Five professors from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine recently received awards totaling more than $3 million from the federal National Institutes of Health.
Five professors from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine recently received awards totaling more than $3 million from the federal National Institutes of Health.
Brian Clark, professor of neuromuscular physiology and executive director of the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute, received around $1.8 million for two research projects. The other four professors were awarded around $400,000 each, according to a college news release.
“To receive this much funding from an institution like NIH in such a short time is great,” said Jessica Wingett, director of research and grants administration for the college. “This is so important because it elevates our research standing and it helps us focus on dealing with public health issues.”
Students from HCOM will have the opportunity to assist professors in their research funded by the NIH awards, Wingett said.
One professor is using the grant money to study a parasite that causes a deadly disease in areas of Latin America, including Ecuador and Peru.
“It is a great opportunity to advance knowledge for students of Ohio University and Pontifical Catholic University in Ecuador,” said Mario Grijalva, a professor of microbiology. “They are able to participate in an in-detail study of infectious disease.”
The group will also be working with students and professors from a variety of areas.
“This particular (grant) study involves six different institutions in five different countries,” Grijalva said. “It allows us to strengthen our collaborative ties with people from a variety of areas.”
Some administrators believe that the studies conducted because of these awards show the college’s focus on primary care and public health concerns.
“They are focused on public-based concern, showing that we are continuously going back to the mission of our college, which the priority first and foremost is to address public health,” Wingett said.
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