 
          June 30, 2021
NextGen offers new possibilities for MU researchers addressing health disparities
June 29, 2021 Contact: Kenny Gerling, gerlingk@missouri.edu Loren Bauerband, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, uses large data sets gathered from many sources — often called big data — to research health disparities facing transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals. Their work is complicated by the limitations of available data, which is often incomplete or not representative of the population. “We know that transgender individuals experience a lot of barriers to health care and access in general,” Bauerband said. “What I do is extend data about those topics to…
 
          June 17, 2021
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences professor receives U.S. patent
June 17, 2021 By Kelsey Pritchett The Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences is excited to share that Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale, assistant professor of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, was part of a team of inventors who recently received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office. The team consisted of two speech-language pathologists, Kuruvilla-Dugdale and Teresa Lever of the School of Medicine, and two engineers, Filiz Bunyak and Yunxin Zhao of the College of Engineering. The speech-language pathologists identified the health care need and business potential; the engineers developed the software system. “Clinician-scientist collaborations are critical to developing feasible solutions…
 
          June 16, 2021
Family support key to overcoming barriers to HIV treatment in Africa
June 16, 2021 Story contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu Researchers at the University of Missouri have found that physical mobility, transportation and financial issues pose the biggest barriers to accessing HIV treatment for older adults in South Africa, where 20 to 30 percent of people over age 50 are infected with the virus. However, MU researchers also found that family support proved to be the strongest facilitator in overcoming these challenges thanks to changing attitudes in Africa about HIV/AIDS. “What we found was older adults with HIV often have younger family members who have been raised in a society of…
 
          June 2, 2021
Ashley Givens receives Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant
The Mizzou Alumni Association (MAA) recently awarded seven University of Missouri faculty members the Dr. Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant. Since its launch in 1994, the MAA has provided start-up funds of about $700,000 to more than 300 junior faculty members for the initiation of research or professional development projects.
 
          June 1, 2021
Tim Wolf selected to be next Associate Dean for Research
June 1, 2021 (Updated Oct. 22, 2021) Tim Wolf, professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, has been selected to serve as Associate Dean for Research starting Oct. 1, 2021. The few months’ overlap in titles with Judith Goodman, who will retire after the Fall 2021 semester, will facilitate a smooth transition of responsibilities and continued momentum in research activities. Through restructuring of responsibilities in the Department of Occupational Therapy, Dr. Wolf will also continue to serve as chair of the department. “Dr. Wolf is an accomplished scientist with a robust and meaningful research program,” Dean Kristofer Hagglund said.
 
          May 31, 2021
‘Depressing’: MU study finds unequal treatment between Black and white heart patients
May 31, 2021 A University of Missouri study has revealed racial inequality in the way Black patients with advanced heart disease are treated, with potentially harmful results that can include getting kicked off heart transplant waiting lists. The study focused on the use of a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, a mechanical pump installed in the body that helps the heart circulate blood. In some cases it can be used while a patient waits for a new heart, acting as a temporary bridge to a transplant. The MU research revealed differences between when Black and white…
 
          May 29, 2021
Ticks multiplying in Kansas and Missouri. Here’s how you and your pet can stay safe
May 29, 2021 Kansas City summers always have a particular bite. The bad news is that ticks are becoming even more plentiful in our neck of the woods, and their seasons are growing longer, now extending into fall. “I don’t think we’re seeing new species. We still have the three to four species of ticks that we’ve had for quite some time,” said Dennis Patton, horticulture agent with Johnson County K-State Research and Extension. “But what I think we are seeing is just increasing numbers of ticks.” Well, that sucks. The good news is you can prevent becoming a blood…
 
          May 14, 2021
MU Family Access Center of Excellence to provide mental health support to Boone County schools
May 14, 2021 MU Family Access Center of Excellence (FACE) of Boone County and Boone County school leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will outline enhanced mental health support for approximately 24,000 school-aged children and their families. These services are made possible by a ¼-cent tax passed by citizens of Boone County in 2012, which created the Boone County Community Services Department’s Services Fund. The MOU between FACE and Boone County schools will allow FACE to create tailored support for children, classrooms, school buildings, and school districts across Boone County. In 2021, FACE merged with the Boone County…
 
          May 13, 2021
Ticking upward: MU researcher studies rise of tick-borne diseases in Midwest
When Ram Raghavan heard from a former colleague at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that a 7-year-old girl had died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever as the result of a tick bite, he thought of his own daughter, also 7 years old at the time, and the potentially fatal danger posed to vulnerable populations by tick-borne diseases. Now a professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Health Professions, Raghavan is an epidemiologist studying how ticks, mosquitoes and other arthropods spread disease that impact people, pets and livestock over time in various geographical regions.
 
          May 4, 2021
Students present at Undergraduate Research Forum
May 3, 2021 Congratulations to all of the Health Professions students that were able to present their research as part of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Forum! This event was hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research as part of Undergraduate Research Week. This forum offered undergraduates the opportunity to present their research and scholarly achievements to the Mizzou community! Names and presentation titles of all participating Health Professions students: Lauren Day and Lauren Tigner, SLHS (Mentor: Stacy Wagovich) The Use of Mental State Verbs by Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter and Their Mothers Madison Green, Public Health…