New Initiative Consolidates Health Research on Campus

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –The University of Arkansas has created the Health Research Initiative to create more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among the many people who do health-related research on campus.

The Health Research Initiative’s interdisciplinary approach will lead to new research and ultimately improve and save more lives.

“This is a great opportunity to harness our strengths and knowledge and pull together researchers to more holistically address pressing issues,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

There is already a considerable amount of health research being done on campus, but it tends to be confined to pockets within the university’s many programs. The new initiative will help create an atmosphere that will maximize research output.

Currently, health researchers in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering are working to develop cancer drug treatments, drug delivery systems and cancer detection tools. Elsewhere, faculty in the College of Education and Health Professions study lifestyle changes that could reduce the likelihood of cancer. And scientists in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences conduct research in food safety.

The initiative was launched by Gaber and by Jim Rankin, vice provost for research and economic development, after more than 200 faculty members expressed interest in or said they already were conducting health-related research in four specific areas: chronic disease research, health care delivery, health and wellness, and health policy.

 “The Health Research Initiative hopes to accomplish two important objectives: raise awareness of faculty work in areas that impact health care, and demonstrate health-care-related work as an area of importance for the university,” said Bob Beitle, a chemical engineering professor and co-chair of the initiative. Nan Smith-Blair, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, is the other co-chair.

Interested faculty groups will attend meetings in the coming months to discuss research opportunities and look for potential collaborators.

“Making faculty aware of each other serves to develop connections that may lead to new ideas,” Beitle said. “This in turn can form the basis of larger efforts typically unreachable by a single investigator or small teams.”