Five faculty investigators will be conducting health research at this year's Minnesota State Fair, thanks to grants from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). CTSI awarded a combined $29,908 to U of M researchers through its new Driven to Discover Community Health and Research Grants Program, which supports pilot research and evaluation projects that address health issues facing Minnesotans.
Grant recipients will enroll and collect data from State Fair attendees at the U of M's new Driven to Discover building. This dedicated research facility, a joint effort of the Office of the Vice President for Research, the School of Public Health, and the Medical School, offers university and community researchers access to approximately 1.7 million potential participants each year, and will be a unique resource for carrying out population-based research.
The grants program is managed by the Office of Community Engagement for Health, a CTSI function focused on building relationships with communities to conduct, disseminate, and apply health research.
Congratulations to the inaugural awardees:
Sarah Beehler, PhD, Department of Biobehavioral Health & Population Sciences (Duluth), in partnership with the Medical School Department of Psychiatry and the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center
Project Title: Assessing Supportive Resources of Veterans and Their Families in Greater Minnesota
Jayne Fulkerson, PhD, School of Nursing, in partnership with the Extension Center for Family Development
Project Title: Childhood Obesity Prevention in Rural Minnesota Communities
Traci Mann, PhD, Department of Psychology
Project Title: Self-Regulation of Eating in an Unstructured Eating Environment
Sarah Schellinger, Department of Speech Language and Hearing Science, in partnership with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance
Project Title: The Role of Education on Public Perceptions of Traumatic Brain Injury
Karl Self, MBA, DDS, School of Dentistry, in partnership with the Minnesota Dental Therapy Association
Project Title: Minnesotans' Awareness and Attitudes about Dental Therapists as a Function of Health Literacy and Caries Risk