Highlights and Achievements
2022 Pilot Project Program award recipient Joel Richter, PhD forges ahead with his research through a new partnership
Joel Richter, PhD, the Arthur F. Koskinas Chair in Neuroscience and professor of molecular medicine, received a PPP award for his project titled "Correction of Defective Splicing in Fragile X Syndrome with Therapeutic Potential". This new partnership between UMass Chan and QurAlis facilitates further study for Dr. Richter by exploring the biology of fragile X syndrome to determine and confirm relevant targets that could enable antisense oligonucleotide-mediated correction of the syndrome. (Read full story HERE.)
Alys launches as promising new immuno-dermatology company
This new venture is co-founded by John Harris, MD, PhD. Dr. Harris, chair and professor of dermatology, director of the Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center, and director of UMCCTS Integrated Biomarkers Core will serve as Chief Innovation Officer at Alys. Alys combines the assets and platforms of six biotechs, including Aldena Therapeutics, a partner of UMass Chan Medical School. See full article HERE.
Former TL1 Trainee and senior author Matthew J. Alcusky shows that Food as Medicine reduces health care utilization
Kurt Hager, PhD, and Matthew J. Alcusky, PhD, PharmD, MS
Matthew J. Alcusky, PhD, PharmD, MS and colleagues recently published a study evaluating the effectiveness of a Food is Medicine program (The Massachusetts Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Flexible Services Program) on health care costs and utilization rates. Participants in the study received nutrition support such as food vouchers, meals, or grocery boxes. The study found that participants had a 23 percent reduction in hospitalizations and a 13 percent reduction in emergency department visits compared with non-participants in the 3 years of the study. Health care cost savings were greater than the cost of the nutrition program resulting in net savings for Medicaid.
Read Susan Spencer’s (UMass Chan Department of Communications, Senior Writer and Editor) full article here:
Read the journal article here: DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01409
Pilot Project Grant Supports Substance Use Treatment Research Program
Ekaterina Pivovarova, PhD
Dr. Pivovarova is team leader for a pilot project taking place at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction studying substance use treatment program outcomes. The $50,000 grant from the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science for the pilot program will allow researchers to complete the study.
Kate’s project marks the first formal relationship between UMass Chan and the jail. This community partnership exemplifies our vision to work in collaboration with our community and a broad array of partners to improve health and health care delivery. Read full story here.
Additonal media coverage from the Worcester Business Journal can be found here and the Spectrum News video segment can be viewed here.
Former KL2 awardee receives $21 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
Nancy Byatt, DO, MS’15, MBA and Christopher Sheldrick, PhD
A research team led by Dr. Byatt, pictured here with Christopher Sheldrick, PhD, has secured a $21 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to conduct a perinatal mental health equity study. She is currently the UMCCTS KL2 Program mentor, and former KL2 and Pilot Program Project awardee.
Read the full story HERE.
A Facilitation and Analysis Solution for Large Amounts of Data Sets
