UC researcher to launch national study with $2.5 million NIH grant

A University of Cincinnati researcher has received a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to conduct research during the next five years. Natalie Kreitzer, MD, a College of Medicine associate professor of clinical medicine and vice chair of research in the Department of Emergency Medicine, received an R01 independent research grant from the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding will support a test program for caregivers of patients with traumatic brain injury, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

The funding will support a randomized, multisite clinical trial of CG-Well 2, a phone- and web-based caregiver wellness intervention for caregivers of patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. CG-Well delivers structured wellness content tailored to caregivers' needs during recovery through web modules and phone coaching. Kreitzer developed the program with co-investigators Shari Wade, PhD, professor-affiliate in the Department of Pediatrics and director of research at Cincinnati Children’s Division of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Tamilyn Bakas, PhD, professor and endowed chair in the College of Nursing.

“From my experience in the neuro intensive care unit (ICU), I’ve developed a deep interest in working with patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and with their family members, who often become their caregivers,” said Kreitzer, who completed a neurocritical care fellowship at UC and is a member of the UC Stroke Team.

Starting early next year, the trial will enroll about 350 patient-caregiver pairs at UC, Ohio State University in Columbus, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Washington in Seattle.

Read the original UC News story.

Read the full Cincinnati Business Courier article.

Featured image at the top: Natalie Kreitzer, MD, inside the CARE/Crawley building on the medical campus. Photo/Connor Boyle/UC Marketing + Brand.