TSET Health Promotion Research Center Awards FY27 Seed Grants

The TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) within the National Cancer Institute-Designated OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus (OUHC) has awarded four FY27 seed grants to support innovative research aimed at improving the health of Oklahomans. Each investigator will receive up to $100,000 over two years to generate preliminary data and advance promising research that addresses critical public health challenges in Oklahoma.

The FY27 funded projects focus on understanding obesity risk factors in Oklahoma communities, improving nutrition and reducing chronic disease risk through mobile health technology, investigating potential cancer-related health effects of cannabis-associated metal exposure, and developing novel approaches to strengthen smoking cessation outcomes.

Gopichandh Danala, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Data Institute for Societal Challenges (DISC) at OU and Faculty Affiliate at HPRC, received funding for “SHAPE-OK: Statewide Health Analytics for Preventing Obesity in Oklahoma.” This project will integrate health, food access, built environment, and socioeconomic data into a comprehensive statewide framework to better understand factors contributing to obesity. Using geospatial analysis, the research team will identify communities where limited food access and other risk factors overlap and develop an interactive dashboard to help guide evidence-based community interventions.

Jill Joyce, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University and Faculty Affiliate at HPRC, received funding for “Pilot Study of MyDQ Trak: An mHealth App to Improve Dietary Quality and Reduce Heart Disease Risk.” This study will enroll 75 adults at elevated risk for heart disease to evaluate whether a smartphone application that combines nutrition tracking with behavioral support strategies can improve dietary habits and reduce cardiovascular risk.

Lurdes Queimado, MD, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the HPRC Regulatory Science and Policy Lab at OUHC, received funding for “Cannabis-Associated Heavy Metal Exposure as a Driver of Immune Dysfunction and Mutagenesis.” This project will investigate whether cannabis smoking increases exposure to toxic metals and whether those exposures contribute to inflammation, immune dysfunction and biological changes associated with cancer development. Researchers will use blood metal profiling, immune analyses, laboratory testing and mechanistic models to better understand these potential health effects.

Michelle vanDellen, Ph.D., George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair and professor of Clinical and Translational Science at the HPRC and the Hudson College of Public Health at OUHC, received funding for “Feasibility of Enhancing Financial Incentive Treatments with Epigenetic-Based Biomarkers of Sustained Cessation.” This study will examine whether providing smokers with information about biological changes that occur during cessation can increase motivation to quit and remain tobacco-free. The pilot project will follow 30 Oklahoma adults over seven months to evaluate changes in motivation and smoking behavior.

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, lack of cancer screening, and risky alcohol and other substance use through research, novel intervention development, and dissemination of research findings. The preliminary data generated through the Seed Grant Program will help investigators compete for larger national funding opportunities and accelerate the translation of research into improved health outcomes for Oklahomans.

For more information about HPRC, visit healthpromotionresearch.org.

The HPRC receives funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) contract number 00003615. This funding from TSET and the State of Oklahoma enables the HPRC to accomplish its mission. Funding is also received from the Stephenson Cancer Center through a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA225520). The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.