A desire to help others is the foundation of a person’s pursuit of a career in the medical field. For Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, this core value and drive to be an advocate for those in difficult medical situations, especially women of color, have helped forge her nearly 30 years in health care.
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Christine Ferguson’s interest in nutrition started early in her UA academic career and blossomed into a niche research area based on a personal connection. And while Ferguson had big aspirations for her future, she never imagined her expertise would lead to a pivotal role in providing dietary guidelines endorsed by a national nonprofit founded by one of Hollywood’s most recognized actors.
Keisha Carden Ivey, a third-year graduate student in clinical geropsychology mentored by ARIA faculty Dr. Rebecca S. Allen, received the 2017 Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis in the UA Department of Psychology. The thesis was titled The Effect of Daily Stress, Positive Events, Positive and Negative Affect, and Adult Day Services on Caregivers’ Pain: Outcomes from the Daily Stress and Health (DASH) Study.
Shelley Condon, a first-year graduate student in clinical geropsychology mentored by ARIA faculty Dr. Patricia A. Parmelee, received a Graduate Student Travel Award from Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) of the American Psychological Association. The award will support Ms. Condon’s travel to the 2017 APA conference to present her poster titled Pain, Anger, Sleep and Depression among Older Adults with Osteoarthritis.
Shelley also placed second in the overall presentation category at the Southeast Consortium on Gerontology and Geriatrics Student Mentoring Conference, held in Atlanta on April 21-22. Her presentation was titled Exploring the Construct of Emotional Intelligence: A Factor Analysis Approach.
Soohyun Park, a second-year graduate student in clinical geropsychology mentored by ARIA faculty Dr. Giyeon Kim, received the 2016 Minority Issues in Gerontology Student Poster Award from Gerontological Society of America (GSA). The award was presented at the Minority Issues in Gerontology Award Presentation and Reception at GSA on November 18, 2016. Her award-winning paper is titled “Reasons for Immigration and Mental Disorders among Asian and Latino Immigrant Elders: Ethnic Differences Existed.”
CMHA will cosponsor the 2014 Aging Successfully Conference with The College for Continuing Studies on May 16, 2014, at The University of Alabama Bryant Conference Center. Please see the brochure for more information.
ARIA faculty members have been awarded several federal grants to help further their research. Read about some of our recently funded grants.
Project title: “Electrical Impedance-Based Wearable Device for Monitoring Inflammation in Knee Osteoarthritis”
Mechanism: R21 funded by the National Institute of Health
Description: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic illness and the leading cause of pain and disability among older adults. As the population ages, prevalence of OA is rising sharply; this, in turn, portends rising rates of disability and health care costs. Inflammation of the joint space is clearly associated with OA pain and stiffness, disability, and progression of the disease. However, there are currently no feasible methods for ambulatory monitoring of joint inflammation. This project therefore will develop and test a wearable device using bio-impedance (electrical resistance) to assess inflammation of the knee joint among persons with knee OA. By clarifying how localized impedance changes are associated with short-term changes in pain and other OA symptoms, this research will lay a foundation for improved management of this very common and disabling condition.
Project title: “Deep South Comprehensive Graduate Psychology Training Pipeline: Substance and Opioid Use (SUD/OUD) Assessment and Brief Treatment”
Mechanism: HRSA
Description: The purpose is to address the mental health provider shortage in West Alabama with a focus on SUD/OUD by expanding and enhancing integrated, interprofessional behavioral health training within the clinical psychology graduate training program at UA. Our diverse interprofessional training team will develop new practicum experiences based in primary medical care settings focused on assessment, treatment and prevention of SUD/OUD in two rural medical clinics and an urban federally qualified health center (FQHC).
Project title: “ Enhancing Sleep Quality for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: Pragmatic Trial of an Evidence-Based Frontline Huddling Program”
Mechanism: R61/R33 funded by the National Institute of Health
Description: This study will improve clinical outcomes for an important, growing, and vulnerable population—nursing home (NH) residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (ADRDs)—by implementing an evidence-based intervention (LOCK) to improve these residents’ sleep. It will also significantly increase our understanding of how to implement and sustain nursing home interventions.
