Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - November 20, 2006
MIAMI, Fla., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Family Foundation Health Initiative (GFFI) announced today that it has awarded $60,000 in grants to four doctors in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The grants, which were awarded to Robert Fifer, PhD; Andrew Colin, MD; Tracie Miller, MD; and Tanvi Sharma, MD, will serve as seed funding to support research in the areas of medical or psychosocial treatment for children born with HIV/AIDS and cystic fibrosis.
GFFI is a program created by the Green Family Foundation to support health education, research, awareness, and medical and psychological treatment in the local South Florida community as well as in neighboring Haiti and other developing countries.
"The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and its researchers have made tremendous strides in studies that will help children born with diseases like HIV/AIDS and cystic fibrosis. The funding provided to these four grant recipients will further their ongoing research with the hopes that one day, these diseases will be eradicated," said Kimberly Green, President of the Green Family Foundation.
"These grants provided by the Green Family Health Initiative will immeasurably support the work of our doctors and expand their research to new and promising areas that might not have otherwise been possible. We are optimistic that these studies will generate data which will contribute to future funding and in breakthrough discoveries that lead to essential treatments, cures and vaccines for pediatric infectious diseases," said Dr. Gwendolyn B. Scott, Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of Miami.
The Green Family Health Initiative awarded $15,000 grants to each of the following doctors:
* Robert Fifer, PhD: Director of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. As the lifespan of children with HIV increases due to the benefits of medical treatment, it is suspected that a significant portion of these children will have difficulty processing speech and sounds. Fifer's study, Use of Auditory Evoked Potentials to Predict Auditory Processing Disorders in HIV-Positive Children, examines brain wave activity to find auditory processing disorders in children with HIV. This study will determine if new technology and testing will improve the ability to diagnose auditory processing disorders, minimizing the effects of cultural bias or language skills and provide referrals for early intervention.
* Andrew Colin, MD: Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. Colin's study, A One-Year Prospective, Collaborative Study to Determine the Prevalence of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis in Florida, studies the incidence of NTM in patients with this disease. These are common organisms in the environment, which can cause serious infection in patients with Cystic Fibrosis. Beyond assessing the frequency of the infection, this study will help determine why some patients become sicker than others.
* Tracie Miller, MD: Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Division of Pediatrics Clinical Research. Nutrition has been central to the care of children with HIV. As children survive longer, with better control of the disease, HIV-infected children develop more problems with obesity, high cholesterol, and pre-diabetes. Miller's study, Vascular Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in HIV-Infected Children, investigates whether or not children with disease in their blood vessels are at a higher risk for a heart attack or stroke. The results of this study are expected to lead to the design of early interventions to prevent heart attacks and strokes in children with HIV.
* Tanvi Sharma, MD: Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV/AIDS from a fatal disease to a chronic illness. However, we are now faced with a new challenge to the care of HIV infected patients -- adverse reactions to the medications themselves. Sharma's study, Metabolic Complications of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in HIV-Infected Children, examines why Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), medications which are often given to HIV/AIDS patients, contribute to complications such as abnormal body fat, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. The data gathered by Dr. Sharma and her team can be used in further studies to identify the mechanisms by which these complications occur and ways to prevent such complications in the future.
About The Green Family Health Initiative
The Green Family Health Initiative is a program of the Green Family Foundation and the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology at the University of Miami. The Initiative was created in 2003 through a $2.5 million multi-year grant to the University of Miami Pediatrics Department to support research, care, treatment, and education. The Green Family Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides seed money to organizations and programs that focus on improving access to healthcare, treatment of preventable diseases and providing community education. For more information, please visit http://www.greenff.org
SOURCE The Green Family Foundation Health Initiative
http://www.greenff.org
061120
PR061125
Copyright © 2006 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.prnewswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .