Other Programs
Following is a list of some of the other research programs supported by the Foundation.
Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR)Casualty Care Research Center
Malaria Research Program
Coronary and Prostate Disease Reversal Program
USU Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
U.S. Military Cancer Institute (USMCI)
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
Health Disparities Research Program
HIV Research at USU
Proteomics Research at USU
Center for Prostate Disease Research
The Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR), established at the USU in 1992, continues to make progress in research, patient care and education programs for prostate cancer, now the leading cancer in American men. The Center's nationally recognized researchers have made important contributions to our current knowledge about prostate disease and have published their findings in prestigious publications.
CPDR is a collaboration with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and tri-service (Army, Navy, Air Force) medical centers throughout the country and HJF.
For over a decade, community emergency medical services have supported dangerous law enforcement activities. A specialized medical area of expertise called Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) was developed to support such critical operations. TEMS is designed to minimize officer injuries, improve human performance and enhance the probability of mission success.
The Casualty Care Research Center (CCRC), in conjunction with HJF, USU and the federal law enforcement community, has been at the forefront of this specialty area. CCRC has instituted a three-pronged approach to tactical emergency medicine through teacher education and training, data collection and research and operational support. Over 6,000 emergency health care providers have been trained using the CCRC curriculum. HJF provides the flexibility and responsiveness that enables DoD trainers to develop and implement this unique program.
Researchers with the Navy's Malaria Research Program have been investigating methods to control and conquer malaria for more than two decades. This comprehensive research program is at the forefront of malaria research worldwide. As part of an international consortium, researchers help complete the entire DNA sequence of an individual chromosome from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum--the deadliest of the four species that infect humans.
This genetic blueprint will provide the sequence of every potential vaccine and drug target and will light the way towards malaria research into the 21st century.
Coronary and Prostate Disease Reversal Program
In 1999, the Foundation helped initiate a new program for non-invasive coronary and prostate disease reversal. It encompasses a multi-center study of how intensive lifestyle changes can improve the health of patients with moderate to severe coronary heart disease and patients with prostate disease. This program, as proposed by Dr. Dean Ornish, provides an attractive option for alternative care. The goal of this effort is to produce outcome-driven data that will serve as benchmarks for optimal care strategies. This non-invasive prostate reversal study will determine if the progression of prostate cancer can be modified through diet and lifestyle. The implication of this information may extend to other forms of cancer, particularly breast cancer.
This federally funded research program is a collaboration with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Windber Medical Center and the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute.
The USU Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
This public-private partnership works to mitigate the damaging effects of traumatic events by educating and consulting with private and government agencies on the consequences of trauma and disaster health policies. The Center also assists with individual and organizational recovery following these events.
U.S. Military Cancer Institute (USMCI)
USMCI is a Department of Defense organization composed of military and civilian oncologists and basic scientists who are dedicated to promoting cancer prevention, treatment and research. The Institute is committed to bringing together the cancer resources of the Army, Navy and Air Force to more effectively respond to the challenges presented by cancer among military beneficiaries.
Components of the Institute are USU, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center, the Malcolm Grow Air Force Medical Center, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute.
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is an eight-site military, VA and civilian disease management system that delivers state-of-the-art clinical care and conducts innovative clinical research on traumatic brain injury (TBI). Based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C., with additional sites across the country, this center helps to ensure that active-duty military personnel and veterans with TBI receive specific evaluation, treatment and follow-up. In addition to the clinical care research sites, the Center conducts concussion and mild brain injury studies with paratroopers, marines and cadets at additional military locations. The DVBIC also conducts randomized trials of FDA-approved medications to decrease symptoms and rehabilitation strategies to improve outcomes in patients who are recovering from a TBI.
Health Disparities Research Program
A team of USU researchers received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2003 to study health disparities within ethnic and racial minority populations and underserved majority populations. The study will be conducted by the Center for the Enhancement of Healthcare Training and Outcomes (CEHTO), a biophysical training program for medical, nursing and graduate students, other prospective healthcare professionals and USU faculty.
USU Clinical Pharmacology Unit (CPU)
Located at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Md., the USU Clinical Pharmacology Unit (CPU) utilizes a CLIA-certified, contract clinical laboratory for clinical trials. In 1996, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) selected the CPU to be one of its main research sites for Phase I drug studies. Since January 2000, the CPU has conducted six inpatient Phase I clinical trials ranging from two- to 30-day inpatient stays with subsequent outpatient follow-up visits of up to 46 days after discharge. The unit has safely studied hundreds of research subjects in more than 30 separate trials. These studies have included healthy volunteers and patients with HIV, hepatitis and substance abuse histories.
In 2003 the USU received its first program project grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant was made to researchers in the Department of Preventative Medicine and Biometrics developing vaccines for HIV. The principal research focus of the program project is the development of a vaccination regimen that results in broadly effective protection against HIV-1 infection through the induction of potent neutralizing antibody and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. The results of these studies could greatly enhance efforts to develop a successful HIV vaccine.
The National Institutes of Health granted $12.7 million for a seven-year program to researchers at USU specializing in cystic fibrosis (CF). The goal of the project is to deliver 3-D proteomics, an innovative, sensitive, quantitative and dynamic technology for studying large groups of proteins in CF lung cells and CF patient biopsy tissue. It is part of an initiative, launched by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at NIH. Proteomics is the study of the ensemble of all proteins expressed in the cell. Diseases such as cystic fibrosis cause changes in the expression levels of many proteins, some of which may turn out to be disease biomarkers or therapeutic targets. This new grant will further research at the Center for Medical Genomics and Proteomics in the Department of Anatomy Physiology and Genetics (APG) at USU. The Center is also supported in part by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.