RSS 1.0UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Symposium
ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
The UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Symposium (formerly Research Retreat) highlights the ongoing work across the five University of Massachusetts campuses, UMass Memorial Health Care, Baystate Health and a broad range of collaborators to fulfill the mission of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UMCCTS). This website features a collection of selected recordings, posters, presentations, and abstracts contributed by presenters at the research retreat. The UMCCTS is part of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (Grant # UL1-TR001453) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Recently Published
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Videorecording: UMCCTS Research Symposium 2022Click on the "Link to Full Text" button to view a video recording of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Symposium held virtually on Friday, June 10, 2022. This recording is restricted to current UMass Chan Medical School users only.
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Agenda: UMCCTS Research Symposium 2022Agenda for the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Symposium held virtually on Friday, June 10, 2022.
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Exploring the Contributions of Local Health Departments in Land Use and Transportation Policy: Implications for Cross-sector CollaborationIntroduction: Transportation and land use policies can impact physical activity. Local health departments (LHDs) are encouraged to participate in land use and transportation policy processes, which are outside their traditional expertise. Cross-sector collaborations are needed, yet stakeholders’ perceptions of LHD involvement are not well-understood. This paper explores (1) the perceived value of LHD participation in transportation and land use decision-making and (2) potential contributions of LHDs to these processes among relevant stakeholders. Methods: Qualitative data were analysed from 49 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2015 and 2016. Participants were professionals representing land use planning (n=13), transportation/public works (n=11), public health (n=19), bike and pedestrian advocacy (n=4), and municipal administration (n=2). Two analysts conducted thematic analysis. Results: All respondents reported that LHDs offer valuable contributions to transportation and land use policy processes. Seven specific contributions were identified (inter-rater agreement 91%). Participants described LHD knowledge of the built environment impact on health (n=44); ability to incorporate the public health evidence-base and best practices into built environment processes (n=23); and ability to articulate the impact of land use and transportation decisions on vulnerable populations (n=8). Other potential contributions included increasing public support through public education (n=27) and convening partnerships within the community and across municipal departments (n=35) to advance policy buy-in and enactment. Ability to analyse a range of data that could inform policy (n=41) and providing resource support (e.g., grant writing, offering technical assistance (n=20)) were also described. Conclusions: LHDs can leverage their strengths to foster cross-sector collaborations that promote community physical activity opportunities. The results of these interviews are being used to inform the development of sustainable capacity building models for LHD involvement in built environment decision-making.
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Emotional Eating is Associated with Intake of Energy-dense Foods in LatinosBackground: Latinos experience profound health disparities in diet-related chronic conditions. Emotional eating (EE) has been positively associated with such conditions, however, little is known about the relationship between EE and energy-dense food intake that may influence risk for developing these conditions. Objective: To examine associations between EE and energy-dense food intake in Latino men and women. Methods: Latino individuals were recruited from a community health center in Lawrence, MA. Participants completed standardized assessments. EE was measured with the Three Factor Eating Behavior Questionnaire R18-V2. Dietary intake was measured with a culturally tailored Food Frequency Questionnaire. Energy-dense food groups defined as food groups exceeding 225calories per 100 grams were identified. Covariates considered in this analysis included: age, sex, education, employment status and BMI. Statistical analysis consisted of multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 201 participants were included in this analysis (53.7% female, 68.1% Dominicans). After adjusting for covariates, EE was significantly associated with high intake of sweet and/or fatty foods, namely dairy desserts (i.e., ice-cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt) (OR=1.55; 95%CI=1.08, 2.21; p=0.017), oleaginous fruits (i.e., nuts and seeds) (OR=1.44; 95%CI=1.01, 2.05; p=0.046) and baked goods (i.e., cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and muffins) (OR=1.54; 95%CI=1.07, 2.20; p=0.020). Conclusion: EE was positively associated with consumption of energy-dense foods in this Latino sample. Future studies should examine longitudinal associations between EE, intake of energy-dense foods and risk of chronic health conditions. Understanding these associations can unveil potential intervention targets for Latinos at high risk of diet-related chronic health conditions. Also presented at the Experimental Biology 2017 Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
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Companion Diagnostics for Breast Cancer ChemotherapeuticsChemotherapy plays a major role in breast cancer treatment. However, not every chemotherapeutics is appropriate for each cancer due to the person’s individual cancer characteristics and whether the patient has developed chemoresistance to a particular drug. In this research, the InVitro-Q is used to detect subtle differences in tumor cell proliferation post-treatment with four-breast cancer chemotherapeutics used: paclitaxel, docetaxel, nocodazole, and cytochalasin B. Our multi-well cell-based sensor that can monitor real-time biological changes in living cells, such as mass redistribution, and viscoelasticity. This system provides unique kinetic information regarding the phenotypic change in the cells post treatment. Each drug induces apoptosis by targeting a different mechanism of action. Each drug was assayed for 48h with MCF-7 or SK-Br-3 breast cancer cells, and data collected. Post analysis we created quantitative projection regarding the efficacy of each drug on the specific cancer type.
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Association between Psychosocial Factors, Quality of Life and Atrial FibrillationBackground: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with cognitive and psychosocial comorbidities, and poorer quality of life (QOL). In this study, we aimed to study the association between cognition, psychosocial status and QOL at baseline and AF recurrence. Methods: We enrolled 222 symptomatic AF patients (64±10.0 years, 36% women) treated with a rhythm-control strategy. We performed cognitive, psychosocial, and QOL assessments using Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA, cognitive impairment Results: A total of 123 (55%) participants experienced an AF recurrence over the 6-month follow-up period. Participants with an AF recurrence had higher rates of depression (31% vs.14%, p=0.022) and lower QOL (62±24 vs. 72±21, p=0.003) at baseline than did participants free from recurrence. In multivariable logistic regression models, lower baseline QOL, but not depression, anxiety, or cognition, was associated with a significantly higher odds of AF recurrence event (Odds Ratio: 0.98, CI 0.97-0.99). Conclusion: Lower AF-related QOL is associated with higher odds of AF recurrence over 6 months among symptomatic AF patients treated with rhythm control. Patient-reported variables have not previously been considered as risk factors for disease progression or prognosis. Our data suggests QOL may serve as a useful tool to aid clinicians in the management of AF patients.
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Improving Tuberculosis Diagnostics using Deep Learning and Mobile Health Technologies among Resource-poor Communities in PeruAs part of the mini-symposium entitled “Research on Digital Health for Designing Scalable Pervasive Healthcare Monitoring, Rehabilitation, and Home-based Healthcare Systems,” Dr. Alcantara discusses a project to improve the tuberculosis diagnosis in resource poor communities in Peru.
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Deep Learning and Digital HealthAs part of the mini-symposium entitled “Research on Digital Health for Designing Scalable Pervasive Healthcare Monitoring, Rehabilitation, and Home-based Healthcare Systems,” Dr. Cao discusses his research projects focusing on digital health.
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UMMS Biomedical Data Assets & D3HealthAs part of the mini-symposium entitled “Research on Digital Health for Designing Scalable Pervasive Healthcare Monitoring, Rehabilitation, and Home-based Healthcare Systems,” Dr. Mathew discusses the research and clinical data ecosystem at UMass Medical School and the D3Health system integrating biomedical big data, analytics, and decision support.
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Do We Want to Know about patients’ perceptions of care? Insights from implementation scienceThe presentation will introduce the “We Want to Know” program, the goal of which is to make it easy for patients and family members who have concerns about care to express their concern and get a response. It will also describe how the program is being adopted and implemented across 10 hospitals in the Washington DC/Baltimore area, and will draw on key implementation science concepts to highlight the challenges in translating the program into practice. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled "Building Bridges to "Cross the Quality Chasm": The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care."
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Patient-Perceived Breakdowns in Care: Informing Clinician ResponsesThe presentation will introduce the audience to the topic of patient-perceived breakdowns in care, with a focus on breakdowns in the critical care setting. It will highlight how patient-perceived breakdowns in care can impede the delivery of patient-centered care, including shared decision-making. It will conclude by exploring the central role of frontline clinicians in responding to patient reports of breakdowns in care, including potential facilitators and barriers to addressing patient concerns about breakdowns in care. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled "Building Bridges to "Cross the Quality Chasm": The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care."
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Shared Decision-Making in the Emergency Department: Patient and Physician PerspectivesThis presentation will explore the perspectives of both ED physicians and ED patients regarding barriers to shared decision-making in the setting of emergency care. It will describe challenges, highlight modifiable barriers, and introduce ongoing research at UMMS Baystate. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled "Building Bridges to "Cross the Quality Chasm": The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care."
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Analytical Testing for MarijuanaAs part of the mini-symposium entitled "The Problems with Marijuana and Driving: Medical, Legal, and Public Health Perspectives," Dr. Babu describes the state of the science on measurement of marijuana in the context of driving impairment.
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Shared Decision Making in Neurocritical Care: Barriers and FacilitatorsThe presentation will introduce the audience to shared decision-making in general, as well as specifically in critical care, including the barriers and facilitators of shared-decision making in stakeholders. The presentation will also highlight the ongoing research activities at UMMS to develop and implement the first neuro-critical care based decision support tool for surrogate decision makers. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled "Building Bridges to "Cross the Quality Chasm": The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care."
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Center for Digital Health (CDH)As part of the mini-symposium entitled “Research on Digital Health for Designing Scalable Pervasive Healthcare Monitoring, Rehabilitation, and Home-based Healthcare Systems,” Dr. Ma discusses the UMass Center for Digital Health, for which he is Co-Director.
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Keynote Address: New Poverty-Related Neglected Diseases (‘The NTDs’)This is the Research Retreat's Keynote presentation by Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., who is Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics and Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez is also Former U.S. Science Envoy. Dr. Hotez discusses neglected topical diseases that are highly prevalent among the poor and endemic in rural areas of low-income countries, such as Ascariasis, Trichuriasis, Hookworm Disease, Schistosomiasis, Dengue and many others.
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The UMCCTS: A Decade of Advancing Health Through TranslationKatherine Luzuriaga, MD, is PI and Director, UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Vice Provost, Clinical and Translational Research at UMass Medical School. Dr. Luzuriaga is also the UMass Memorial Health Care Chair in Biomedical Research and Professor, Program in Molecular Medicine, Pediatrics and Medicine. In her presentation, she reviews the history, goals, programs and achievements of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
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Poster Session Program: 2017 UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research RetreatPoster Session Program for the 7th annual UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Retreat, held Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. View poster abstracts
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Agenda: 2017 UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research RetreatAgenda for the 7th annual UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Research Retreat, held Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
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Home Matters: Adolescents Drink More Sugar Sweetened Beverages When They Are Available at HomeObjective: Sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption has increased by 300% in the past three decades and the largest source of both added sugar and calories in the diets of US adolescents. It has been argued that the increased intake of SSBs has contributed to the rising prevalence of obesity. The availability and accessibility of foods/drinks in multiple levels of an adolescent’s environment can influence one’s choices and impact consumption. The aim of this study is to examine the association between adolescent self-report of the availability of SSBs in their home and SSB consumption and whether neighborhood and school SSB availability modifies the association between availability of SSBs in the home and adolescent SSB consumption. Methods: The Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating (FLASHE) was used to conduct a cross sectional analysis of 1,484 parent-adolescent dyads. Each dyad completed four online surveys about dietary and activity health behaviors. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the measures of SSB availability in the home and teen SSB consumption behaviors. The potential moderators, school SSB availability and neighborhood SSB availability, were tested separately using stratified ordinal logistic regression analyses. Results: The greater frequency of availability of SSB’s in the home had a positive association with teen SSB consumption. This association remained present despite the availability of SSB’s in other locations. There was no moderation effect present in either school SSB availability and neighborhood SSB availability. Conclusion: Understanding the impact of the availability of SSB’s in multiple environments on consumption is important for obesity prevention efforts. This study found that parents can be important factors in reducing adolescent SSB consumption by influencing the home environment. Despite the availability of SSB’s in other environments, the home remains important for impacting consumption. Also Presented at the 2018 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting.
