Ongoing Projects

Underserved Communities Have a Medical Provider (U-CHaMP)

The U-CHaMP project aims to attract, educate, and inspire disadvantaged students to successfully graduate from health profession programs, with the goal of them remaining in underserved communities, continually growing and diversifying the health care workforce. Learn more about U-CHaMP.

Developing an Interprofessional COVID-19 Academic Network (I-CAN) for Treating Long-COVID

This project aims to provide enhanced pulmonary rehabilitation training to students at community colleges and the KU Shool of Nursing's Salina campus. We are also developing long-term COVID content and other respiratory diseases treated with pulmonary rehabilitation. Together with our community college and university network partners, our interprofessional team collaborates with rural clinical partners at their community hospitals to expand the skills of practicing respiratory therapists and registered nurses through training in pulmonary rehabilitation. Our goal is to prepare clinical studies to assess the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for treating long-term COVID and respiratory-related diseases for people in rural areas. Learn morea about I-CAN.

Feasibility of Digital Therapeutics for Delivering Pulmonary Rehabilitation

This project’s main goal is to test the feasibility of using a hybrid pulmonary rehabilitation program to improve access to care for people with chronic respiratory disease in rural communities. Further, we will determine improved changes in important clinical and patient-centered outcomes after participants complete the hybrid pulmonary rehabilitation program. This interventional work is made possible by our collaboration with McPherson Center for Health and my mhealth from the United Kingdom.

Recently Completed Projects

Cystic Fibrosis and Exercise

Our goal is to improve access to care for people with cystic fibrosis to improve outcomes associated with morbidity and mortality. Shortness-of-breath associated with cystic fibrosis contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and decreased exercise tolerance, which leads to reduced cardiorespiratory fitness. Poor cardiorespiratory fitness is a strong, independent predictor of mortality in people with this condition. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a twelve week partially supervised, telehealth exercise program on cardiorespiratory fitness and lung function in this population. Outcome measures included lung function, incremental meter shuttle walk distance, Xenon MRI imaging and quality of life.

Cystic Fibrosis and Physical Activity Perceptions

More patients with cystic fibrosis are living longer, and lifestyle-related behavior is becoming increasingly important for improving morbidity and mortality. Declining levels of exercise leads to low cardiorespiratory fitness, which is a strong, independent predictor of mortality in patients with this condition. As a result, exercise training has become a commonly accepted form of treatment for these individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine physical activity levels and perception of exercise in adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Telehealth Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The aim of this study was to determine the impact a telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation program has on improving physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly referred to as “COPD.” This project was funded by a Vision Grant-Young Investigator Award from the American Association of Respiratory Care.