Two New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University faculty members have received grants that will fund research projects at A-State’s Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) for the next two years.
One of the grants will fund a study by Troy Camarata, PhD, assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM at A-State, titled, “Exploring Causative Relationship Between Agricultural Burning and Negative Public Health Outcomes in the Arkansas Delta.” Joe Ford, an associate professor at Arkansas State University, will serve as co-principle investigator on the project.
Additionally, Viswanathan Rajagopalan, PhD, assistant professor of basic sciences at NYITCOM at A-State, received a grant that will fund his study titled, “Long Noncoding RNAs in Heart Failure Related to Impaired Thyroid Hormone Function.” A-State graduate assistant Sankalpa Chakraborty will work with Rajagopalan on the project.
Both projects aim to address health issues that are prominent in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta region. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills more people in Arkansas than any other disease, and Rajagopalan’s study will explore new strategies to treat heart failure. Camarata will explore how air pollution in a major agricultural region where field burning is a common practice impacts the health outcomes of those who live here.
The grants provide $35,000 a year for the next two years to support the research, and they’re funded through Arkansas State University’s portion of the ABI tobacco settlement funds. NYITCOM medical students and Arkansas State University students will be heavily involved in both studies.