CONTACT: Jennifer Thuma, 317-274-4178
The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) along with the Indiana University Center for Global Health recently announced three funding awards to researchers at Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame to promote advances in global health. A partnership between Indiana University, Notre Dame and Purdue, CTSI awards funding for pilot projects that improve health outcomes in Indiana and in low- and middle-income countries. The selected researchers were awarded $20,000 each for work to advance scientific discovery with global impact on human health from malaria, obesity, nutrition and other related research.
Neil Lobo, PhD, research associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Notre Dame, will focus his project on malaria transmission research in Kenya. A skilled scientist with many years of experience, Lobo is exploring health solutions for disadvantaged populations across the world. He has conducted research in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Chandy John, MD, MS, Ryan White Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, will serve as a co-investigator on the project, based on his expertise in malaria and infectious disease. John serves as the president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Bruce Hamaker, PhD, distinguished professor of food science at Purdue, will lead a project focused on dietary differences between the U.S. and Kenya related to rapidly and slowly digestible carbohydrates and how they impact obesity and other health issues. Hamaker works often with USAID projects across the world and is joined in his study with co-investigators Violet Mugalavai, PhD, and Regan Bailey, PhD, MPH. Mugalavai serves as a professor at the University of Eldoret in Kenya, and her work has been highlighted at the Global Forum on Food Security. Bailey, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue, formerly served with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Cristian Koepfli, PhD, assistant professor of the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame, was awarded a grant to study the molecular epidemiology of malaria in Bangladesh. Using a new technique for analyzing blood samples, his research will advance the study of this disease which affects millions across the world. Koepfli has focused his work on advancing research to improve health outcomes of parasitic and other infections throughout global populations. Co-investigator on the project is Mohammad Shafiul Alam, PhD, associate scientist at icddr,b, a global health research institute.
A request for applications (RFA) for the Global Health Research Awards is posted each year through the IU Center for Global Health, which manages the awards process. Reviewers from all three Indiana CTSI partner institutions and their partners in low- and middle-income countries use the NIH scoring system to grant awards. Over the past three years, this competition has awarded more than $370,000 for 23 projects in Africa, North America and the Middle East. Previous pilot awards have focused on the advancement of research in women’s breast cancer, dental disease and many other critical conditions that affect both the health of Hoosiers and people in
disadvantaged areas of the world. Current open funding opportunities are available for pilot projects and reciprocal health innovation exchange. For more information about current funding, go here.
