Funded Projects

Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse TechNology Enhanced Residency (PARTNER) Program

Principal Investigator: Simone Chinnis
Sponsor / Type: The Duke Endowment
Project Period:01/01/2021 – 12/31/2023

The PARTNER program will support workforce readiness for PMH-NPs using a continuity of care tele-mental health model for rural primary care integration to increase accessibility while lowering cost. This formal post-graduate residency training program will offer high-quality and effective care to patients and a transition path for new, board-certified PMH-NPs to advance their proficiency.


Palliative Care Certificate

Principal Investigator: Carrie Cormack
Sponsor / Type: The David R. Clare and Margaret C. Clare Foundation
Project Period: 09/09/2019 – 06/30/2024

MUSC CON will develop a post-Master of Science in Nursing to Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) palliative care track and post-graduate certificate.


Dissemination of a stepped care intervention to address emotional recovery among traumatic injury patients in the Carolinas

Principal Investigator: Tatiana M. Davidson
Sponsor / Type: The Duke Endowment
Project Period: 01/01/2021 – 12/31/2023

Annually, 140,000 Carolinians are hospitalized after traumatic injury. More than 20% (~30,000 each year) develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression, both major risk factors for poor quality of life, social and occupational impairment, and prolonged physical recovery.


Elder Abuse Assessment Training and MentalHealth Services Program

Principal Investigator: Tatiana M. Davidson
Sponsor / Type: S.C. Office of the Attorney General/Dept. of Crime Victim Assistance Grants
Project Period: 10/01/2020 – 09/30/2023

Health care personnel and other professionals such as professional caregivers (CNAs, PCAs) etc., are in a pivotal position to help victims of elder mistreatment because they see virtually every adult over age 60 each year. However, they frequently fail to do so because they are not trained to consistently recognize, assess, and refer to services.


Evaluation of Trauma Center-Based, Technology Enhanced Stepped Care Intervention for Adolescent Traumatic Injury Survivors

Principal Investigator: Tatiana M. Davidson
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NICHD
Project Period: 09/01/2021 – 08/31/2025

Pediatric traumatic injury is the leading cause of death and morbidity among US adolescents and are associated with mental health and health risk outcomes. Pediatric traumatic injuries are associated with medical and societal costs of $87 billion and elevates risk for a wide range of health risk consequences that affect quality of life, physical recovery, social functioning, and return to previous activities.


Telehealth Solutions to Improve Access and Quality of Care for Firefighters

Principal Investigator: Tatiana M. Davidson
Sponsor / Type: Dept. of Homeland Security/Federal emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Project Period: 09/01/2021 – 08/31/2023

This project seeks to improve the quality of treatment delivery and increase firefighter engagement in treatment. We will accomplish this by creating a mobile resource to assist providers in real-time to deliver best practice mental health services.


Supporting Educational Excellence and Diversity (SEED) for SC Nursing

Principal Investigator: Kellie Griggs
Sponsor / Type: The Duke Endowment
Project Period: 01/01/2021 – 12/31/2023

The MUSC College of Nursing (CON) supports culturally congruent care and has developed a plan to facilitate student success improving SC’s nursing diversity and patient health outcomes that will be sustainable.


South Carolina Public Health Preparedness - Student Corp (SCPHPSC)

Principal Investigator: Kasey Jordan
Sponsor / Type:Clemson University/CDC
Project Period: 12/20/2022 – 06/30/2024

The lead organization of this 2-year workforce development proposal is Clemson University (CU). This proposed initiative will be housed within and serve as a key agenda item within the university’s School of Nursing’s Student Nurses Association (SNA). It is a CU designated student organization--within which members participate throughout their undergraduate and graduate program curricula. In addition to its formal relationship with the NSNA, the CU SNA also serves as a strategic partner of the university’s Center for Research on Health Disparities (CRHD) - an entity that serves to improve population health outcomes within rural and underserved communities.


A Social Genomics Model to Explore Loneliness and Systemic Inflammation in an Older Adult Population with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers

Principal Investigator: Teresa J. Kelechi
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NINR
Project Period: 09/09/2020 – 01/31/2024

This project seeks to advance social genomics research by exploring psychosocial stressors, symptoms and biomarkers in a chronic wound population. The most common type of chronic wound is a venous leg ulcer (CVLU), which accounts for 70-80% of the 6.5 million wounds currently being treated in the U.S. at health care costs approaching $25 billion.


COPD Management in Rural South Carolina

Principal Investigator: Sarah Miller
Sponsor / Type: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
Project Period: 01/01/2023 – 12/31/2024

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent chronic respiratory disease and currently, the fourth leading cause of death and fourth main cause of disability in the United States. COPD exacerbations are a significant clinical problem associated with impaired lung function, decreased quality of life (QOL), and compromised mental health.


A Randomized Controlled Trial of Electroconvulsive Therapy versus Usual Care for the Acute Management of Severe Agitation in Alzheimer's Dementia (ECT-AD)

Principal Investigator: Martina Mueller
Sponsor / Type: Sub. McClean Hospital/NIH/NIA
Project Period: 09/30/2018 – 05/31/2024

Alzheimer's dementia (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease of aging, affects cognition, emotion, and behavior. Agitation is a common behavioral syndrome that frequently emerges during middle to late stage AD and is characterized by psychomotor hyperactivity, aggression, irritability, yelling, resistance to care, and insomnia.


Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Principal Investigator: Susan D. Newman
Sponsor / Type: HRSA
Project Period: 07/01/2013 – 06/30/2024

Funding priority request for financial loan support for students enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) degree program and the post-Master’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) at the College of Nursing (CON), Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) with a career goal to serve as nurse faculty upon graduation.


Preparing PHOENIX to Fly: Building Capacity for Research on Spinal Cord Injury Peer Mentoring

Principal Investigator: Susan D. Newman
Sponsor / Type: DHHS/NIDILRR
Project Period: 09/01/2022 – 08/31/2025

This 3 year field initiated project will drive the next steps in the development and testing of our community-based, peer-led, spinal cord injury (SCI) self-management intervention known as “PHOENIX” (Peer Health Outreach, Education, aNd Information eXchange). The aims and objectives of this project support further development and refinements of our original PHOENIX intervention in preparation for future efficacy testing on a national scale.


Self-Management for Youth Living with Sickle Cell Disease (SMYLS)

Principal Investigator: Shannon Phillips
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NINR
Project Period: 04/21/2023 – 01/31/2028

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic condition that affects every organ system and requires lifelong complicated treatment regimens. Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with SCD experience remarkable increases in negative outcomes (e.g., morbidity, mortality, complications, acute care utilization) following transition from pediatric to adult care. To mitigate negative outcomes, it is critical that AYA with SCD develop effective self-management behaviors prior to transition to adult care.


A Scalable mHealth Resource to Facilitate Behavioral and Emotional Recovery after Pediatric Traumatic Injury

Principal Investigator: Leigh Ridings
Sponsor / Type: NIH/ Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Project Period: 07/15/2020 – 06/03/2025

Pediatric traumatic injury (PTI) is a public health priority, with nearly 300,000 children incurring injuries so severe that they require hospitalization each year. Follow-up care for affected children and caregivers is critical to support behavioral and emotional recovery, but few trauma centers provide these services and established, scalable models of care are lacking. Cost-effective, sustainable interventions are needed to reduce barriers to care and reach families that need it most.


Optimizing Efforts to Restore Psychiatric and Social Function After a Major Hurricane

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NIMH
Project Period: 04/01/2020 – 02/29/2024

The 2017 fall Atlantic hurricane season, including Hurricane Harvey, was the most extreme in recorded history, and, in light of global climate change, a possible harbinger of future seasons to come. It is increasingly critical to understand how potentially modifiable pre-, peri-, and post-hurricane factors shape the long-term mental health of affected populations, so that we may optimize interventions to limit the ultimate impact of such storms.


Testing a Scalable Model of Care to Improve Patients’ Access to Mental Health Services after Traumatic Injury

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: AHRQ
Project Period: 05/01/2022 – 02/28/2026

Annually, traumatic injuries affect roughly 3 million people in the US and account for over $650B in costs. Many patients are resilient and recover well emotionally, but over 20% (~600,000 people per year) develop mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, both major risk factors for social and occupational impairment; poor physical health and quality of life; and lost productivity, work, and financial resources.


Improving Quality of Care in Child Mental Health Service Settings

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NIMH
Project Period: 08/01/20172 – 05/31/2024

Assuring children access to the highest quality mental health care is a top national priority. Yet, quality of care continues to be highly variable in traditional service settings. Novel, scalable solutions are needed to address modifiable quality-of-care indicators in sustainable ways.


CBT by Phone to Promote Use of Alcohol Related Care and Reduce Drinking

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: Sub. University of Rochester/NIH/NIAAA
Project Period: 09/01/2018 – 08/31/2023

Numerous evidence-based treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been developed, and research shows that individuals who obtain alcohol specialty care have improved drinking outcomes and are more likely to recover, yet a small percentage of individuals with AUD obtain treatment. 


Augmenting Suicide Prevention Interventions for Service Members (ASPIS)

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: Ohio State University/DOD
Project Period: 09/30/2022 – 09/29/2026

The suicide rate among US military personnel remains elevated as compared to the age- and gender-adjusted general population. Researchers have identified several strategies that are effective for preventing suicidality among military personnel, but little is known about when or for whom these strategies are most likely to reduce suicidality among military personnel


The Regional Centers of Excellence in Substance Use Disorder Education Program

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: University of Rochester/HRSA
Project Period: 09/01/2022 – 08/31/2026

The Center of Excellence at the University of Rochester was established in 2019 as one of three Rural Centers of Excellence on substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States. It is funded by the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), an initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that supports programs to address barriers to treatment for SUD in rural areas.


Healthy Steps

Principal Investigator: Amy Williams
Sponsor / Type: First Steps South Carolina
Project Period: 04/01/2022 – 09/30/2024

HealthySteps, is an evidence-based, team-based pediatric primary care program that promotes the health, well-being and school readiness of babies and toddlers, with an emphasis on families living in low-income communities. The program is led by a HealthySteps Specialist, who joins the pediatric primary care team to ensure universal screening(s), provide successful intervention, referrals, and follow-up care to the whole family.