Just as e-cigarette ingredients can vary from one region to another, the health effects of vaping can have regional characteristics as well. A new study out of West Virginia University suggests that rural e-cigarette users are older—and often get sicker—than their urban counterparts.
When children are admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit, the experience can be sad, scary and lonely for both them and their parents. New research led by Brad Phillips—a doctoral student in the WVU School of Nursing—indicates that young, single parents with low incomes and limited post-secondary education may feel especially lonely and lack emotional support when their children are admitted to a pediatric ICU.
The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded a two-year, nearly $500,000 grant to WVU for the project, “West Virginia Inspiring Hope,” to enhance and expand the existing recovery-to-work ecosystem, including training, job placement, recovery treatment, housing and transportation.
A first-generation college student who aspires to become a physician-researcher, will use her role as West Virginia University’s 2021 Newman Civic Fellow to undertake a year-long project to increase access to engineering mentorships for young women in West Virginia. Savannah Hays, an Honors biomedical engineering major in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources will help form at least two SWENext chapters, the high school equivalent of the Society of Women Engineers, to serve young women ages 13-17.
West Virginia University will pause administration of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine based on a joint recommendation released Tuesday (April 13) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. WVU strongly recommends all students and employees be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Gov. Jim Justice announced on Monday (April 12) the launch of the nation’s premier remote work program, aimed at recruiting outdoor enthusiast professionals to the Mountain State. The program, called Ascend WV, supported by West Virginia native Brad D. Smith and his wife, Alys, will allow adventurers to enjoy world-class recreation, uncrowded spaces, and a low cost of living while staying fully connected to their jobs, and it comes with the country’s best remote worker incentive package: $12,000 and a year’s worth of free outdoor recreation.
When you think of ways to treat opioid use disorder, you probably imagine methadone clinics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, not stretching and strengthening exercises. But Anne Swisher—a professor with the WVU Division of Physical Therapy—is working to address opioid misuse through physical therapy. She and her colleagues enhanced physical therapy instruction at WVU to emphasize the profession’s role in addressing opioid use disorder.
As WVU’s latest National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient, Assistant Professor of Biology Craig Barrett is teaming up with teachers in rural West Virginia high schools to develop student-led research projects. The projects will culminate in lesson plans accessible to high school students and teachers across the U.S., with an emphasis on closing the STEM skills and interest gap in the Mountain State.
A Charleston man’s $1.27 million gift to the WVU Cancer Institute will help improve cancer care for future patients in memory of his late wife, certified orthopedic nurse Deborah K. Knowles.
Private philanthropic support is driving timely COVID-19 research by West Virginia University that could ultimately save lives in the Mountain State. The Virginia-based Foster Family Foundation provided $75,000 to support collaborative efforts to identify variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.