public health research

College of Public Health Professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and research with the Royal College of Surgeons

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:26:33 +0000

College of Public Health Professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and research with the Royal College of Surgeons Mary Cunningham Thu, 06/20/2024 - 13:26

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Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

��AV professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch was recognized with the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in Medical Sciences and will teach and conduct research with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) during the fall of 2024.

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Fulbright Scholars exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Drews-Botsch, a professor in George Mason's College of Public Health, will collaborate with the faculty at RCSI to on curriculum development its new online master’s program in population health, particularly in epidemiologic methods. She will also conduct research on the impact of amblyopia, colloquially known as “lazy eye,” on children’s lives and health.

Specifically, she will use longitudinal data sets from the U.S. and Ireland whether children with amblyopia get less physical activity and are more likely to become obese than other children. By using data from two countries, the results will be more generalizable to other populations.

“The Fulbright award will allow me to advance important research on amblyopia, which has far-reaching impact—beyond one’s vision,” said Drews-Botsch. “Reading speed, balance, coordination can be impacted—and the hypothesis is that this is causing an increase in obesity in children with this condition.”

More than 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. 

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��AV receives over $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme disease testing

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 22:02:01 +0000

��AV receives over $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme disease testing Mary Cunningham Wed, 04/24/2024 - 18:02

With tick bites on the rise, College of Science and College of Public Health are collaborating to improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment with urine testing

��AV researchers have received a $1,176,645 grant in federal funding from the U.S. Department of the Army to revolutionize Lyme disease detection and diagnosis with urine testing. The College of Science and College of Public Health aim to harness the many advantages of urine testing over other methods and increase mainstream adoption.

Alessandra Luchini, systems biology professor in the College of Science and Mason’s principal investigator.

“We have developed a urine test for Lyme disease that detects the bacteria (Borrelia species) that causes Lyme disease, making it a direct test to confirm an infection soon after the tick bite. This leads to earlier treatment when necessary and could prevent the long-term debilitating effects of the disease,” said Alessandra Luchini, systems biology professor in the College of Science and George Mason’s principal investigator.

The current standard of care test for potential Lyme disease is an antibody blood test, which measures the immune system response to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. In contrast, the Mason test detects molecules derived from the bacteria themselves, which have the advantage of high specificity (accuracy) and early detection. The Mason test matches the exact amino acid sequences (the building blocks of the bacterial molecules) that are found only in Borrelia and not in other organisms. For example, one of the proteins the Mason scientists studied is part of the Borrelia flagellum, which allows the bacterium to move around the body.

In Mason’s clinical research trials, urine tests had a 90% true positive rate (sensitivity) and close to 100% specificity (true negative rate). Researchers will use banked samples from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of acute Lyme patients from the Lyme Disease Biobank and banked specimens from Johns Hopkins University, respectively, who are recognized leader in clinical Lyme disease research.

Utilizing her 15 years of Lyme disease bacteria (Borrelia) research, Ashley Groshong, PhD, unit chief of the Bacterial Physiology and Metabolism Section of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is collaborating on the project by evaluating the suitability of diagnostic indicators based on bacterial physiology.

Additionally, the Mason study will pilot a collapsible urine collection cup shipped to a lab through the mail, making collection and diagnosis easier for more people to access through telehealth.

Lance Liotta, professor in the College of Science, co-director of Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, and co-investigator on the study.

"A urine cup will offer a private, comfortable and convenient way to collect the sample at home without compromising the accuracy of the lab test,” said Lance Liotta, professor in the College of Science, co-director of Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, and co-investigator on the study. “Shipped in a semi-dry state that will preserve target proteins and protects again specimen degradation, this approach will improve specificity which has been a weakness of previous testing approaches."

Lyme disease is the most common animal-to-human transmitted disease in the United States with approximately 476,000 people diagnosed and treated each year—and it is on the rise. If not treated quickly and properly, those bitten can suffer from prolonged symptoms (called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome), such as concentration and memory issues, dizziness, fatigue, body aches, depression, and difficulty sleeping.

Melissa J. Perry, dean of the College of Public Health and co-investigator of the study.

“This is a significant collaboration to advance diagnostics for Lyme disease. In my capacity as an epidemiologist, I am thrilled to work with Drs. Luchini, Liotta, and Espina, and Dr. Krall in her capacity as a biostatistician. This study will have a major impact on the timely diagnosis of Lyme,” said Melissa J. Perry, dean of the College of Public Health and co-investigator of the study.

This three-year study will take place in the same Mason CAP/CLIA Clinical Proteomics Laboratory that implemented the innovative saliva COVID test. The lab is run by Virginia Espina, who is a collaborator on the grant.

This work will be supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Tick-Borne Disease Research Program, endorsed by the Department of Defense. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

About ��AV
��AV is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

About the College of Science
Mason’s College of Science is a leader in scientific discovery and a creator of innovative solutions for the rapidly-changing needs of today’s world. The college prides itself in being home to a diverse population of more than 4,200 students and researchers serving as a magnet for all scientific minds. With new discoveries, our scientists continue to grow Mason’s portfolio of patents, licenses, partnerships, and spin off companies.

The college blends traditional science education with sought-after programs at all levels across a dozen departments to challenge and engage in disciplines including personalized medicine, infectious diseases, drug discovery, climate dynamics, environmental justice and conservation, materials science, astronomy, forensic science, computational science, and applied mathematics. Learn more at science.gmu.edu.

About the College of Public Health
Mason’s College of Public Health—the first College of Public Health in Virginia—enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally recognized programs, including six undergraduate degrees, eight master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees, and six professional certificate programs. Comprising the School of Nursing and the Departments of Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, Nutrition and Food Studies, and Social Work, the college also conducts transdisciplinary research that seeks to understand the many factors that influence the public health and well-being throughout the lifespan. With more than 500 partners, the college serves the community and engages its students through research, practice, and clinical care.

In This Story

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

Jenna Krall, PhD

Lance A. Liotta

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Social Work associate professor registers U.S. patent to reduce substance use relapse, the department’s first patent

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:20:43 +0000

Social Work associate professor registers U.S. patent to reduce substance use relapse, the department’s first patent Mary Cunningham Wed, 04/26/2023 - 11:20

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Holly Matto, PhD, LCSW-C

Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

Substance use disorder affects more than 46 million Americans according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Recovery can be a difficult path, but an interdisciplinary team led by Holly Matto, associate professor in the Department of Social Work, aims to make it a little easier through a recently patented technology-based recovery support system.

Matto and College of Science Professor Padmanabhan Seshaiyer received the patent for a mobile technology to help those in recovery overcome triggers that lead to relapse. The technology is a real-time, cloud-based support system that helps manage behavioral responses—for example, the desire to use opioids—by monitoring physical symptoms, such as changes to a person’s heart rate, to identify when someone needs help to overcome a triggering event. With up to 60 percent of patients experiencing relapse within one year of treatment, the support is critical.

“The patent recognizes our unique contribution to the expanding availability of digital health technologies designed to improve access to timely support,” says Matto. The patent is believed to be the first received by a faculty member from the Department of Social Work.

Known as Recovery Engaged Mind-Health (REMind-h), the technology allows individuals in recovery to identify personally meaningful recovery-affirming sensory cues, which might include positive images, sounds, or other sensory stimuli that reinforce their commitment to recovery. Some examples might include peaceful nature scenes, a soundscape, motivational quote, or a sponsor’s message. These data are stored in the system’s cloud server and are activated and delivered to the person when their physiological metrics rise above the trained threshold, cycling through the available cues until regulation is restored.

“By using technology to monitor physiological responses, people in recovery can immediately have a personalized support system right there on their phone when they need it to help them manage the triggering moment,” says Matto. “The goal is to avoid relapse and, ultimately, to improve their quality of life.”

Matto says the patent has allowed the research team to partner with LifeSpan Digital Health LLC, which will license the technology. The technology prototype has already been developed by Rudra Nagalia, a graduate student in Health Administration and Policy and a member of the research team.

Matto began work on the idea behind the patent several years ago. She and Seshaiyer first teamed up to develop the technology after receiving a multidisciplinary grant from the provost’s office in 2015. They were selected for Mason’s National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Site Program in 2018, where they conducted interviews and gathered preliminary feedback on the concept.

Since then, Matto and Seshaiyer have also received a National Institutes of Health Small Business Technology Transfer sub-award to further test some of their recovery cue ideas. Bryce Dunn, PhD student in bioengineering, worked with the team on the grant to examine the regulating impact of recovery cues after exposure to substance-related cues in a virtual reality simulation. College of Engineering and Computing faculty member Nathalia Peixoto, a member of this interdisciplinary research team, offered expertise in measuring physiological and neural responses in the VR simulation, to help test the theory that personalized recovery cues help regulate reactivity to drug-stimuli exposures.

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Research

Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:34:21 +0000

Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease Mary Cunningham Mon, 03/27/2023 - 13:34

In This Story

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health Carolyn Drews-Botsch continues her study of unilateral congenital cataracts by studying the risks and benefits of prolonged patching in preschool-aged children.

Children with unilateral congenital cataracts (UCC) are born with cloudy or opaque vision in one eye that, if left untreated, can result in blindness. The condition is treated, as it is in adults, by removing the lens. Glasses, contacts, or implanting an artificial lens are needed to replace the focusing power of the natural lens. Occlusion therapy, also known as patching, is when the child wears a patch covering one eye and it is needed to strengthen the eye after treatment. However, even with the best treatment, about half of these children will remain legally blind in the treated eye. Further, it can be difficult for parents to get children to wear the patch consistently for the required amount of time.

With a $457,00 (directs and indirects) National Institutes of Health R21 grant, Carolyn Drews-Botsch, professor and chair of the Department of Global and Community Health, is studying the effects and benefits of patching in preschool aged children.

“The ultimate goal is to advise parents and health care providers about how to improve visual acuity and how long to continue patching if a child is born with a unilateral congenital cataract,” said Drews-Botsch. “Even with patching, a high proportion of children do not develop usable vision in the treated eye. Therefore, the usefulness of extended patching in eyes destined to have poor vision is unclear, and the costs of therapy need to be weighed against possible benefits.”

Currently, children treated for UCC are advised to patch the unaffected eye for 50% of waking hours throughout the first 5-6 years of life and often into the elementary school years. Adherence to this guideline can be difficult for parents and children, and there are few evidence-based tools to help families. Additionally, vision improvement is not a guarantee with patching, so it could ultimately negatively affect the child. Even with early surgery and consistent patching, relatively few children develop adequate vision by the time they enter school.

The project, “Secondary Analyses of data from the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study: Patching in Children with Unilateral Congenital Cataracts and Poor Visual Acuity,” leverages unique secondary data collected in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS). Researchers will provide guidance on how to establish patching habits that may improve outcomes, and conduct cost and benefits analysis of patching in the latter part of preschool. Researchers will determine whether it is possible to accurately identify children who will ultimately have little usable vision in their affected eye using information collected in the first four years of life and if prolonged patching in children who ultimately will not see well impacts their quality of life.

The IATS is a randomized controlled trial designed to compare two treatments for UCC: leaving children without a lens in their eye (aphakic) so that they need to wear glasses or a contact lens versus implanting an artificial lens (pseudophakic) at the time of cataract surgery. The primary study is one of the largest currently available cohorts of children treated for UCC and has provided important evidence about outcomes in these children prior to school entry.

Drews-Botsch and fellow researchers Scott Lambert from Stanford University, Marianne Celano and George Cotsonis from Emory University, and Genie Hartmann from Akron Children’s Hospital have worked with the IATS for over 15 years. Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health Jaffer Zaidi is new to the team.

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College of Public Health Professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and research with the Royal College of Surgeons

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����AV receives over $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme disease testing

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Social Work associate professor registers U.S. patent to reduce substance use relapse, the department’s first patent

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Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease

In This Story

Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health Carolyn Drews-Botsch continues her study of unilateral congenital cataracts by studying the risks and benefits of prolonged patching in preschool-aged children.

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��AV receives over $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme disease testing