Health Research

A group of West Virginia University researchers will continue a basic and translational study to decrease the morbidity and mortality related to stroke.

Dr. Gordon Smith, epidemiologist in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, and his colleagues have received $1.35 million three-year grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to reduce the impact of substance abuse in these three counties.

The rate of COVID-19 positivity rates among young adults has been higher than other age groups during July and August. And, while the West Virginia University community is no stranger to doing its part to help suppress the positivity rate and keep others safe, there are significant factors that may result in WVU students letting down their guard when it comes to mitigation strategies – in particular, wearing a mask.

Amidst a global pandemic, exercise has become a more valuable tool in boosting immune systems and managing stress, according to West Virginia University researchers. Thanks to a program spearheaded by the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginians, from Berkeley County to Mingo County, will have new and improved opportunities to be physically active in their communities.

Medical specialists often can’t—or choose not to—work in rural emergency departments. But Scott Findley, a researcher with the WVU School of Medicine, and his colleagues are using telehealth to close that gap. They have received a $1.2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to support telehealth at four rural emergency departments in West Virginia. Findley and his colleagues will connect the four emergency departments with WVU Medicine specialists in Morgantown.

Just because it’s legal to buy emergency contraception over the counter doesn’t mean it’s easy. In a new study led by Amie Ashcraft—a researcher with the WVU School of Medicine—chain pharmacies were more likely than smaller, independent ones to keep emergency contraception in stock. Chain pharmacies also made it easier to access and provided more information about its effectiveness.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing uncertainties in the higher education world, West Virginia University received $195 million in external funding for research and other sponsored programs this past fiscal year.

Widespread COVID-19 testing may be an obvious way to control an outbreak in a long-term care facility. But communication among the facility’s staff, its residents and the residents’ family members is crucial, too. A new study led by Carl Shrader, a physician and researcher in the Department of Family Medicine in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, revealed the role that communication played in quashing a COVID-19 outbreak at Sundale, a long-term care facility in Morgantown.

Artificial intelligence can do more than recommend a song or suggest what to write in an email. It might even be able to predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Larissa Casaburi—a researcher in the WVU School of Medicine—and her colleagues are using artificial intelligence to study how being a coal miner affects COVID-19 outcomes. She’s also investigating the ways smoking, vaping and having chronic lung disease influence how COVID-19 patients fare.

West Virginia University School of Public Health professor Lauri Andress is studying how chronic stress from living with racism and discrimination can lead to poorer health outcomes for Black mothers and their babies.