Through donor support, the Internal Funded Research Award recently funded two research studies including one that aims to research invasive breast cancer and another that will explore COVID-19 and its effect on overall health.
Internal Funded Research Awards are supported by Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation donors. In addition to promoting the development of internal research projects, the Internal Funded Research Award is intended to serve as a catalyst for later research endeavors. It provides funding necessary to complete the preliminary work essential for securing external grants within research areas designated as scientific strategic priorities.
“We greatly appreciate all of the support our donors are able to provide to research," said Karen Piel, Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation planned giving officer. “We are able to put this donor support to good use supporting research that is important to people in the heart of Wisconsin."
Invasive breast cancer
Ya-Huei Li, Ph.D., project scientist with the Cancer Care and Research Center, is looking to develop an in-house model that can help predict the survival rate and recurrence 5-10 years after an invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Oncologists will use the tool to help them refer and facilitate the decision-making process.
Understanding COVID-19
Cody Goessl, Ph.D., A.T.C., postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, will collect preliminary data from electronic health records to explore relationships between COVID-19 and several markers of general health including cardiometabolic, lifestyle and socioemotional factors. Jeffrey VanWormer, Ph.D., research scientist at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, and Ram Pathak, M.D., endocrinologist with Marshfield Clinic Health System, will serve as co-investigators on the study.
“Both of these research projects are very deserving of these awards," said Amit Acharya, B.D.S., M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Research Institute. “I want to personally thank those that support important research such as this because it is this type of funding that make the next stages of important research possible."