SHP faculty recently received over $1.3 million in grants from the federal government, the state of New Jersey, industry and non-profit organizations.

Congratulations to recipients Weili Lu, Ph.D., associate professor in psychiatric rehabilitation and counseling professions, Scott Parrott, Ph.D., professor in interdisciplinary studies and director of the methodology and statistics support team, Hamed Samavat, Ph.D., assistant professor in clinical and preventive nutritional sciences, and Frank Giannelli, Ph.D., assistant professor in physician assistant studies.

“Over the past five years, the amount of grant funding at SHP has increased from $4.3 million to $7.3 million, resulting in research findings with direct impact on patient and student lives,” said Antonina Mitrofanova, associate professor in health informatics and associate dean for research. “We are on an upward trajectory, and I am very proud of our faculty members’ achievements.”

Lu received  a three-year, $600,000 grant to examine the effectiveness of internet-assisted, work-related soft skills training and intervention for youth ages 16–24 with mental health conditions. The grant is from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research to conduct a randomized controlled trial on a novel internet tool known as iCareer.

Parrott received a two-year, $669,905 contract from the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System to create a database of evidence linking toxic exposure from burn pits to diseases such as cancer. During the Middle East wars, the military used burn pits to dispose of medical wastes, plastics and military vehicles.

Giannelli received a three-year grant for $60,000 from the Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation to increase  primary care services at the expanded Rutgers Health Outreach Practice Experience (HOPE) clinic, which serves uninsured people in Plainfield. The grant will also increase the number of educational opportunities for the students, who helped care for 221 patients last year under the supervision of faculty and staff.

Samavat was awarded a one-year grant from the New Jersey Health Foundation for nearly $20,000. The proposal will allow the expansion of the scope of his National Institutes of Health-funded grant, “Green Tea and Reduction of Breast Cancer Risk,” to include inflammation-related markers. The study’s aim is to determine the effects of consumption of greet tea extract containing 800 m ga day of the plant compound EGCG for one year on selected inflammatory markers in a subgroup of 100 women who are obese.