Women’s Global Health Institute awards 6 women’s health research grants

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The PurdueWomen’s Global Health Institute has awarded six women’s health research grants for 2022.

Purdue projects, each receiving a $15,000 WGHI grant, are:

• “Development of a culturally tailored, adolescent-driven, dual-protection intervention approach for South African adolescents.” Jennifer Brown, associate professor of psychological sciences, and Lochner Marais, professor in the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State in Bioemfontein, South Africa, are principal investigators.
• “Exploring patient experiences with miscarriage care in Indiana in the midst of a shifting regulatory environment.” Kathryn LaRoche, assistant professor of public health, is the PI.
• “Evaluating the impact of a community health worker for diabetes management in self-employed women in India.” Faria Chaudhry, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Sonak Pastakia, professor of pharmacy practice, are PIs.
• “Maximizing peak bone mass: Interactions among genetics and mechanical loading.” Marxa Figueiredo, associate professor of basic medical sciences, and Russell Main, associate professor of basic medical sciences, are PIs.
• “Early breast cancer evaluation in high-risk subjects using advanced MRI modalities.” Joseph Rispoli, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is the PI.
• “Targeting FGFR to prevent obesity-induced metastatic recurrence in breast.” Michael Wendt, associate professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology, is the PI.

The WGHI presents annual awards to support research proposals of outstanding scientific merit that address translational and basic research in women’s health. The awards are made possible through a Mildred Elizabeth Edmundson grant and donations, the institute’s partnerships with the Catherine Peachey Fund and other entities on the Purdue campus and throughout Indiana, including the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Also providing support are Purdue’s colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, and the Purdue departments of Pharmacy Practice and Basic Medical Sciences.

The next call for proposals for women’s health grants will begin in September. The call for proposals for the 2023 Catherine Peachey Breast Cancer Research is posted on the WGHI website with the deadline of March 6.

About WGHI

The Women’s Global Health Institute, a partner of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease and the College of Health and Human Sciences, and an affiliate of Discovery Park District at Purdue institutes, serves as a nexus of interdisciplinary research to create partnerships, promote research and develop training opportunities to improve the health and quality of life for women through the prevention and early detection of disease.

Writer: Amy Raley, araley@purdue.edu

Source: Li Yuan Bermel, lmi@purdue.edu