RESEARCH & EDUCATION
TRANSPLANT EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ANALYTICS IN MEDICINE ( T . E . A . M .) LAB
Created in 2013 and originally called the Outcomes Research Center , the Transplant Epidemiology and Analytics in Medicine ( T . E . A . M .) lab works under the direction of CTI Director Jayme Locke , MD , MPH . It works to enhance knowledge within the field of transplantation by conducting complex statistical analyses that model transplant outcomes and practices and undertaking behavioral research that focuses on eliminating health disparities in transplantation . It seeks to help the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) better serve underrepresented populations by focusing on improving access , outcomes , and knowledge of transplantation and living donation .
RESEARCH & EDUCATION
The initiative is part of the Locke Lab at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine . Assistant Professor Rhiannon Reed , DrPH , was hired by Dr . Locke upon creation of the T . E . A . M . lab in 2013 . Reed says the T . E . A . M . lab has been continuously funded since 2014 and publishes prolifically .
“ Despite the COVID-19 pandemic , we have been able to push our research projects forward and continue to publish in high-impact journals ,” Reed says . “ Some of our recent publications have focused on community-level vulnerability and engagement with our Living Donor Navigator Program . We want to make sure that our programs are available to everybody and engaged with in the way that they ’ re designed , so that our patients achieve the best outcomes .”
Other recent work has focused on kidney disease in individuals with HIV , understanding the need for support for caregivers of patients with endstage disease , and long-term living donor outcomes . Working under an R01 grant , the T . E . A . M . lab reached out to prior living donors with a BMI of 30 or up to survey them , review their medical records , and assess their status .
The T . E . A . M . lab also focuses on recipient and living-donor education efforts , including a randomized trial involving the CTI ’ s highly successful Living Donor Navigator Program that seeks to determine how effectively it could be adapted to a telehealth model . This effort is being carried out
“ Through these and other initiatives , we are hopeful that we can continue to produce impactful research that ultimately will reduce inequities in transplantation .”
Rhiannon Reed , DrPH , Assistant Professor
in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Public Health , which has numerous telehealth “ suites ” throughout the state that are equipped with videoconferencing technology .
“ One of the benefits here is that patients can go to their local county health department and receive the same education as they would if they came to UAB in person ,” Reed says . “ Through these and other initiatives , we are hopeful that we can continue to produce impactful research that ultimately will reduce inequities in transplantation .” uabmedicine . org / refertransplant 19