Faculty members explore a host of health and behavioral health topics, including scholarship centered around these major areas:
Substance Use
Seeking to reduce the need for and costs of acute care addiction-related conditions, faculty are exploring whether health homes for Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic health conditions are successful in identifying and treating addiction. In addition, faculty are examining the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the quality and accessibility of substance abuse treatment in the United States.
Kidney Disease Disparities
Research from the college suggests that social networks play a critical role in patients’ decisions about whether to pursue a kidney transplant. In particular, finding that poor attitudes from dialysis clinic staff members can dissuade patients from transplantation, faculty are now developing interventions to educate staff.
Cancer
Through a project funded by the National Cancer Institute, faculty are studying the effect of emotions in decisions regarding prostate cancer treatment. Moreover, building on research exploring application of technology for cancer patients, faculty are developing a mobile app that uses culturally appropriate and mindful strategies to help alleviate lung cancer symptoms.
Workforce
In collaboration with the School of Medicine, faculty are researching workforce recruitment and retention issues in rural health settings. They are developing case studies, webinars, practice briefs and training sessions to share their findings with providers across South Carolina, such as physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and health leaders. In addition, our Field Education Office is developing training modules specific to rural practice for students who complete their field education experience in a setting that serves rural and medically underserved populations.
Telehealth
In partnership with the College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy, faculty have created a novel online interdisciplinary course that trains nurse practitioner, pharmacy and social work students to provide tele-mental health services to patients in rural South Carolina. For this project, funded by the Duke Endowment, teams of students initially practiced their skills with standardized patients and now provide counseling services to real patients.