Falk College strives to achieve excellence in education not only through good teaching but also through participation in active research. Our students benefit by learning from researchers who are working at the cutting-edge of knowledge, within well-equipped laboratories, and in projects that are both domestic and abroad. We encourage both undergraduates and graduate engagement to achieve not only a rewarding educational experience but also enhanced career opportunities upon graduation. Learn more about the different types of research awards.
2021-2022 Falk Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Seed Grant AwardInvestigating the Role of Fish Oil in Preventing Paternal Obesity, and Improving Metabolic Health of the Offspring
Impact of early-life nutrition on offspring health had traditionally focused on maternal (mostly intrauterine) obesity leaving paternal obesity out of the picture. Currently in the United States, about 2 in 3 males of reproductive age are either overweight or suffer from obesity. Moreover, obesity in fathers appears to initiate changes in sperm genetics, including alterations in gene regulators called miRNAs. Fish oil (FO) derived from fatty fish is beneficial in regulating body weight and lowering inflammation. FO reduces adverse effects of maternal obesity and improves offspring health.
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2021-2022 Falk Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Seed Grant AwardNarrative Intervention to Reduce Caregiver Stress and Aid Schizophrenia Medication Adherence via WhatsApp (NIRC-SASMAW)
Schizophrenia, a severe form of mental illness, is a global health challenge, with about 1.3 million patients in Sub-Saharan Africa having this disease. Adhering to medications for controlling schizophrenia is a challenge. Patients and caregivers suffer schizophrenia-induced psychological burden (stress and anxiety), which negatively impacts adherence. Thus, efforts to improve adherence among patients would need to tackle the psychological well-being of patients and their caregivers.
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Extramural AwardUnderstanding and Supporting Pregnancy Decision-Making among Women with Developmental Disabilities that Affect Cognition
Pregnancies among women with developmental disabilities that affect cognition are often unplanned, which may contribute to their elevated rates of adverse outcomes. These women have limited reproductive knowledge, face substantial barriers to preconception care, are rarely engaged as active participants in reproductive decision-making, and are frequently discouraged from considering pregnancy or motherhood. This combination of disadvantages leaves them ill-prepared to make informed decisions about pregnancy planning and places them at risk of unintended pregnancies and adverse outcomes. Interactive web-based decision aids can help individuals with healthcare and health behavior choices.
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Extramural AwardThe Role of Peanut Intake and Nutritional Status on Pediatric Inflammation via DNA Methylation
Children living in poverty experience chronic stress from the instability of basic needs such as housing, food, and safety. In particular, food insecurity can lead to consumption of affordable, available foods, which are often ultra-processed. Exposure to chronic stress during childhood contributes to a higher risk of developing inflammation and oxidative stress. This can lead to other physical and mental health consequences such as increased likelihood of asthma, depression, and obesity. The goal of this study is to identify the nutritional effects on inflammation and oxidative stress in 4-year-old children living in poverty in New York state.
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Extramural AwardNYS Wastewater Surveillance Network
Wastewater surveillance is a useful tool for ensuring health security via confirmation that COVID-19 is at low levels of transmission and alerting to increasing levels of transmission. Dr. Larsen is leading efforts to develop a wastewater surveillance network for the state of New York, including building the surveillance system infrastructure, training local health departments regarding wastewater surveillance, and informing the public. Initially this network will serve in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, this network will support the public health response to the opioid crisis, monitor trends in antimicrobial resistance, and potentially surveil other infectious diseases such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus as well as environmental toxins such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Numerous research opportunities are available for students.
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Extramural AwardHepatitis E Vaccine Roadmap
This project aims to leverage experts from across the international Hepatitis E virus community to build global consensus around the knowledge and research gaps surrounding this important, yet neglected cause, of maternal mortality. We are working to identify an optimal country context and vaccine trial strategy to maximize the policy impact of an HEV vaccine at WHO and country levels. We are also engaging with vaccine manufacturers to ensure capacity, readiness, and interest in securing WHO prequalification for use in routine and emergency situations.
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Extramural AwardCollaborative Research: SCH: Psychophysiological Sensing to Enhance Mindfulness-based Interventions for Self-Regulation of Opioid Cravings
Dessa Bergen-Cico, professor Public Health is the co-principal investigator along with principal investigator Asif Salekin, assistant professor Electrical Engineering and Computer Science on a novel grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) titled Psychophysiological Sensing to Enhance Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Self-Regulation of Opioid Cravings. This study aims to support recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD), a leading public health problem in the U.S. Dr Bergen-Cico and Dr. Salekin will lead the development of wearable physiological sensing technologies that will help identify individual predictors of craving and relapse risk while also teaching participants how to use mindfulness-based practices to manage cravings and reduce neurophysiological responses associated with stress and relapse risks.
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Extramural AwardAccess to Healthcare for People with Disability: Physical Accessibility of Primary Care Providers
This project, with Mary Lou Breslin of DREDF, seeks to learn the frequency and geographic distribution of disability-accessible medical examination equipment (MDE) in primary care offices, and match location of MDE to potential need. With audit data from Medicaid managed care participating practices in Los Angeles County, the number of practices with MDE within a zip code is mapped against the Census zip code count of persons with mobility impairments. Regression analysis is used to assess zip code population demographics as predictors of the presence/absence of MDE. The sparse number and distribution of MDE suggest that few patients with mobility impairments will receive healthcare using accessible MDE. This disability-related access barrier affects equity of care and is an essential social determinant of health disparities of people with disabilities.
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Extramural AwardCommunity Schools Optimal Health Initiative
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is investing $3 million in the Community Schools Optimal Health Initiative, a partnership between Wayne County Community Schools and Peaceful Schools in Syracuse. Assistant Professor Ryan D. Heath in the School of Social Work will help implement and study the initiative, which aims to expand a system of supports that fosters healthy development for students across nine public school districts. The project will utilize community school systems and multitiered systems of support to identify existing assets, coordinate resources between schools and community agencies, and expand both school-based interventions and out-of-school programs.
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Extramural AwardEmpowering Black Pastors to Amplify Colorectal Cancer Prevention Messages in Underserved Communities
Empowering Black Pastors to Amplify Colorectal Cancer Prevention Messages to Underserved Communities is a culturally sensitive, faith-based health education intervention. The purpose of this project is to increase awareness of colorectal cancer, risk factors and the importance of prevention and early detection among African Americans in the city of Syracuse, New York. Project activities include structured Pastoral education, provision of a Pastoral toolkit, and development and distribution of a culturally competent brochure. These activities will lead to greater awareness and understanding about colorectal cancer, and increased participation in screening activities in underserved communities. Project partners include: Onondaga County Health Department, American Cancer Society, Inter-denominational Ministerial Alliance and Pastors’ Health Council of Central New York -Genesis Health Project Network.
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Extramural AwardInterdisciplinary Collaborative Training for Integrated Behavioral Health Care, Health Resources & Services Administration
Xiafei Wang | Kenneth James Marfilius | Tracy Walker | Kristin Esposito | Matthew C. Spitzmueller | Nancy R. Mudrick | Kendra DeLoach McCutcheon | Carrie J. Smith |Like communities across the United States, Central New York faces an acute shortage of mental health professionals, particularly those who work with children and families. The stigma of mental health issues, combined with long waits to see psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers, often means that families don’t seek help until they face a significant crisis. That’s why the School of Social Work in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, the School of Education’s Department of Counseling and Human Services, the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Upstate University’s Psychiatry Faculty Practice have joined forces to create a collaborative training program to serve high-need and high-demand populations in urban and rural areas in the Central New York region.
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Extramural AwardDean’s Consortium of Schools of Social Work Evidence-based Practice in Mental Health
The Schools of Social Work Project for Evidence Based Practice (SW EBP Project) is a partnership between the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYSOMH) and university schools/departments of Social Work in New York State. Second-year master’s in social work (MSW) students receive training and education in recovery oriented, evidence-based practices for adults diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
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2020-2021 SU CUSE GrantRace/Ethnic Variation in Vascular Aging Trajectories and Mortality Risk: Insight from the Health and Retirement Study
Disparities in overall life expectancy in the U.S. prevail with non-Hispanic Black individuals living four to five years less than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic individuals. Racial differences in life expectancy may be driven by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of and antecedent to CVD.
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2020-2021 SU CUSE GrantAssessing Pyrethroid Exposure and Risk of Cardiovascular and Neurocognitive Disease in a Sample of Syracuse Children
Pyrethroids are the most commonly used insecticides in the world today. Exposure above the level of detection is common, and the potential health impacts of pyrethroid exposure are severe. We will utilize funding from the CUSE Grant to test 300 urine samples from the Environmental Exposures and Child Health Outcomes (EECHO) for pyrethroid metabolites.
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2020-2021 SU CUSE GrantIntergenerational Transmission of Cognitive Impairment in Later Life
Alzheimer’s Disease and related forms of dementia are considered one of the nation’s greatest social, medical and fiscal challenges because of the toll it takes on families, the individuals afflicted, and the health care system. Since dementia has a strong basis in biological (including genetic), socio-economic, behavioral, and psychological traits that are shared by family members, it is important to understand the familial etiology of dementia-related impairments, not only to determine the strength of transmission, but also to establish whether family risk factors are remediable through behavioral change and other interventions.
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2021-2022 Fellowship or HonorJessica Garay 2021-2022 American Society of Nutrition (ASN) Science Policy Fellow
Over the next year, Professor Garay will engage in meetings with various stakeholders involved in federal legislation, including representatives from various federal agencies as well as individuals who have worked on Capitol Hill. Professor Garay will have opportunities to advocate for health related legislative issues, and will serve as an ex officio member of the ASN Committee on Advocacy and Science Policy.
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Extramural AwardThe Influence of Contextual and Constitutional Emotional Processes on Speech Motor Control and Speech Motor Learning in Early Childhood Stuttering
The goals of this project are to advance the understanding of stuttering development in preschool-age children and inform future fluency treatment. Specifically, the researchers are interested in how different aspects of emotional reactivity influence children’s speech motor control and speech motor learning.
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Extramural AwardMaria Brown and Mary Helen McNeal partner with Vera House in Preventing Elder Abuse Project
Vera House in collaboration with Maria Brown, Research Assistant Professor in Social Work and Aging Studies Institute and Mary Helen McNeal, Professor in College of Law, will establish the Expanding CORE (Community-Based Options to Respond to Elder Abuse) Program in three apartment buildings in Syracuse.
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Extramural AwardThe Impact of College Conference TV Networks on College Football and Basketball Attendance
Sport Analytics senior Sam Marteka and junior Mackenzie Mangos are working with assistant professor Jeremy Losak on research being conducted as part of an ACC Initiatives Grant. As more sporting events become available on live television, an obvious question is the extent to which television acts as a substitute or complement for in-stadium attendance. This is especially true at the collegiate level where ticket sales and other game day revenues make up a significant portion of total revenues. Using a panel dataset from 2002-2019, this project will examine the effects of new conference networks and the increase of televised events on attendance for college football NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and college basketball NCAA Division 1 schools.
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Extramural AwardPiloting a SARS2 Early Warning Wastewater Surveillance Platform
In response to the coronavirus, Syracuse University researchers have teamed with SUNY ESF, SUNY Upstate, and industry partners to pilot a statewide wastewater surveillance platform for New York state. This project will examine the usefulness of wastewater surveillance as an early warning of increasing coronavirus transmission and establish wastewater sampling standards for the state of New York.
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Extramural AwardExploring FIFA Video Games as a Channel to Promote Football Participation, Football Literacy, and Psychosocial Well-being
This project is proposed to (1) investigate how FIFA video games usage is associated with football participation and psychological well-being, and (2) develop strategies to better utilize the video game series in stimulating football participation. Two survey-based studies are designed for the project, targeting adults in the U.S. and Canada. In Study 1, we compare four groups [FIFA video games usage (Y/N) x physical play in football (Y/N)] on their football enjoyment/involvement and physical and mental health. In Study 2, we focus on those who only play football online, and introduce/test the concept of ‘football literacy’ as a mediator explaining the football participatory effects of playing FIFA video game series.
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Extramural AwardDeveloping an Instrument to Assess Intergenerational Digital Communication by Older Adults: Expanding the Solidarity Model
The purpose of this project is to develop a reliable and valid instrument that measures the use and efficacy of various forms of intergenerational digital communication and integrate those measures within the intergenerational solidarity inventory, the gold standard for measuring intergenerational family relationships. The researchers incorporate these new forms of communication into the intergenerational solidarity paradigm and its measurement tool by conceptualizing and empirically developing a new dimension of solidarity labelled “digital solidarity.”
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2020-2021 Fellowship or HonorEstimating Cardiovascular Age in the Community: We are Only as Old as Our Arteries
The current COVID-19 pandemic has shined a bright light on the racial divide in health in the U.S. with African Americans bearing a disproportionate burden of coronavirus-related morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are emerging as prominent risk factors for coronavirus and its related sequela. African Americans have higher CVD risk factor burden and as such are experiencing higher mortality rates from coronavirus. Moreover, the coronavirus may cause acute cardiac damage even in those without a history of CVD. Whether this acute damage has chronic effects on cardiovascular health in survivors of coronavirus remains unknown.
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2018-2019 Fellowship or HonorImpact of Gardening on Refugee Mental Health, Community Building, and Economic Well-being in Central New York
This project seeks to examine the relationship between home and community gardening practices, mental health indicators, community building, and socio-economic well-being (with an emphasis on food security) in resettled refugee populations. Existing literature on refugee populations suggests that refugees face a decreased probability of sustaining socio-economic development if nutritional and general health needs are unmet.
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Intramural Sponsored ProjectWiSE Faculty Covid Resource Grant
This grant supported two graduate students who assisted in a literature search on the topics of vegetarian diet prevalence in athletes, measurement of inflammatory markers, diet assessment in female athletes, and omega-3 fatty acid bioavailability. As a result of this literature search, we are now working on a manuscript that synthesizes these topics together.
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