The TSET Health Promotion Research Center Awards FY26 Seed Grants to Support Innovative Public Health Research

The TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences is proud to announce the recipients of its FY26 seed grant program. Each awardee will receive up to $100,000 in funding over two years to support innovative, early-stage research aimed at improving public health outcomes in Oklahoma and beyond.

Awardees and Project Highlights:

• Dr. Jamie Rhudy, Professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences and site director of the HPRC Tulsa campus, will lead a study titled, “Can smoking cessation improve physiological markers of chronic pain in Native American smokers? A pilot feasibility study.” This research will explore whether four weeks of verified smoking abstinence—supported by financial incentives—can improve chronic pain risk markers among Native American adults.
• Drs. Joanne Lyu and Emily Hébert, Assistant Professors in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, will serve as multiple principal investigators on a project titled, “Developing a Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention to Help Young Adults Achieve and Sustain Abstinence from Nicotine Vaping.” This study will develop and test a mobile-based intervention that delivers real-time support to help young adult e-cigarette users quit and maintain abstinence.
• Dr. Rachel Liebe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University, will lead a project titled, “Development and Pilot Testing of an mHealth Coping Intervention for Mothers Experiencing Food Insecurity.” This 8-week mobile intervention aims to help mothers in Oklahoma manage stress from food insecurity, which will ultimately enhance their mental health, cognitive function, and diet quality.
• Dr. Amanda Janitz, Associate Professor in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Dr. J. Carrick Carter, Associate Professor in Pediatrics, both faculty at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, will co-lead a project titled, “Treatment Engagement in Adolescents with Conditions of Hematology/Oncology (TEACH) using mHealth.” This study will aim to improve treatment adherence among adolescents and young adults with cancer or blood disorders through a personalized mobile health application.
• Dr. Amy Cohn, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, continues her research with a third cycle of funding for a project titled, “Time-Sensitive Drug Abuse Research: Evaluating the Impact of Medical Cannabis Legalization on Cannabis Attitudes, Substance Use Behaviors, and Related Health Behaviors in Oklahomans.” This study focuses on understanding cannabis use patterns, motivations, and impacts within Oklahoma’s evolving medical cannabis policy landscape, especially among vulnerable populations.

About HPRC:
The TSET Health Promotion Research Center’s mission is to reduce the burden of disease in Oklahoma by addressing modifiable health risk factors such as tobacco use, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, cancer screening, and risky alcohol and other substance use through research, novel intervention development, and dissemination of research findings. HPRC aims to improve health outcomes statewide. Seed grant funding provides critical support for foundational research that positions investigators for future competitive national grant opportunities.

For more information, visit: https://healthpromotionresearch.org/