Principal Investigator: M. Carolyn Baum, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Funding Source: Schultz Family Support Fund
Project Period: 5/09-present
Total Award: $354,675

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Jessie Bricker, OTD, OTR/L

Project Title: WUOT School-Based Scholars Program
Principal Investigator: Jessie Bricker, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source: US Department of Education - Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities, H325R230056
Project Period: 10/1/23-9/30/28
Total Award: $1,096,128 (y1 $100,000, y2-5 $996,128)
Project Goals: The grant will fund the School-Based Scholars Program, designed to improve the recruitment and retention of diverse occupational therapy students while increasing competencies to serve children with high-intensity needs in school-based settings. The program will provide tuition remission to up to five scholars per year, who will take specific courses supporting career development and academic performance while they work with community partner schools serving marginalized K-12 students. Scholars who receive funding agree to work in special education or related services for two years for each year of support they receive. Data will be collected on scholars to measure program success and report outcomes until their service obligations are fulfilled or they are referred for repayment of funding received.

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Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L

Project Title: Prospective memory impairment in Parkinson disease-related cognitive decline: Intervention and mechanisms
Principal Investigator: Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source: NIH/NIA R01AG065214
Project Period: 09/15/2020-05/31/2025
Total Award: $2,378,444
Project Goals: The long term goal of this research is to reduce disability, improve quality of life, and delay dementia onset among people with Parkinson disease (PD) by enabling them to cope with cognitive decline to maintain daily function. The primary objective of the current project is to determine the efficacy of a mechanistically-targeted strategy training intervention on prospective memory among people with PD-related mild cognitive impairment (PDMCI). It is a single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of strategy training to the traditional process training approach on objective laboratory prospective memory performance (Aim 1) and reported everyday prospective memory function (Aim 2). Additional objectives of the current project are to investigate neural mechanisms of prospective memory impairment in PD (Aim 3) and neural and behavioral predictors of prospective memory training response (Aim 4). This project leverages participants, data and infrastructure from an existing longitudinal cohort of PD and control participants to evaluate short-term and long-term training effects, neurobiological mechanisms, and predictors of treatment response.

Project Title: Brain Health Across the Metabolic Continuum in Youth at Risk for T2D
Principal Investigator: Tamara Hershey, PhD (WU)
OT Investigator: Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source: US NIH/NIDDK R01DK126826
Project Period: 9/11/21-6/30/26

Project Title: Understanding Engagement in Research, Clinical Care, and Community Services Among People of Color with Parkinson Disease
Principal Investigator: Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source:  American Parkinson Disease Association
Project Period: 9/1/22-8/31/24
OT Total Award: $75,000
Project Goals: In this qualitative study, we will use a community and patient engaged research process with a socioecological perspective (working with the St. Louis APDA and other key community stakeholders) to understand the reasons for underrepresentation among Black and African American people with PD in research, clinical care, and community services in the St. Louis area.

Project Title: The Black and African American Connections to Parkinson's Disease
Principal Investigators: Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, and Scott A. Norris, MD
Funding Source: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Project Period: 1/1/24-12/31/24
Total Award: $90,000
Project Goals: To increase representation of Black and African American genetic data in the GP2 data repository, where researchers can utilize this data to discover greater understanding of PD.

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Kelly Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP

Project Title: Development of a School-Based Care Coordination Service Model to Support Youth with Asthma
Principal Investigator: Kelly Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP
Funding Source: NIH CTSA UL1TR002345 WU Clinical & Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP): Award # CTRFP1605
Project Period: 03/01/23-02/29/24
Total Award: $49,959.00
Project Goals : Using a mixed methods approach guided by human centered design, our overall objective is to develop a care coordination service model with accompanying implementation strategies to addresses identified barriers, improve asthma management and reduce asthma impact for school aged youth. Aim 1: Identify determinants impacting care coordination and communication between providers, school personnel, and families across educational, medical, and home settings, and map the existing data infrastructure supporting youth with asthma. Aim 2: Co-develop a framework for a service model to support and facilitate care coordination and communication between school, home, and medical settings for youth with asthma.

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Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L

Project Title: Perinatal Arterial Stroke: A Multi-site RCT of Intensive Infant Rehabilitation (I-ACQUIRE) "Study"
Principal Investigators: Warren David Lo, M.D. and Sharon Landesman Ramey, PhD at the University of Cincinnati on behalf of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State Univ, dba Virgina Tech
WU Co-Principal Investigator: Alyssa E. Smith, M.D. Asst Professor of Neurology
OT Co-Principal Investigator: Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source: DHHS NIH U01NS106655
Project Period: 05/01/2021-01/31/2024
Project Goals: The I-ACQUIRE Trial is a rigorous, adequately powered, multi-site randomized controlled trial comparing 2 dosages of a pediatric rehabilitation - known as Infant ACQUIRE - to Usual and Customary treatment (U&CT). The specific aims are: 1) Primary: Determine the efficacy of I-ACQUIRE at 2 dosage levels compared to U&CT to increase upper extremity skills on the hemiparetic side (using a minimal clinically meaningful threshold that is achieved at end of treatment and 6 mos later); 2) Secondary: Determine the efficacy of I- ACQUIRE at 2 dosage levels compared to U&CT to improve use of the hemiparetic upper extremity as an “assisting hand” in bimanual activities; and 3) Exploratory: Explore the association between I-ACQUIRE treatment at Moderate and/or High Doses and the infant's gross motor development and cognition (i.e., potential cross-domain effects of treatment).

 

Project Title: Expanding Access to Early Intervention (EI) Services in Missouri
Principal Investigator: Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
Funding Source: Missouri Foundation for Health
Project Period: 8/1/22-7/31/24
OT Total Award: $74,923
Project Goals: This project aims to generate change on various levels: a) for children with indicators of developmental delay during screening, the project will create a referral toolkit that includes a ready to submit “informal clinical opinion form” for EI to support their qualification for services; b) for EI leadership and FQHC staff, the project will raise awareness of racial disparities and challenges faced by families living with SCD and anticipate that these relationships will lead to further collaboration to enhance services for families with young children with SCD in the St. Louis region and more broadly in MO; c) at the organizational and system level, this project will implement a pilot screening and referral program that provides linkage between our community partners (EI and a local FQHC), identify strategies to address implementation barriers, and provide guidance on how to best help children qualify for EI services; d) at the policy level, the project will also gather meaningful information to generate change to expand EI eligibility criteria.

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Jessica Kersey, PhD, OTR/L

Project Title: Addressing Disparities in Social Determinants of Health among People with Disabilities
Principal Investigator:  Jessica Kersey, PhD, OTR/L
Funding Source: Missouri Foundation for Health
Project Period: 12/01/23-11/30/24
Total Award: $90,350
Project Goals: This project aims to identify the social and community factors that affect the health and participation of people with disabilities and seek their input on unmet rehabilitation needs and priorities. We will use these findings to strengthen a Chronic Care Model relevant to community-based rehabilitation services.