Institute of Medicine Seed Grants awardees announced
In March 2021, The Institute of Medicine (IoM) requested proposals in the areas of health and life sciences for a seed grant program, meant to support the goals and objectives of the Institute. This grant program required two or more full-time UMaine or UMM faculty to work together on a pilot project aimed at collecting preliminary data/proof of concept leading to the submission of a related significant proposal by July of 2022. Preference was given to projects that required collaboration across departments and/or colleges. Each selected project has a maximum budget of $25,000. The following five projects were selected. Two projects, led by Elizabeth DePoy and Jeffrey Hecker, are co-funded through the Injury Prevention Seed Grant Program, part of the University of Maine System Grand Challenge Pilot Initiative: Rural Health and Wellbeing.
Pathways to Care for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness in Washington County. PI: Jeffrey Hecker, Professor of Psychology
Advanced imaging of muscle fiber development. PI: Jared Talbot, Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology
Injury Prevention in a vulnerable cognitively Impaired Population. PI: Elizabeth DePoy, Professor of Social Work
Three-Dimensional (3D) Human Biomimetics for X-ray Radiation Dosimetry and Biomedical Image Analysis. PI: Terry Yoo, Associate Professor of Computer Science
Towards Developing a Multisensory Dining Ecosystem (EatCoSystem) to Stimulate Appetite and Motivate Older Adults to Eat Better. PI: RA Nimesha Ranasinghe, Assistant Professor of Spatial Informatics
AI in Life Sciences and Medicine at the Roux InstituteCANCELED, will be rescheduled
A presentation by Raimond Winslow, Ph.D. director of Life Science and Medicine Research and professor of Bioengineering at the Roux Institute.
Wednesday, August 4th @ 1:00 pm Stodder 57
Ecological Society of America virtual meeting
ESA live discussion time: Bacteria on Lobster Shells
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
ESA Special Session 19205: "Microbiomes and Social Equity"
August 5, 2021 at 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
UMaine's Center on Aging Fuels the Age-Friendly Movement
The UMaine Center on Aging has a long history of commitment to further the age-friendly movement. With a $192,490 grant from AARP, UMaine Center on Aging is providing thought leadership and technical assistance to the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (NAFSC) in Maine and nationally. We are working with AARP Maine to coordinate the growing number of municipalities that have made a commitment to include an aging lens in community and economic development by joining the AARP NAFSC. The 72 members of the AARP network in Maine can be found throughout the state--from Jackman to Limestone and Eastport to Ogunquit. UMaine provides technical support, skills development, and networking opportunities to support local volunteers making change. Nationally, UMaine Center on Aging is working with AARP NAFSC to (1) develop, pilot, and implement a check-in measure that will allow age-friendly communities to easily document their progress toward goals, (2) launch an Age-Friendly Academy that will empower local leaders to address issues of equity and diversity in the built, social, and service environments; (3) coordinate technical assistance for rural communities working on livability initiatives; (4) provide monthly networking and learning opportunities for NAFSC members; (5) facilitate networking and research support for academics world-wide who are engaged in age-friendly research; and (6) increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the AARP NAFSC program. If you are interested in learning more about the UMaine Center on Aging's work with the AARP NAFSC, contact Patricia Oh (patricia.oh@maine.edu).
Third Year of AgingME: Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) Funded
The University of Maine Center on Aging, in partnership with the Schools of Nursing, Social Work, and Food and Agriculture and the Department of Psychology has received third year funding for the statewide AgingME - Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) promotes development of the healthcare workforce and quality care for older adults through community-based programs that equip patients, families, and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to improve quality of care and health outcomes among older adults. Maine’s GWEP—known as AgingME — aims to create a more age-friendly health system by better preparing an age-capable workforce, transforming primary care practices and engaging and empowering older adults. The 5-year, $3.75 million Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. UMaine, working in close collaboration with the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (and multiple statewide partners) was one of 48 organizations nationally to receive this funding. Under the umbrella of a statewide AgingME Council, Aging ME will improve the alignment of new and existing primary care and community-based efforts in geriatrics and create synergies for the well-being of older Mainers.
Launch of Lifelong Maine AmeriCorps Program
With $133,496 in funding from AmeriCorps, the UMaine Center on Aging is excited to announce the launch of the Lifelong Maine AmeriCorps Program (LMAP). Maine’s Lifelong Communities support healthy aging by addressing barriers to health and well-being in the physical, social, and service environments. LMAP members will work with local residents in seven lifelong communities to address challenges such as access to technology, food security, home repair, transportation, and social isolation. Members will also help these grassroots groups to build local capacity by networking with partners, volunteer recruitment, and working with the core team to develop sustainable and inclusive leadership. The result will be a more resilient, healthier, safer, and more engaged community. For their service, LMAP members receive a living stipend, health care, and an education award that can be gifted to other family members or used to pay down student debt. If you are interested in learning more about the Lifelong Maine AmeriCorps Program, contact Patricia Oh (patricia.oh@maine.edu).
Kelley Strout, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the University of Maine School of Nursing was quoted in the Maine Monitor in an article about the nursing shortage in Maine.
Bacteria from nematodes could be used to kill fire ants, UMaine research reveals
July 27, 2021
Bacteria-infected nematodes may provide biological control of invasive European fire ants found in Maine, according to a University of Maine-led study.
UMaine scientists found that dead fire ants, Myrmica rubra, in colonies on Mount Desert Island and Orono were infected by nematodes, or roundworms, harboring bacteria, particularly in their digestive tracts. Their findings led them to investigate whether the nematodes killed the ants by transporting bacteria from the soil to the ants, where they may have contributed to ant mortality. They also explored what bacteria communities might be involved.
Our perspective piece has been published in mSystems!!! Not only does this debut us as a group, but the paper opens up the special collection we have put together with mSystems, Special Series: Social Equity as a Means of Resolving Disparities in Microbial Exposure. Over the next year, additional papers will be added to the collection as they are submitted, peer-reviewed, and get through the editorial process.
News Medical reports on Howell efforts to reduce catheter-associated infection
News-Medical.net shared a University of Maine news release highlighting a study by Caitlin Howell focused on reducing infections with novel liquid catheter coatings. Howell, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at UMaine, is a co-principal investigator on the study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Clarissa Henry, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the GSBSE just received a notice of award for continuation of her NIH RO1 grant, Mechanisms of NAD+ action during muscle development and homeostasis for year 3.
The Maine Arts & Humanities in Medicine Seminar
The Maine Arts & Humanities in Medicine Seminar invites your participation in our second season of weekly discussions in the arts, humanities, and healthcare. The Seminar is held on Thursday afternoons from 3:00 to 5:30 PM EDT during the University of Maine academic year. Sessions may be accessed in person or by Zoom, and all sessions are recorded. Because the seminar is not only didactic but experiential and conversational, class size is limited.
The intended audience is instructors, graduate students, and practitioners in the arts, humanities, and healthcare. The seminar may be taken for academic or continuing education credit; credits may be applied to our year-long certificate program or a terminal degree. Topics include “the doctor’s art,” reflective writing, narrative health, “two-eyed seeing,” implicit bias, healthcare disparities, healing environments, “the extended mind,” medical ethics, and arts in medicine.
For more information, or to obtain a syllabus, instructor bios, and application, please contact Susan Smith, MFA, PhD, Director & Faculty, Intermedia MFA. susan.lynn.smith@maine.edu Intermedia Programs
Do you have a research project or publication you would like included in a future UMaine Institute of Medicine newsletter? Please email umainemed@maine.edu
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Bacteria from nematodes could be used to kill fire ants, UMaine research reveals
