Enhanced BReast and cErvical cAncer screening in Kenya THROUGH implementation science research and training (The BREAKTHROUGH Center)
Principal Investigator: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA/Chung/Kinuthia (MPIs)
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute
Project Dates: 09/19/2023 – 08/31/2028
Area(s) of Research: Integrated care, implementation science, cancer,
Project goal(s): This center grant in Kenya supports and facilitates research to close cervical cancer and breast cancer screening gaps for women living in Nairobi, as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of Kenyan implementation scientists.
Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research
Associate Director: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, NIDDK
Project Dates: 08/26/2021 – 07/31/2026
Area(s) of Research: implementation science, diabetes,
Project goal(s): This center promotes and facilitates research that will enhance diabetes prevention and management in the Southeastern United States through specialized research cores, a pilot and feasibility program, and a vibrant enrichment program.
iHEART-SA: Integrating HIV and hEART health in South Africa
Principal Investigator: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Co-Investigator: Leslie Johnson, MPH, PhD
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Project Dates: 09/2020 – 09/2025
Area(s) of Research: Integrated care, implementation science, diabetes, hypertension
Project goal(s): The goal of this project is to develop and test care innovations that integrate HIV, hypertension and diabetes care in a sustainable and scalable way in South Africa
Precision Cardiovascular Diseases Phenotyping and Pathophysiological Pathways (Precision-CARRS)
Lead, Administrative Core: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Project Dates: 05/15/2022 – 02/28/2027
Area(s) of Research: Integrated care, implementation science
Project goal(s): In this study, we are examining what factors predict cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes in people living in South Asia.
Scientific Services and Support for CDC’s Natural Experiments in Diabetes network
Principal Investigator: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Funding Agency: CDC
Project Dates: 02/04/2020 – 02/03/2026
Area(s) of Research: diabetes
Project goal(s): Dr Ali supports the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation in surveillance analyses and scientific guidance for a health policy network.
Sex-specific Predictors, Pathways, And Cardiometabolic Effects of Weight Gain Associated with Integrase Strand-Transfer Inhibitors.
Co-Investigator: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK
Project Dates: 03/02/2021 – 02/28/2026
Area(s) of Research: implementation science, HIV
Project goal(s):
In this study, we are examining what factors predict weight gain and other cardiometbolic changes in people living with HIV.
Adapting and testing an integrated care model for treatment of Type 1 diabetes and mental health co-morbidities
Principal Investigator: Leslie Johnson, MPH PhD
Funding Agency: MQ Mental Health Research/JDRF
Project Dates: 04/01/23—03/31/26
Area(s) of Research: diabetes, integrated care, depression
Project goal(s): To adapt and test an integrated mental health and diabetes care model for patients with type 1 diabetes.
Accelerating aDoption of pAtient-centereD cervicAl cancer screening and treatment LINKage in Kenya (DADA LINK)
Principal Investigator: Leslie Johnson, MPH, PhD
Funding Agency: NCI
Project Dates: 09/19/2023 – 08/31/2028
Area(s) of Research: cervical cancer, implementation science, HIV
Project goal(s): Through stakeholder engagement, formative research, and an implementation-effectiveness study, we will test the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of strategies to address gaps in cervical cancer (CC) screening and linkage to subsequent triage and treatment in Kenya.
Georgia Gear
Principal Investigator: Ted Johnson, MD, MPH
Co-investigators: Miranda Moore, PhD - Lead Evaluator
Funding Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration
Project Dates: 7/1/2024-6/30/2029
Area(s) of Research: geriatric workforce education, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
Project goal(s): To improve clinical care and the quality of life for older adults and their families. The goals of this work are: 1. Develop reciprocal partnerships between academia, primary care sites/delivery systems (including nursing homes), and community organizations, to transform clinical training environments into integrated geriatrics and primary care sites/delivery systems that are age-friendly and dementia-friendly. 2. Provide interprofessional geriatrics clinical training and education to students, residents, fellows, faculty, and preceptors in Tribal, Tribal Organizations, Underserved and/or Rural (TTOUR) primary care sites/delivery systems with the intent to have them practice in these sites upon completion of their program. 3. Establish and/or maintain education and training programs in TTOUR primary care sites/delivery systems that provide the supportive care workforce, direct care workers, and the primary care workforce with the knowledge and skills to improve the care of older adults, including persons living with dementia, by using innovative technology and methods.
Georgia Memory Net
Co-investigators: Ted Johnson, MD, MPH (Primary Care Provider Consultant), Miranda Moore, PhD (Population Health Lead)
Funding Agency: Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services
Project Dates: Annual contract 07/01-06/30
Area(s) of Research: dementia, provider education
Project goal(s): The goals of the Georgia (GA) state funded Georgia Alzheimer’s Project, the Georgia Memory Net (GMN), are to (1) improve screening and care of Georgians with memory loss and other cognitive impairment indicative of Alzheimer’s and related dementias via sustainable, primary care driven models; (2) develop, implement, and support regional Memory Assessment Clinics (MACs) to improve Georgians’ access to early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; and (3) improve long-term care and outcomes for cognitively impaired patients and their caregivers through connections between primary care providers and community partners focused on cognitive impairment and caregiving support.
What to wear: Investigating the clinical validity and implementation determinants of consumer health wearables for self-monitoring cardiovascular symptoms of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 (PASC)Â
Principal Investigator: Deanna Kaplan, PhD
Funding Agency: Georgia CTSA
Project Dates: Dec 2022 – Dec 2023
Area(s) of Research: PASC, long covid, wearables
Project goal(s): This project investigates the clinical accuracy and implementation determinants of widely adopted consumer health wearables for self-monitoring and management of symptoms associated with Long COVID.
Development of a voice diary app for clinical and health sciences research
Principal Investigator: Deanna Kaplan, PhD
Funding Agency: Georgia CTSA Innovation Catalyst Program
Project Dates: Nov 2022 – Nov 2024
Area(s) of Research: methods, technology innovation
Project goal(s): This project develops a novel, HIPPA-compliant voice diary smartphone app for speech-enabled daily diary research.
InSPIRe: Integrating Specialist Palliative Care to Improve Care and Reduce Suffering in CF Patients
Principal Investigator: Dio Kavalieratos, PhD
Funding Agency: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Project Dates: 03/2020-02/2024
Area(s) of Research: Palliative care, cystic fibrosis
This project is a multi-site randomized controlled trial will test the efficacy of an outpatient palliative care intervention for adults with cystic fibrosis. The intervention comprises symptom management, goals of care elicitation, and care coordination, and is the first palliative care intervention in CF or any such genetic illness without curative options.
CASCADE: CAre Supporters Coached to be Adept DEcision partners
Emory Site Principal Investigator: Dio Kavalieratos, PhD
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Project Dates: 07/2021-06/2026
Area(s) of Research: Palliative care, cancer, caregiving
This project is in collaboration with investigators at the University of Alabama Birmingham; it is a lay navigator-led, telehealth early palliative care intervention to train advanced cancer caregivers how to effectively partner with patients in healthcare decision-making.
Palliative Care for Persons with Late-Stage Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Principal Investigator: Dio Kavalieratos, PhD and Jane Lowers, PhD, MPA
Funding Agency: National Institute on Aging
Project Dates: 2020-2024
Area(s) of Research: Palliative care, dementia, inpatient care
Project goal(s): This multi-site randomized trial evaluates dementia-specific palliative and transitional care for people with late-stage dementia and their care partners
Mechanistic Pathways Linking Stress and Cognition
Principal Investigator: Ambar Kulshreshtha, MD, MPH, PhD
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging
Project Dates: 06/2020-05/2025
Area(s) of Research: Role of stress, vascular risk factors, cognition
The goal of this project is to examine the association of stress and cognition, role of CVD risk factors, and related health disparities.
Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation for Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Mascaro, PhD
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Project Dates: 05/2020 - 04/2025
Area(s) of Research: Implementation science, integrative oncology
The goal of this project is to evaluate the implementation of evidence-based intervention strategies embedded in clinical settings to address depression and pain distress during cancer treatment.
Winship Wellness Program
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Mascaro, PhD
Funding Agency: Emory University Winship Cancer Institute
Project Dates: 12/2019 – ongoing
Area(s) of Research: Provider burnout, well-being
This project is a mixed-method study to characterize well-being among oncology providers and to evaluate the impact of new programming.
Feasibility study of a chaplain-delivered compassion intervention to improve psychological safety among interprofessional healthcare teams
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Mascaro, PhD
Other DFPM faculty funded by this project: Deanna Kaplan, PhD
Funding Agency: NIH NCCIH
Project Dates: June 2024 – June 2027
Area(s) of Research: Implementation science, well-being, ambulatory assessment
Project goal(s): This project will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel team-based intervention that includes mindfulness and compassion-based approaches and is delivered by hospital chaplains embedded within the interprofessional team, and develop and validate a low-burden, objective, and embedded ambulatory assessment “toolkit” to identify interpersonal and objective behavioral indices that can be used to improve research rigor and ultimately expand the evidence-base for effective approaches to improve provider well-being and address the needs of the 21st-century healthcare workforce.
Emory Healthy Kitchen Community
Co-investigator: Miranda Moore, PhD
Funding Agency: Ardmore Institute of Health
Project Dates: 05/09/2022 – 04/08/2024
Area(s) of Research: lifestyle medicine, teaching kitchen, culinary medicine
Project goal(s): This project is a mixed-method study of participant change in biometrics and survey data (perceived stress scale, etc.) due to a healthy teaching kitchen curriculum.
Better Together: Leveraging primary care and social network resources  Â
Principal Investigator: Megha Shah, MD
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Project Dates: 06/2020-05/2025
Area(s) of Research: Community-engaged research, diabetes, immigrant health
The project is a lifestyle intervention and social network analysis of South Asians in Atlanta for diabetes self-management.
Dream National: Scaling Telehealth Models to Improve Co-morbid Diabetes and Hypertension in Immigrant Populations
Principal Investigator: Megha Shah, MD, Site lead, Co-I
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Project Dates: 2023 -2028
Area(s) of Research: Community-engaged research, diabetes, hypertension, immigrant health
The proposed project provides a unique opportunity to address this public health challenge by bringing together clinics and community partner across the northeastern and southeastern US to test the effectiveness and implementation process of a telehealth-based CHW-led coaching intervention for HTN control among 450 South Asian patients with co-morbid DMII and HTN.
Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Fasting Hyperglycemia in People with Isolated Impaired Fasting Glucose: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Principal Investigator: Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, PhD
Funding Agency: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH Award No.UL1TR002378)
Project Dates: August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024
Area(s) of Research: precision medicine, prediabetes, prevention of type 2 diabetes, exercise, lifestyle change
Project goal(s): To generate preliminary data on the feasibility of the study conduct and acceptability and efficacy of high-intensity interval training in people with isolated impaired fasting glucose, a prediabetes phenotype
Effect of Dietary Energy Restriction on Reversing Isolated Impaired Fasting Glucose: A Proof of Concept Study
Principal Investigator: Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, PhD
Co-investigators: Mohammed K. Ali, MD MSc MBA
Funding Agency: Woodruff Health Sciences Center Synergy Awards, Emory University
Project Dates: July 1, 2023 to April 31, 2024
Area(s) of Research: precision medicine, prediabetes, prevention of type 2 diabetes, diet, lifestyle change
Project goal(s): To generate preliminary data on the feasibility of the study conduct and acceptability and efficacy of a low-calorie diet in people with isolated impaired fasting glucose, a prediabetes phenotype
Incidence and Risk of New-Onset Diabetes in Long COVID: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Principal Investigator: Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, PhD
Funding Agency: Emory Global Health Institute Field Scholars Awards Program, Emory University
Project Dates: June 1, 2023, to August 31, 2023
Area(s) of Research: COVID-19, new-onset diabetes, long COVID, systematic review, meta-analysis
Project goal(s): To synthesize data on the risk of new-onset diabetes in long COVID patients using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach.
Urine Metabolomics Assessment of Smoke and Dietary Exposures in the PURE Study
Principal Investigator: Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, PhD
Funding Agency: Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Canada
Project Dates: 2021 to 2023
Area(s) of Research: urinary biomarkers, smoking, diet, metabolomics
Project goal(s): To measure a broad panel of urinary biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure and examine their relationship with tobacco-related diseases in current and non-smokers from 14 different countries.
Urine Metabolomics Assessment of Intoxicants from Tobacco Smoke Exposure in the PURE Study
Principal Investigator: Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, PhD
Funding Agency: New Investigator Fund, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Canada
Project Dates: 2020 to 2023
Area(s) of Research: urinary biomarkers, smoking, metabolomics
Project goal(s): To measure a broad panel of urinary biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure and examine their relationship with tobacco-related diseases in current and non-smokers from 14 different countries.
iCAREFOR: Interhospital Care Fragmentation in Older Adults with Dementia
Principal Investigator: Sara Turbow, MD MPH
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging
Project Dates: 08/2020-05/2025
Area(s) of Research: Aging, dementia, care fragmentation
This project is a secondary data analysis of CMS data to evaluate risk factors for and potential solutions to interhospital care fragmentation in older adults with Alzheimer's disease; also a survey/interview component investigating healthcare provider and health system perspectives on health information exchange.
Characterizing Biopsychosocial Complexity in Outpatient Palliative Care
Principal Investigator: Ali John Zarrabi
Funding Agency: National Palliative Care Research Center Kornfield Scholars Program
Project Dates: 7/2023-6/2025
Area(s) of Research: Palliative Care
Project goal(s): Over the past 20 years, Palliative Care (PC) has expanded rapidly from inpatient, crisis-focused care to the outpatient setting where specialists manage patients’ chronic physical symptoms and psychosocial and spiritual needs often for months to years before the end-of-life. However, the tools and training of PC clinicians remain rooted in crisis-focused care in inpatient settings. This approach does not enable clinicians to manage the full range of needs of patients receiving longitudinal care earlier in their illness and upstream of the end-of-life. Increased knowledge of the diverse biopsychosocial needs of Outpatient PC (OPC) populations is critical to improve the quality of patient care. This information will facilitate the identification of appropriate targets for patient-centered interventions. In this project, Dr. Zarrabi will focus on the foundational work of characterizing the phenotypic profiles of patients in OPC – a necessary precursor to designing intervention trials aimed at improving seriously ill patients’ quality-of-life.