Novant Health, UNC Health And UNC School Of Medicine Award $1 Million To Launch Two Regional Research Efforts

(UNC Health) — Thanks to a $1 million investment, Novant Health physicians based in Wilmington are partnering with peer physicians and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to advance two clinical research efforts in North Carolina.

The pair of $500,000 research grants was awarded by a collaborative involving Novant Health, UNC Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The funding will launch joint Novant Health and UNC School of Medicine studies focusing on evaluating tools that expand access to prenatal scans and advancing efforts to improve surgical care.

“We’re excited to announce two groundbreaking grants to advance collaborative research between Novant Health and UNC focused on improving health outcomes in our coastal communities. These awards will fund studies on maternal health and the post-surgical use of opioids— two important issues in southeastern N.C.,” said Mark King, vice president of research and innovation at Novant Health and the chair of the collaborative’s Research Advisory Council. “In addition, these collaborations will build additional infrastructure for future research here at the coast.”

The organizations formed an expanded alliance as part of Novant Health’s 2021 acquisition of what is now Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In addition to expanding clinical research, the organizations are also growing medical education and pediatric specialty care, with an emphasis on Novant Health’s Coastal Region in southeastern North Carolina.

The latest award bolsters previously funded research: this collaborative awarded a separate $1 million grant last year to launch a pair of research projects to reduce health disparities for pediatric asthma and evaluate treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Each study is led by investigators based in both Chapel Hill and Wilmington, and work on those projects continues.

The collaborative also previously invested nearly $1 million to launch 19 individual $50,000 research grants.

“The partnership between UNC and Novant Health in research to benefit all people living in coastal North Carolina is really starting to hit its stride. These two exciting new projects aim to improve obstetric care and surgical care at the coast but also bring new insights to our state, the nation and the world,” said Dr. John Buse, a professor and advisor to the UNC School of Medicine’s Office of Research.

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