UB showcases its community-based research

One team of researchers screened customers in the supermarket to better understand the underdiagnosis of diabetes in underserved Buffalo neighborhoods.

One is working with the courts in Niagara County to address oral disparities and dental needs among those in drug treatment.

And another is expanding its efforts to bring therapy to Parkinson’s patients across New York State.

“We provide individual therapy services for about eight weeks and at that point our patients transition to group therapy,” said Laura Roberts, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences. “We know that maintaining speech and voice is really integral for everyone’s quality of communication, so we try to keep people in the program as much as possible.”

Those are just a sampling of the 20 research initiatives that have received a grant through UB’s Civic Engagement Research Fund, some of which were showcased during a recent reception hosted by the offices of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

“The idea of working with a community partner is a key element of this fund,” said Robert Granfield, vice provost for faculty affairs. “Community-engaged research is perhaps more relevant now than ever before.”

The fund was created by the two offices in 2023 to support a wide range of community-based research proposals that not only advance knowledge but have the potential to make a difference — whether in policy or practice or in the lives of those across the Buffalo region and beyond.

Twelve projects were selected for funding in 2023 and eight in 2024, each receiving $5,000 in seed money for a total of $100,000 disbursed to date, Granfield said. Requests for proposals for another round of funding will be announced in April, with submissions due by September, he said.

Chitra Rajan, associate vice president for research advancement, said her office is always available to provide administrative and technical support as university researchers form their teams, identify collaborators and develop their proposals.

“I don’t care if it’s a $5,000 grant or a $5 million grant,” Rajan said. “We are here to help all of you and we are very happy to do that.”

The comments from Granfield and Rajan were made at the reception attended by roughly 50 people, including the grant recipients and their community partners.

Teresa Quattrin and Renee Cadzow, co-directors of the Recruitment and Special Populations Core of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, spoke about their research, “S.H.A.R.E.: Supermarket Health Advocacy, Resources and Education.”

They used the civic engagement grant to partner with Tops Markets and survey customers in underserved neighborhoods about diabetes and pre-diabetes. They also provided them informational health resources. The $5,000 helped provide food vouchers to the more than 400 people who participated in the survey that supplied the researchers with data.  

“This particular project was really launched because we’ve been wanting to work in supermarkets for a while,” said Cadzow. “It’s a place where everybody in our community goes. It’s a place where people see each other — you see your neighbor, you pick up your prescription, you get your news. So, we really wanted to find a way to recruit folks to research in a supermarket.”

Partnering with four courts in Niagara County, Linda Kahn, research professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biological Sciences, and Jessica Krueger, clinical associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, surveyed drug court treatment clients on their oral health. The found 12% of respondents hadn’t seen a dentist in 10 years or more, Kahn said.

Their research on oral health disparities grew from interest in helping clients in drug court treatment programs receive needed dental work to improve their self-confidence. One of the goals is to provide mobile care with a dental van.

“Our return on investment is that now we have preliminary data that we can use for grants and publish,” Kahn said. “We’re also strengthening our collaborations.”

And for Roberts and Kalia Stipancic, both assistant professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, the civic engagement fund helped bolster the Speak Out! Therapy and Research Center at UB, which provides therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Their research is focused on outcomes between patients that receive therapy in person compared to those that receive teletherapy. What started with 30 patients has grown to 120 — thanks in part to the Civic Engagement Research Fund.

“We were able to fund an extra student research assistant, and this gave us more opportunities to grow,” Roberts said.