Symptom Science Area of Excellence

The purpose of the Symptom Science Area of Excellence is to develop effective, innovative, and accessible strategies to prevent and treat symptoms of chronic disease across the illness trajectory in diverse populations and settings.

Currently funded grants include:

$1.22M NIH K76 grant, PI Meghan Mattos
"Internet-based insomnia intervention to prevent cognitive decline in older adults with mild cognitive impairment"
$321K iTHRIV / NIH KL2 grant + $60K 3Cavaliers Fund grant, PI Jessie Gibson
"Decision measurement and modification of threat interpretation bias to reduce anxiety in Huntington's disease" and "Assessing anxious thinking patterns among patients with neurodegenerative movement disorders"
$3.4M NIH/NINR grant, PI Virginia LeBaron
"Characterizing the complexity of cancer pain in the home context by leveraging smart health technology"
$325K and $14K iTHRIV Scholars Mentored Career Development Award and UVA Center for Public Health seed grant, PI Lee Ann Johnson
"Comorbidity profiles and their influence on treatment and survival among underserved individuals with advanced lung cancer"
$60K + $60K 3Cavaliers Fund and Virginia Department of Health grant, PIs Jill Howie-Esquivel and Maureen Metzger
"Feasibility of symptom burden palliation using a gentle activity intervention in patients with end-stage renal disease: Pali-Kidney" and "Virginia telehealth initiative to prevent and manage diabetes and heart disease and stroke"
$25K 3Cavaliers Fund + UVA Brain Institute, co-I Ishan Williams
"Animating Alzheimer's disease"

Spotlight

Animating Alzheimer's

A new short, animated film out this fall reveals what happens when Alzheimer’s strikes so people can understand both its neuro-biological processes and 'the humanity piece of it,' explains Prof. Ishan Williams, a dementia and caregiving scholar.

A series of graphics to convey all the areas in which nurse scholars address symptom science, one of seven Areas of Excellence.

The Science of Relief

There's an expanse of symptom science research happening at UVA: from a novel HPV screening, treatment, and follow-up protocol being deployed in Nicaragua to brain training for patients with Huntington's disease, the pursuit of better sleep in the hospital to libraries as telemedicine sites, our scholars are digging deep into the science of relief.

Nurse manager Scott Austin (BSN `18), who works on the COVID unit on 3 West

Taking Aim at Burnout

A $2.14M HRSA grant will enable Profs. Westphal and Plews-Ogan to expand their Wisdom & Wellbeing and peer support training program for exhausted healthcare staff. That's music to the ears of COVID nurse manager Scott Austin, who said the program has given him tools to lead, learn, and cope.