Dear Colleagues:

Excellence and innovation in public health research is central to the mission of our School. To advance this mission, SPH faculty members require resources to support the development of competitive grant applications across a broad range of topics.

We are delighted to report that in Fall 2016, we awarded $185,355 in support of seven new pilot projects at SPH. These awards were made possible in part by philanthropic support from several corporate contributors as well as individual benefactors who have invested in public health innovation at SPH over the past year.

Three new Early Career Catalyst Awards will support pilot projects from junior faculty as they launch their independent research careers, two new Established Investigator Innovation Awards will support pilot projects from more senior investigators, and two new Robert F. Meenan Awards for Innovation in the Application of Big Data will support projects utilizing the data available via the SPH Optum Labs Research Collaboration. Here is the list of the seven pilot awards funded in Fall 2016:

Early Career Catalyst Awards:

  • Birgit Claus Henn, Characterizing Children’s Exposure to Drinking Water Contaminants: Methods Development for Exposure
  • Keith McInnes, Improving Diabetes Self-Management among Homeless Persons: A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Technology-Enhanced Coaching
  • Craig Ross, VBRANDS: Public Health Surveillance of Adult and Youth Usage of Brand-Specific Vaping Devices and Materials

Established Investigator Innovation Awards:

  • Tom Webster, Exposure of Nail Salon Workers to Reproductive Toxic Chemicals
  • Ziming Xuan, The Impact of State Anti-bullying Policies on Youth Suicidal Behaviors: A Pilot Policy Coding and Analysis Project

Robert F. Meenan Awards for Innovation in the Application of Big Data:

  • Martha Werler, In Utero CNS-Active Medication Exposure and Neonatal Outcomes
  • Madeleine Scammell, Incidence Rates and Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease of Non-Traditional Etiology

We’d like to thank the Research Committee for their effort reviewing the large pool of excellent applications. Please note that the next deadline for pilot applications is March 1, 2017.

This impressive portfolio of new projects represents an important step toward strengthening our research portfolio at SPH. Please join us in congratulating the new awardees.

Warm regards,

Michael McClean, ScD
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Advancement
mmcclean@bu.edu

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