Pilot Program at the UTMB Pepper Center

Pilot and Developmental Projects Program

The Pilot / Exploratory Studies Core promotes scientific innovation by supporting new research.

Samuel Fagg, PhD, Department of Surgery, Does cell-free amniotic fluid prevent or reverse frailty of aging?
Wenbo Zhang, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, The mechanism of vision loss in tauopathy

Hoang T. Nguyen, PhD, School of Nursing, Functional Recovery of Asian Older Adults in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Michael Sheetz, PhD, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology, Rejuvenation of Senescent Cells In vitro and In vivo

Peter Cram, MD, Internal Medicine, Evaluating the Usability of a Novel Hip Fracture Web-app, My Hip-Fracture (My-HF)
Sagar Gaikwad, PhD, Neurology, Inflammaging: Role of HMGB1 mediated chronic inflammation in aging-associated cognitive dysfunctions and decreased lifespan
Tse-Chuan Yang, PhD, Preventive Medicine and Population Health, Neighborhood Structural Inequalities and Opioid Use Disorder among Older Adults: Before and During the COVID19 Pandemic Comparisons

Antonella Casola, MD, Pediatrics, Aging of the Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Pathway: A New Therapeutic Opportunity for Viral Pneumonia in Older Adults
Rachel Deer, PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, Post-COVID Recovery Clinic: Study on Long-Term Health and Wellbeing
Kimberly Hreha, EdD, OTR/L, Rehabilitation Sciences, Implementation of a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program for Stroke
Mansoo Ko, PhD, Physical Therapy, Strength Training Treadmill Exercise to Reduce Compensatory Walking Patterns in Post-Stroke Hemiparesis
Neil Mehta, PhD, Preventive Medicine & Population Health, Identifying the Causes of the Stagnation in National U.S. Cardiovascular Disease Mortality
Monique Pappadis, PhD, MEd, Rehabilitation Sciences, Life-Space and Readmissions After Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease in Mexican Americans

Tatiana Moro, PhD, Nutrition & Metabolism, Role of Skeletal Muscle Pericytes in the Angiogenic and Myogenic Response to Exercise in Older Adults
Andrew Murton, PhD, Surgery, Oral Deuterium Oxide Consumption as an Approach to Assess Changes in Habitual Metabolic and Cellular Function with Age

Roberto Garofalo, MD, Microbiology & Immunology, Pathogenesis of Lung Inflammation in RSV Infection
Ickpyo Hong, OTR, PhD, Department of Occupational Therapy, Development of a Cross-National Independence Measure for Asian Stroke Survivors
Elizabeth Lyons, PhD, Nutrition & Metabolism, A Web-Based Active Video Games Intervention in Aging Breast Cancer Survivors
Vineet Menachery, PhD, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Parabiosis and Age-dependent Viral Pathogenesis
Andrew Murton, PhD, Surgery, The Impact of Age on an Obesity-Induced Muscle Anabolic Resistance and the Potential Benefit of Stimulating Lipid Oxidation

Rachel Deer, PhD Rehabilitation Sciences, Validating a Screening Tool for Sarcopenia Using a Model for BIA Analysis
Theodore Graber, PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, Aging Skeletal Muscle and Sarcopenia in the Murine Model
Mansoo Ko, PhD, Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Initiating Gait with the Non-Paretic Limb Affects Walking Performance in People with Hemiparesis
Cynthia Li, PhD, Department of Occupational Therapy, Functional Trajectory and Successful Community Discharge in Older Adults

Emily Arentson-Lantz, PhD, Nutrition & Metabolism, Characterization of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Production in Skeletal Muscle of Older Adults during Inactivity
Brian Downer, PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences The Hispanic Dementia Risk Reduction Trial: A Dementia Risk Reduction Intervention for Hispanic Adults
Hemalkumar Mehta, PhD, Surgery Potentially Inappropriate Medications and Claims-Based Functional Status in Older Adults

E. Lichar Dillon, PhD, Endocrinology, Cycled Testosterone Therapy to Improve Physical Function in Frail Nursing Home Residents
Steven Fisher, PhD, Physical Therapy, Fall Risk Reduction in the Elderly Through the Physical Therapy Management of Incontinence
Christopher Fry, PhD, Nutrition & Metabolism, Satellite Cell Regulation of Fibrogenic/Adipogenic Progenitor Cell Activity in the Development of Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis during Aging
Lynne Hughes, PhD, PT, Physical Therapy, Effectiveness of a Physical Therapy Intervention in Patients with Pneumonia, COPD, and Hyperkyphosis
Sara Nowakowski, PhD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Effects of Inactivity and Rehabilitation on Sleep in Bedridden Older Adults

Proposals are encouraged from all investigators interested in initiating studies on aging.

Biostatistics & Data Management Resource Core
A non-parametric approach to predict the recruitment for a randomized clinical trial in an elderly inpatient setting
Alejandro Villasante-Tezanos, PhD and Xiaoying Yu, PhD
2022-2024