July 22, 2009
Susan Blalock, PhD, is one UNC researcher who will benefit from $4.8 million in renewed funding for the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blalock is an associate professor in the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy. The CDC money will support her work in preventing falls among older adults.
The UNC center is one of eleven Injury Control and Research Centers addressing injury prevention in the U.S. At each ICRC, scientists from a wide spectrum of disciplines focus on discovering how to prevent and control injuries more effectively. They also work to identify and address critical knowledge gaps in injury risk and protection, and provide technical assistance to injury prevention and control programs nationwide.
With the help of the grant, the center will add new projects on dating violence, domestic violence, knee injuries among athletes, and safety on college campuses. The studies add to an array of ongoing projects addressing violence, and injuries in sports and recreational activities, at work and in the home environment. The center also has a strong national focus on professional education.
“We are pleased to work with many partners in the state and throughout the world in reducing the enormous public health burden of injuries – a preventable problem that is responsible for more years of life lost and higher medical care expenses than any other health problem,” said center director Carol Runyan, PhD. Runyan is also a professor of health behavior and health education and an adjunct professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a professor of pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine.
“Connecting research to communities is a primary focus for CDC and we are pleased that the UNC center continues to be part of this critical research network,” said Ileana Arias, PhD, director of the CDC’s Injury Center. “Their work addresses several critical gaps and will help shape a better understanding of how to improve the lives of those affected so that they can live to their full potential.”
Other faculty leading projects as part of the grant include Carri Casteel, PhD, research assistant professor of epidemiology, and Vangie Foshee, PhD, associate professor of health behavior and health education, both in the public health; and Troy Blackburn, PhD., assistant professor of exercise and sport science, and Krista Perriera, Ph.D., associate professor of public policy, both in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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