Research

Research Grant Funding

Master
Content

Improving Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in Male Veterans
Oct. 1, 2024 – Sept. 30, 2025
Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Seed Award
$46,842
Grigoryan, Co-I (Trautner, PI)
Objective: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding management of UTI in men. Aim 1A: Quantitative survey questions: We will estimate the knowledge of how to manage male UTI (evidence-based symptoms/signs and tests used to diagnose UTI in men), confidence in clinical skills, and intention to treat for a specific duration and with specific antibiotics. Aim 1B: Qualitative open-ended survey questions: We will explore outpatient providers' diagnostic and prescribing decisions and challenges in diagnosing and treating male UTI with open-ended questions.  

Consortium for Translational and Precision Health – The Community and Stakeholder Engagement Module
Sept. 1, 2024 – July 31, 2031
NIH/NCATS UM1TR004539
$4,543,939
Zoorob, Lead Community Engagement Core (Amos, Contact PI; Beech & Kanwal, MPIs)
Major Goals: The Consortium for Translational and Precision Health (CTPH) will serve as a unique bi-institutional hub for infrastructure, services, community engagement, and workforce development to advance clinical translational science (CTS).

Graduate Medical Education Expansion Grant Houston 2024–2026
July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026
THECB
$900,000
Warwick, PD

Graduate Medical Education Expansion Lufkin 2024–2026
July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026
THECB
$1,350,000
Warwick, Interim PD

Testing the Effectiveness of NAFLD Clinical Care Pathway in VA Primary Care
Feb. 1, 2024 – Jan. 31, 2028
MEDVAMC IIR 22-071
$827,923
Grigoryan, Epidemiologist (El-Serag, Contact PI; Godwin, MPI)
Major Goals: Conduct a formative evaluation to assess feasibility and acceptability of the NCCP among patients and providers; adapt the NCCP for prospective testing based on feedback. Examine the effectiveness of the NCCP intervention compared to usual care in improving NAFLD care processes and patient outcomes. Conduct a summative evaluation to identify patient and provider characteristics associated with effectiveness of NCCP and to assess future implementation.

MIRRORS+ (Maternal Initiative for Reflective Recovery-Oriented Residential Services Plus)
Sept. 30, 2023 – Sept. 29, 2028
SAMHSA – SMH TI086411
$172,634
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Bell, PI)
Major Goals: (1) By the end of Year 5 provide evidence-based, trauma informed substance use treatment services to 310 pregnant/postpartum women, 360 minor children, and 350 other family members; (2) Retain 80% of clients in treatment for at least 30 days. Clients who complete treatment will report a significant decrease in use and/or misuse of prescription, alcohol, tobacco, illicit and other harmful drugs; (3) Clients who complete treatment will report significant decreases in stress, mental health problems and trauma related symptoms; and an increase in social support, recovery capitol, family functioning and parenting effectiveness; (4) By the end of Year 5, provide harm reduction services to 310 women and 150 family members that include overdose education and how to administer naloxone.

Access to Care
Sept. 30, 2023 – Sept. 29, 2028
SAMHSA – BHSST TI086247
$157,972
Gonzalez, Subaward PD (Martinez, PD)
Major Goals: The project's overarching goals are to: (1) identify, engage, and support individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system and have a substance use disorder access the services needed to successfully transition to health and wellness; and (2) solidify and augment the system of care for individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system.

Nueva Start
Sept. 30, 2023 – Sept. 29, 2028
SAMHSA – BHSST TI086081
$157,972
Gonzalez, Subaward PD (Martinez, PD)
Major Goals: The project's overarching goals are to: (1) identify, engage, and support individuals who are incarcerated and have SUD access the services needed to successfully transition to health and wellness; and (2) solidify and augment the system of care for individuals who are returning to the community following incarceration.

Advancing Health Equity through Integrated Care: The I-CARE Clinic (Earmark)
Sept. 30, 2023 – Sept. 29, 2025
SAMHSA FG001036
$1,195,996
Zoorob, PD
Major Goals: The major goal of the I-CARE Clinic project is to develop and implement an integrated care clinic on the Santa Maria Hostel Bonita House campus, the largest SUD treatment facility for women in Texas. The clinic will provide primary care, psychiatric care, and ambulatory addiction medicine treatment to include recovery support services to under resourced women and their families in the Greater Houston area.

THECB Family Medicine Residency Program (2023 Renewal)
Sept. 1, 2023 – Aug. 31, 2024
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
$195,100
Warwick, PD

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Use for Urinary Tract Infections in Primary Care
Aug. 1, 2023 – May 31, 2028
AHRQ HS029489
$2,322,759
Grigoryan, Contact PI; Faustinella, Co-I (Trautner, MPI; Chen, Co-I)
Major Goals: Design and test a bilingual education intervention to reduce urine contamination using a randomized controlled trial in a diverse patient population visiting safety net primary care clinics.

Development of CLIA-certified Non-invasive Metabolic Markers for Early Detection of Prostate Cancer in African American Men
Aug. 1, 2023 – July 31, 2025
The V Foundation for Cancer Research T2022-014
$16,588
Rustveld, Collaborator (Sreekumar, PI)
Major Goals: The study will detect cancer of the prostate in African American men who develop prostate cancer at a young age. The study will develop a test to detect substances produced by prostate cancer for early detection.

Implementation of a Hypertension Education Class at a Community-Based Clinic in an Underserved Urban Area
May 4, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2024
TAFP Foundation
$3,750
Atkinson, PI; Waqar, Co-I
Major Goals: This funding supports an intervention to examine the effect of a group hypertension education class will improve hypertension literacy and/or lowers blood pressure.

Behavioral Health American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Harris County Public Health Services (ARPA LFRF): I-Care Clinic
Dec. 1, 2022 – Oct. 24, 2024
HUD – SMH SLFRFP1966
$740,273
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Gilmore, PI)
Major Goals: In response to Harris County's American Rescue Plan Act Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA LFRF) Behavioral Health RFP, Santa Maria Hostel, Inc. (SMH), in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine's Department of Community and Family Medicine (BCM DCFM) proposes funding from Harris County to expand and enhance overdose prevention and harm reduction services; peer recovery supports; outreach and access/linkage to SUD treatment, MAT, recovery housing, and community resources for a high-risk/high-barrier population of women, age 18 and over, with/or at risk for a substance use disorder (SUD), with special emphasis on reaching those with opioid use disorder (OUD). 

Supporting Telehealth for Rural Disabled Veterans: Creating an Implementation Toolkit (2022 Renewal)
Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2025
MEDVAMC
$17,303 
Grigoryan, Co-I (Touchet & Skelton, Co-PDs)
Major Goals: (1) Conduct formative evaluation of the MH and SCI/D toolkit. (2) Collect essential data pertinent to tailoring an implementation approach to support implementation efforts. (3) Create a community of practice to discuss challenges, generate supportive strategies, and connect providers aligned with this initiative.

Fueling Hope
Sept. 30, 2022 – Sept. 29, 2027
SAMHSA – BHSST TI085219
$568,407
Gonzalez, Subaward PI (Martinez, PI)
Major Goals: The project's overarching goals are to: (1) identify, engage, and support minority adults with substance use disorders in accessing the recovery and support services needed to successfully transition to health and wellness; and (2) solidify and augment the system of care for adults in need of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services during these challenging transitions through the implementation of EBPs.

FRONTLINES+ Project (First Responder Opioid Overdose Naloxone Training and Linkage Into Needed Evidence-Based Services Plus) (2022 Renewal)
Sept. 30, 2022 – Sept. 29, 2026
SAMHSA – City of Houston TI084774
$210,802
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Shulz, PI)
Major Goals: Equip all HFD response units with high dose naloxone opioid overdose kits; Train HFD responders in recognition and pre-hospital management of a person with opioid overdose; Offer OUD treatment and ongoing case management to opioid overdose victims; Implement a synchronous and asynchronous comprehensive, culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed educational campaign on overdose education including fentanyl risks within the Greater Houston community.

Clinical Trial of Bacteriophage for Urinary Tract Infections in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury
July 31, 2022 – July 30, 2025
Craig H. Neilsen Foundation 890593
$22,335
Grigoryan, Co-I (Trautner, PI)
Major Goals: To develop bacteriophage as a novel strategy to address two urgent clinical problems for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

A Cluster Randomized Trial of Two Implementation Strategies to Disseminate a Successful Antibiotic Stewardship Intervention
July 1, 2022 – April 30, 2027
AHRQ HS028776
$2,322,760
Grigoryan, Co-PI (Trautner, PI)
Major Goals: In this hybrid type 3 trial (testing implementation strategies and observing clinical outcomes) we will study how to de-implement screening for and treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria by randomizing VA facilities that provide both acute and ling-term care to the two implementation strategies.

Be Well Texas (BWTX) Program
May 16, 2022 – Aug. 31, 2024
SAMHSA – UTSA – SMH
$116,460
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Gilmore, PI)

Elevated Homocysteine in African American Prostate Cancer: Association with Diet and Dietary Practices, Evaluating its Biomarker Potential and Characterizing its Tumor Promoting Function
April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2027
NIH CA267090
$2,797,150
Rustveld, MPI (Sreekumar, Contact PI)
Major Goals: This project investigates how altered metabolism in African American Prostate Cancers promotes tumor progression and how the knowledge can be used in the future to develop diet-based interventions and early detection markers for African American men.

MAT AUD Program
March 1, 2022 – Aug. 31, 2025
DHHS HHS001196700002
$301,150
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Gilmore, PI)
Major Goals: Provide medication assisted treatment for alcohol and other substance use disorders (MAT-AUD).

Quantifying the Cardiovascular and Immunologic Changes after Spinal Cord Injury to Aid Diagnosis of Clinically Meaningful Infections
March 1, 2022 – Feb. 28, 2025
NICHD R03 HD107667
$29,029
Grigoryan, Co-I (Skelton, PI)
Major Goals: Determine the positive predictive value of the physiologic vital signs and lab measurements for clinically meaningful urinary tract infection after spinal cord injury using a validated case classification algorithm in a retrospective cohort study.

Treatment and Recovery Grant Program – SBIRT-Substance Use/Screening Brief Intervention Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Services
Sept. 1, 2021 – Sept. 30, 2025
DHHS 1170337/42919
$172,634
Kowalchuk, Subaward PI (Velasquez, PI)
Major Goals: Ben Taub Hospital is a Level I trauma center with 404 licensed acute-care beds and provides a wide range of specialty care outpatient services. The Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center cares for more than 80,000 emergency patients each year. The Harris Health System has an SBIRT program, InSight, that provides BI/RT services to hospitalized patients at Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals. Proposed services: 1) Standardize evidence-based substance use screening for all verbally communicative adult EC patients. 2) Follow-up of EC patients needing BI/RT services and discharged home by an InSight specialist via telehealth. 3) Create and monitor an SBIRT dashboard within Epic. 4)Work with any contracted RT provider to increase and track community referrals to treatment.

Community Access & Resources Education Project (CARE)
Aug. 31, 2021 – Aug. 30, 2026
SAMHSA – BHSST SP082149
$150,167
Gonzalez, Subaward PD (Sanchez, PI)
Major Goals: The project's overarching goals are to: (1) identify, engage, and support minority youth and young adults with substance use disorders in accessing the recovery and support services needed to successfully transition to health and wellness; and (2) solidify and augment the system of care for youth and young adults in need of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services during these challenging transitions through the implementation of EBPs.

T32: National Research Service Award in Primary Care
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2026
HRSA HP10031
$1,921,275
Zoorob, PI; Gonzalez & Grigoryan, Associate PDs; Kowalchuk, Mentor
Major Goals: (1) To produce a critical mass of diverse, highly-skilled and multidisciplinary team scientists who embrace a primary care research agenda and contribute evidence and innovative solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. (2) Recruit and retain a diverse group of fellows that will be future leaders in primary care research and advocates of health equity.

Expanding Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Education through Community-Based Outreach and Information Technology
Aug. 31, 2020 – Feb. 28, 2025
CPRIT PP200068
$1,947,073
Rustveld, PD
Major Goals: The funded CPRIT project will establish a Rural and Urban Network for Cancer Prevention through Outreach and Education (RUN-CPOE). The RUN-CPOE will engage urban and rural communities around colorectal cancer prevention and screening guidelines to improve access to CRC screening services.

Come Home Houston
April 30, 2020 – April 29, 2025
SAMHSA TI082637
$1,998,220
Zoorob, PD
Major Goals: The goal of the project is to develop an integrated network of pretreatment, SUD and mental health treatment, dedicated case management services and recovery support services for women who experience homelessness with a SUD and/or co-occurring SUD and mental health disorder and their children in order to improve access and retention in services.

Bringing Alcohol and Other Drug Research to Primary Care
April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2025
NIH AA028203
$2,625,115
Zoorob, Contact PI; Kowalchuk, MPI; Grigoryan, Evaluator
Major Goals: Develop and implement engaging substance use disorder educational outreach strategies, including academic detailing and interactive, computer-based asynchronous tools, for practicing primary care physicians in the Greater Houston area and the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.