Rendell Administration Announces Health Research Grants From Tobacco Settlement Funds
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Pennsylvania
Governor Edward G. Rendell, Health Secretary Dr. Calvin Johnson today
announced that five health research grants totaling approximately $20 million
will be awarded from Pennsylvania's share of the national tobacco settlement.
These non-formula grants -- competitive grants based on research
priorities and not dictated by a formula -- will develop Centers of Excellence
to reduce disparities in neurodegenerative diseases and tobacco use. "Center
of Excellence" is a special designation given to medical or educational
institutions conducting concentrated, specialized research.
"This year's grants reaffirm the Rendell Administration's commitment to
identifying and funding projects that will have a positive impact on our
residents and their health," Secretary Johnson said. "By studying and becoming
better informed on issues ranging from tobacco uses by minorities and high-
risk populations, to dementia screening tools, these grants will enable us to
actively improve the health of many Pennsylvanians."
The Tobacco Master Settlement Law, Act 77 of 2001, requires that each year
settlement dollars will go toward addressing research priorities that are
established and reviewed annually by a statewide Health Research Advisory
Committee, chaired by the Secretary of Health.
The five grants, totaling $20 million, include:
-- Thomas Jefferson University, in collaboration with the Philadelphia
Corporation of Aging, will receive $3.5 million to test biological
markers and a community-based screening tool to identify dementia in a
racially and economically diverse community. The project will also
test the efficacy of a home-based caregiver skills-training
intervention to delay nursing home placement and improve the quality
of life for caregivers.
-- The University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with the University of
the Sciences in Philadelphia, the Veterans Administration Hospital in
Philadelphia, and the Maria de los Santos Health Center, will receive
$5 million to develop better ways of detecting brain abnormalities
that lead to dementia from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The
goal is to reduce the impact of dementia by encouraging early
intervention and initiation of disease-halting therapy.
-- The University of Pittsburgh, together with Cellumen, Inc., Carnegie
Mellon University, Psychology Software Tools, Inc., The Pennsylvania
State University, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on
Aging, will receive $4.9 million to develop new ways of screening for
cognitive impairment. The project will test new neuroimaging methods
for diagnosis and treatment monitoring, as well as develop state-of-
the-art automated screening techniques to identify new compounds for
the treatment of dementia.
-- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in collaboration with the
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Drexel
University, and St. Joseph's University, will receive $5 million to
compare the effectiveness of two behavioral therapies for reducing
smoking in depressed adolescents from underserved minority
communities.
-- The University of Pennsylvania, together with the University of
Pittsburgh, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, and Lincoln University, will receive $1.6 million to test a
novel medication for treating tobacco dependence in high-risk
populations.
More information on the use of tobacco settlement monies can be found at
the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Web site for health research grants
program at http://www.health.state.pa.us/cure.
CONTACT: Richard McGarvey or Troy Thompson, both of Pennsylvania
Department of Health, +1-717-787-1783.
