West Virginia University’s telestroke program connects rural hospitals throughout West Virginia—and across the Maryland border—with neurologists at WVU, who can offer insight into stroke cases. New research suggests that since the program’s launch in 2016, more patients at those hospitals are receiving prompt, noninvasive stroke treatments there, rather than being driven or flown somewhere else.
Being exposed to PFAS—a class of chemicals found in drinking water—has been linked to higher rates of cancer, heart disease, thyroid dysfunction and other conditions. WVU School of Dentistry researchers R. Constance Wiener and Christopher Waters studied whether PFAS exposure is also associated with tooth decay. They found that children who had higher concentrations of a particular PFAS were more likely to have higher rates of tooth decay.
Scientists like Piyush Mehta, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University, worry that a powerful solar storm today would unleash mighty havoc – widespread blackouts, destroyed electrical grids and an estimated $2 trillion in damages.
The Carnegie Foundation for Advancement and Teaching has named WVU as one of 75 institutions receiving its highest recognition in community engagement. WVU first received the classification in 2010.
Pedro J. Mago, a distinguished higher education leader and an expert in key West Virginia University research areas of energy systems and sustainability, has been selected as the next leader of the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Only about one-fourth of adults are up to date on their whooping-cough vaccines. If they catch whooping cough, they may just think they have a cold. But if they give it to a baby, it can be deadly. In a new study, Allison Wolf and Dylan Boehm —researchers from the West Virginia University School of Medicine—investigated how to make the vaccine more effective, for longer. One possible way: making it a nose spray instead of a shot.
West Virginia University graduate student Alice Morgan is on a mission to get kids excited about science and the outdoors. One of 10 recipients of a prestigious fellowship from the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education, she will spend the next year researching the impacts of adventure STEM curriculum on sixth graders who attend WVU’s Science Adventure School at the Summit Bechtel Reserve near Beckley.
When people think about the management of diabetes, A1C (hemoglobin) tests and foot exams usually come to mind. Often overlooked is the recommended retinal eye exam. This eye exam is crucial because many West Virginians with diabetes are at risk for blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy.
Could applying a cell-phone-sized device to your neck three times a day prevent migraine attacks? WVU researcher Umer Najib thinks it might. In a new clinical trial, he’s testing how well a vagus nerve stimulator averts and relieves migraine symptoms. The noninvasive device showed promise in earlier animal studies. Now Najib wants to know if it works in actual migraine patients, too.
Amina Kunovac, a third-year doctoral student in exercise and a former Bosnian refugee, is conducting research that assesses the cardiovascular health of offspring when exposure to harmful particles occurs during pregnancy.