West Virginia University researcher Jianhai Du is parsing how the retina hijacks an energy-producing chemical reaction to churn out molecular building blocks to renew photoreceptor membranes that keep our vision sharp. His findings are published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Valerie Galvan Turner, a gynecologic oncologist at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute, has opened a randomized clinical trial to assess whether a novel supplemental treatment can help chemotherapy and radiation fight dangerous cervical and vaginal cancer better.
The West Virginia University Board of Governors today (Feb. 8) gave final approval to a trio of updated policies, and also sent out for comment the latest updated rule as it works to complete policy revisions in the wake of the adoption of laws permitting more independence from the state Higher Education Policy Commission. The three rules, unanimously approved, deal with conflicts of interest, outside consulting and ethics; identify theft detection and prevention; and a tobacco-free campus.
As West Virginia University works toward becoming the world’s first Blue Zones Certified university, a graduate-student researcher in the WVU School of Public Health is exploring how one of the Blue Zone Project’s tenets—eating an abundance of vegetables—can make individuals with diabetes, and those at-risk of developing the condition, healthier.
Karissa Bjorkgren, a second-year student in the Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration programs at West Virginia University, is dedicated to addressing mental health in rural communities. A native of Franklin, Bjorkgren has experienced first-hand how infrequently rural communities in West Virginia address mental health concerns. She hopes her research will help overcome this disparity.
Yanfang (Fanny) Ye, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering at West Virginia University, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Justice in support of her work to develop novel artificial intelligence techniques to combat the opioid epidemic and trafficking. The award comes with about $1 million in funding over a three-year period.
Elizabeth Claydon, an assistant professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, is parsing how eating disorders may affect women’s experience of—and attitudes toward—pregnancy. The journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth has published her study’s findings.
New research from West Virginia University suggests a widely used index to assess hospital patients’ risk of readmission may have a blind spot. Physicians and nurses use a tool called the “LACE index” to identify which patients are most likely to be readmitted to the hospital because symptoms come back or complications arise. But research out of the Health Sciences Center suggests the index fails to consider a key variables that could improve predictions in West Virginia: whether patients are on Medicaid.
A recent study led by Albeir Mousa, a professor in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, suggests telemedicine may improve these patients’ satisfaction with their postoperative care as well as their quality of life. Their results have been accepted for publication in The Annals of Vascular Surgery.
West Virginia University continues to rank among the nation’s elite research institutions as reflected in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Only 120 of the nation’s 4,500 colleges and universities attain this ranking.