Current IWHR Scholars

SCHOLAR: Christie A. Befort, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine
MENTOR: Joseph E. Donnelly, E.D.D., Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
PROJECT TITLE: Group Versus Individual Phone-Based Weight Management for Rural Women

ABSTRACT:
Women of the most rural counties are 1.6 times more likely to be obese compared to suburban women, yet few studies have tested obesity interventions among rural women. Group phonebased weight loss treatment holds great promise because it has the most reach, is cost efficient, and capitalizes on the same mechanisms of face-to-face group treatment by allowing participants to develop support, accountability to one another, and problem-solving strategies that are believed to be important for successful outcomes. Although group treatment has resulted in greater weight loss than individual treatment when delivered face-to-face, it is unknown whether or not group treatment is more effective when delivered by phone. The purpose of this proposal is to develop and pilot test a behavioral weight loss treatment for obese rural women delivered in two formats: individual phone counseling (n = 15) and group phone counseling (n = 15). It is hypothesized that compared to individual treatment, group treatment will result in greater weight loss and improvements in diet and physical activity behaviors at 16 and 24 weeks. We will also assess feasibility and acceptability, explore intervention treatment process variables that may influence effectiveness, and develop cost analysis procedures in preparation for a large-scale trial.

SCHOLAR:
Nikki Cheng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kansas Cancer Institute, School of Medicine
MENTORS:
Roy A. Jensen, M.D., Director, Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute and William R. Jewell Distinguished Kansas Masonic Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine; Michael J. Soares, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Director, Institute of Maternal-Fetal Biology Director, Division of Cancer & Developmental Biology, School of Medicine
PROJECT TITLE:
Potential Functions of the Inflammatory Chemokines, CCL2 and CXCL1 in Regulating the Breast Cancer Microenvironment

ABSTRACT:
While studies in my postdoctoral laboratory show that CCL2 chemokine signaling interacts with TGF-beta signaling in fibroblasts, secretion of chemokines from fibroblasts has broader implications in breast cancer.  Studies performed in my postdoctoral laboratory have revealed that mouse and human fibroblast express a common set of chemokines, including CCL2 and CXCL1. These chemokines may play important roles in regulating epithelial cell invasion and metastatic spread carcinoma progression. In addition, CCL2 and CXCL1 may also play important roles in regulating the inflammatory process during carcinoma progression, in particular, recruitment of macrophages to the primary tumor site.  Tumor- associated macrophages have been shown to promote tumor growth by altering the tumor microenvironment, in part through secretion of angiogenic, survival and growth factors. Currently, the functional contribution of chemokine signaling in regulating fibroblast interactions with epithelial cells and immune cells during carcinoma progression remains largely unclear.

Based on published and unpublished findings, I am very interested in investigating the hypothesis that chemokine signaling regulates fibroblast interactions with carcinoma cells and macrophages to mediate breast carcinoma growth, invasion and metastatic spread. To address this hypothesis, I will focus on the following research areas:

1. Examining the interactions between fibroblasts and epithelial cells during mammary carcinoma progression. This research area will encompass the use of transgenic and transplantable mouse models of breast cancer and human and mouse cell lines to understand the role of CCL2 chemokine signaling interactions between fibroblasts and epithelial cells in carcinoma growth, invasion and metastases.
2. Examining the contribution of fibroblasts in regulating the inflammatory processes during carcinoma progression, in particular, recruitment of macrophages. This research area will encompass the use of transgenic mouse models of breast cancer, transplantable mouse models of cancer and human and mouse cell lines to understand the interactions between fibroblasts and immune cells in carcinoma growth, invasion and metastases.
3. Analyzing the functional contributions of CCL2 and CXCL1 chemokine signaling in fibroblast: macrophage cell interactions and fibroblast: epithelial interactions at the cellular and molecular levels. This will encompass the use of cell culture systems, biochemistry and molecular biology techniques as well gene profiling technologies to identify and understand the signaling pathways involved in these regulating cell: cell interactions involved in these regulating cell: cell interactions in cell motility and invasion.

While diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer has steadily improved over decades, metastatic breast cancer is still a deadly disease with few treatment options. My long-term goals for this research are to understand the molecular and cellular functions of stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment during breast cancer progression, particularly during metastatic spread, which remains a leading cause of death among breast cancer patients. My hope is that this research will identify potentially novel signaling mechanisms for therapeutic intervention.

SCHOLAR: Sarah L. Kieweg, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas - Lawrence
MENTOR: Kenneth L. Audus, Ph.D., Dean, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas - Lawrence
PROJECT TITLE: Optimizing Drug Delivery of Vaginal Anti-HIV Microbicides

ABSTRACT:
Microbicides - vaginally or rectally delivered anti-HIV products - hold great promise as new HIV prevention methods controlled by the woman. The goals of my 5-year research plan are to measure and model the biophysical processes governing vaginal drug delivery of microbicides, and to create tools for optimizing vaginal drug delivery. The central hypothesis is that the vaginal physical environment will determine how a gel is spread in the vagina, and will affect HIV transmission and epithelial permeability via cellular responses to mechanical stimuli. The proposed research is innovative because it capitalizes on new vaginal instruments designed to quantify unknown vaginal properties that will be used in new optimization tools. The outcomes of this research plan will be new information about (1) vaginal tissue properties, (2) mathematical models of non-Newtonian fluid flow, and (3) epithelial mechanotransduction, and its relationship to epithelial permeability and HIV transmission. The results of the proposed interdisciplinary research will benefit women’s health because the outcomes are a necessary step to making tools to efficiently design and optimize vaginal drug delivery. These screening tools will reduce the time and cost of clinical trials and help to bring urgently needed microbicides to women faster.

SCHOLAR:
Nicole L. Nollen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine
MENTORS:
Susan E. Carlson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, School of Allied Health; Edward Ellerbeck, M.D., MPH, Associate Professor, Departments of Preventive Medicine and Internal Medicine and Interim Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine; Michael Rapoff, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics.
PROJECT TITLE:
A Technology Delivered Intervention to Promote Healthy Habits and Prevent Weight Gain Among Rural Adolescents

ABSTRACT:
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. Children and adolescents residing in rural areas are at increased risk; however few obesity prevention interventions have been undertaken with this hard-to-reach population. The use of technology (e.g.,internet, hand-held computers, cell phones, pagers) as an intervention tool may offer a viable alternative. Specifically, these devices, which provide tremendous potential to develop and deliver highly tailored behaviorally-oriented obesity prevention interventions to individuals in virtually all settings, may be particularly advantageous in rural communities where access to behavioral treatment is limited. Given the paucity of data available on behaviorally-oriented obesity prevention approaches for rural adolescents, the primary aim of this pilot intervention is to develop and examine the feasibility and acceptability of a technology-delivered, obesity prevention intervention for 6th grade girls in rural Kansas. Two phases are proposed to accomplish this aim: Phase 1 will consist of a series of iterative focus groups with 6th grade girls and their parents to determine the preferred technology modality as well as the relevant content and themes. Phase II will consist of a small pilot study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the technology-delivered behavioral intervention. Outcome variables will be measured at baseline, week 8 (end of treatment), and month 6 and will include nutrition and physical activity knowledge, changes in body mass index, dietary intake, screen time, sedentary behaviors, and physical activity. Process outcomes, including program satisfaction and use, personal relevance, and salience will also be measured.