Davids Announces Federal Grants to Improve Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center

Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the University of Kansas Medical Center with more than $4,200,000 to boost research capabilities in Kansas’ Third Congressional District. The four projects being awarded will develop treatments for neurological disorders, cancers, and diabetes and help close disparity gaps in health care. The University of Kansas is one of 36 U.S. public universities in the Association of American Universities, an organization of the nation’s top research universities.

"We are lucky to have such a widely respected and advanced medical research center in our region, and I'm glad to help increase their research capabilities by securing these new federal resources," said Davids. "The four studies being awarded will further contribute to medical research breakthroughs at the University of Kansas Medical Center, keeping our community and the entire country healthy."

“These grants and awards highlight the importance of our work at KU Medical Center as we continue to advance scientific discovery and improve health outcomes in Kansas and beyond,” said Matthias Salathe, M.D., Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Kansas Medical Center. “We are grateful for Representative Davids and her continued work to support research and medical innovation.”

The federal grants announced today support four specific research projects at the University of Kansas Medical Center:

• Precision Medicine Research - $2,337,371
  • The federal resources will be used to train four up-and-coming scientists on precision medicine techniques, which improve health outcomes by tailoring treatments to the unique needs of each patient. The results will help close disparity gaps — often caused by “one size fits all” therapies — leading to meaningful impacts on population health.
• Neurological Disorder Research - $752,627
  • The federal resources will be used to better understand how the brain repairs itself after strokes and other brain injuries. The results will help develop new therapies, like better rehabilitation methods, reducing long-term disability and improving quality of life.
• Oral Diseases and Disorders Research - $688,138
  • The federal resources will be used to study how kidney transplant patients can avoid excessive weight gain, a common concern after receiving a transplant that affects about two thirds of all kidney transplant recipients. The results will help improve the long-term health of kidney transplant recipients, reducing their risk of diabetes and heart disease.
• Cancer Prevention Research - $504,752
  • The federal resources will be used to determine how DNA damage — commonly attributed to a combination of genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and disease-related factors — relates to cancer. The results will help lead to new ways to prevent or treat cancer, benefiting communities by improving health outcomes.

Davids has worked to support the University of Kansas Medical Center’s life-saving research and medical treatment since being sworn into Congress. She secured funding for the purchase of advanced CT and MRI machines at the Hoglund Biomedical Imaging Center, a research-based imaging facility on the University of Kansas Medical Center’s campus. Davids also announced federal resources to improve youth mental health through expanded primary care clinician training at the University of Kansas Medical Center and to prepare children in Wyandotte County for life inside and outside of the classroom through Head Start programs focusing on early learning, health, and family well-being.

Federal funding for these grants was authorized by the consolidated appropriations process, which Davids has voted to support every year since coming to Congress.