Transplant Centre with the division of Multi-disciplinary Design (MDD) to design, promote and ultimately deliver an interactive organ donor installation within the T ...
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Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy and Preventing Cancer Through Adaptive Learning Artificial Intelligence and Refinement of Reminder Interventions and Campaigns
Funded in 2023 for $15K
HPV is common (>80% of people), responsible for 36,000 cancer diagnoses each year in the U.S., and largely preventable. Vaccine hesitancy is a barrier to immunization and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated ...
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Paso a Paso: Building a culturally tailored diabetes prevention intervention with, and for, the Latinx Community
Funded in 2023 for $30K
One in 5 people living in Salt Lake County are Hispanic/Latino (H/L) and, based on their ethnicity, are at heightened risk for type 2 diabetes when compared to the non-Hispanic white population. While evidence-based interventions ...
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Surgery in the Pyrocene: Examining the Risk of Wildfire Smoke to Perioperative Patient Populations in the Mountain West
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Across the Western U.S., the number of large wildfires has been steadily increasing since the early 1980s leading to degraded air quality. Wildfire smoke is known to worsen cardiopulmonary and neurovascular outcomes, however its i ...
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Testing of an indoor climbing program to promote physical, mental and social well-being for college students
Funded in 2023 for $30K
College-aged individuals establish lifestyle and health behaviors that are important for mental and physical health in the life course. Physical activity positively influences body awareness as well as overall well-being among col ...
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The pathogenic potential of Great Salt Lake dust
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The Great Salt Lake (GSL) is rapidly shrinking, exposing a vast lake bed and emitting dust that affects the air quality for the 1.3 million people in the Salt Lake Valley (SLV) with a disproportionate impact on underserved commun ...
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Training Perceptual Expertise in Radiologists
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Visual search is a ubiquitous task (e.g., find the < key on your keyboard) that can have dire consequences for missed targets in a variety of different fields (e.g., cancer in radiographs). Despite improvements in training and ...
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Transformation Tools: interdisciplinary resources to guide DEI learning in professional and academic communities
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Dialogue around diversity equity and inclusion can be sensitive and lead to divisiveness; yet avoiding these conversations impedes trust, growth, and innovation. While the University supports these values, it is difficult to tran ...
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Understand and predict the severe drought events in the western United States and their influence on water resources and human health.
Funded in 2023 for $30K
The western United States has experienced drought in recent years. In 2022, drought conditions were most severe in the States of California, Texas, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. As reported in July 2022, more than 32 ...
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Using Virtual-Reality to Assess Sensory Integration for Navigation and Balance Control in People with Chronic Symptoms after Concussion
Funded in 2023 for $30K
Rehabilitation for people with persisting symptoms of imbalance and dizziness after concussion focuses on improving one’s ability to integrate sensory signals for balance control. However, daily life also requires a cognitive ap ...
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Utah’s Medicaid Expansion and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Funded in 2023 for $30K
During the 2018 midterm elections, Utah voters approved full Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act for individuals with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Utah legislators then applied to the federal ...
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