Earlier this year, both Schools of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, announced their partnership in committing $10,000 to support joint grant submissions, publications, community-engaged projects, contracts, professional presentations and training sessions. Today, both Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci in Reno and Dean Shawn Gerstenberger in Las Vegas selected the following projects to receive $5,000 each:
- A Mixed Methods Pilot Investigation of Cannabis Perceptions and Behaviors among Older Adults with Health Conditions in Nevada using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Tim Grigsby Ph.D. and Jennifer Carson Ph.D.
- Bridging the Gap: A Housing-Based Assessment Tool for Global Health Disparities, Erika Marquez Ph.D., MPH and Joshua Garn Ph.D., M.S..
Co-primary investigators Tim Grigsby, assistant professor of social and behavioral health in Las Vegas and Jennifer Carson, clinical associate professor and director of the Dementia Engagement, Education and Research Program in Reno, have proposed to work on a pilot investigation of cannabis perceptions and behaviors among older adults with health conditions in Nevada. They believe the successful completion of this project will not only yield valuable insights into a critical and underexplored area of study but also position this multi-university team as leaders in this burgeoning field. Further, this exploratory study holds significant potential to catalyze career development for junior faculty members across both of the state’s R1 universities. The data generated from this pilot project will provide strong preliminary data for a future National Institutes of Health (NIH) exploratory (R21) or longitudinal (R01) funded project.
Erika Marquez, a mixed-methods researcher with Las Vegas and Joshua Garn, epidemiology associate professor in Reno, have proposed a study aim to develop an integrated housing-based assessment tool that explores the prevalence and clustering of environmental conditions in Pampanga, Philippines, to inform local policies, practices and programs. As the built environment where we live, work, play and worship is vital to shaping global health outcomes, this team will characterize environmental risk factors of concern and assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting larger household-based intervention trials in Pampanga, Philippines. The primary outcomes of this proposal will be at least two publications from the proposed research and the submission of at least one NIH application or equivalent within a year of collecting the pilot data.
In a shared statement, Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci of the School of Public Health in Reno and Dean Shawn Gerstenberger of the School of Public Health in Las Vegas express their excitement for this partnership:
"We have faculty engaging in research that provides vital information on risk factors, disease trends and overall health disparities. As only schools accredited in Nevada by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), we consider it our duty to invest in the future of not only Nevadans, but communities around the globe. We are proud to be supporting research that will impact the health and livelihood of generations to come."
In the spirit of collaboration, both of the state universities have been working together unprecedentedly to ensure we are prepared when the next public health crisis happens. To learn more about the work being done at both institutions, we encourage you to visit the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno website and the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas website.
