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Health Sciences Research at WVU
West Virginia faces a unique set of health issues: a population at significantly higher risk of disease and early mortality than other states in the nation; rural communities with shortages of key health professionals; social, environmental, and demographic factors that contribute to poor health outcomes.
Research is a vital part of West Virginia University’s response to the state’s health needs. Research also allows WVU to train future scientists and contribute to the worldwide scholarly community. WVU has concentrated in interdisciplinary focus areas that are matched with the state’s needs and the interests of Federal and other funding sources.
In cancer cell biology, WVU research is focused on cell signaling and growth, on the action of chemotherapy drugs and other therapeutics at the cellular level, and on other aspects of cancer research. The National Institutes of Health has funded several projects – including the most competitive R01 grants, and the National Center for Research Resources has designated WVU as a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in cancer biology. WVU programs for cancer patients – including clinical trials of the latest drugs, radiological and surgical treatments – are directly tied to our laboratory research.
WVU is also the home of an NIH-designated COBRE in sensory neurosciences. The University has several independent areas of neurosciences research which, together, can create new synergy in the understanding of the links among the senses, thought and memory, and behavior.
In cardiovascular sciences and vascular biology, WVU has a full array of researchers in the basic sciences, in clinical care, and in risk prevention and health promotion working together to address some of West Virginia’s most pressing health issues.
WVU also has two pre-doctoral NIH training grants in behavior sciences and cardiopulmonary sciences, which brings in the recognition of high caliber training programs in the nation.
Linking laboratory research to real health issues of West Virginia citizens is a high priority for WVU. The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, based at the University, was formed to address the health disparities of West Virginians and Appalachians; transform new knowledge into practice and cultivate the next generation of clinical and translational scientists for the region. It includes the state’s two largest health systems, all three of its medical schools and several government and private cooperators.
A major commitment to research has led to impressive institutional growth in this area. Externally funded research awards have grown over the past decade, and the Health Sciences faculty has been particularly successful in competing for federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The largest such grant will build new 22,000-square-foot biomedical research facility on the Morgantown campus, starting in 2011. Recent facility improvements include the four-story, 118,000-square foot Erma Byrd Biomedical Research Center and the WVU Pediatric Research Institute.