FSU College of Medicine 2018 annual report 2018 Annual Report - FSU College of Medicine | Page 43

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HITTING MILESTONES IN RESEARCH FUNDING
FSU researchers brought in more than
million in funding during the
fiscal year, a
million increase over the
prior fiscal year and the second-highest
amount in a single year.
The College of Medicine contributed
one of the largest funding increases of
any FSU college, receiving more than
. million in new
grants almost twice as much as the college produced two
years ago.
The research program has begun to carve out areas of
strength and expertise as key hires are made to propel
growth. Mental and behavioral health and recent hires in
translational science are key factors in the ascent.
I was brought in to really engage us in translational
research and to integrate with our partners at FSU in
doing that, said Jeffrey Joyce, senior associate dean for
research and graduate programs. Translational research
is about changing health outcomes, and we have to find
our niches where we can effectively do that. Mental health
and behavioral health is an area where we really have an
opportunity.
Joyce notes that the college s funding pattern is a sign of
maturation as investigators attract larger awards.
Our increasing dollar amounts indicate that we re getting
larger grants, not necessarily more grants, which is an
important milestone, said Joyce.
The university has seen significant growth in National
Institutes of Health NIH awards, including a
percent
increase in funding during the
fiscal year -
. million
of that from the College of Medicine.
We have enough NIH funding that we will no longer be
able to get the Area R NIH grants, said Joyce. Those
only go to colleges of health sciences in areas in which their
IMPROVING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE
funding is less than
million for five of the last seven
years. Once you go over that, it means you no longer need to
be in that level, you ve moved up.
We re at a point now where we have to have formal
programs and training to engage early career investigators to
use those as a platform for their ability to move into bigger
grants, he said. Our new milestones on the horizon are
developing multi-investigator grants, which are substantially
larger and cover costs that are important for the long-term
facilitation of our research programs.
While defining areas where the college will gain national
prominence, growth in translational research will produce
new diagnostics, treatments, therapies and interventions to
positively impact health outcomes.
Our research really supports our educational mission and
it also demonstrates our ability to be leaders on this campus,
and that s what I think a College of Medicine should be able
to do, Joyce said.
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE 2018
GROWTH IN RESEARCH FUNDING
Awards
Amount in millions
.
.
.
ACTIVE RESEARCH DOLLARS
Amount in millions
.
.
.
The Department of Behavioral Sciences
and Social Medicine already is elevating
Florida State s reputation for behavioral
health research, which addresses all
aspects of mental health and wellness.
As director of the FSU Center for
Behavioral Health Integration, Heather
Flynn is working to build programs and develop training to
better address behavioral health concerns in primary care
and other health-care settings.
Primary care must do a better job of integrating the
treatment of behavioral health issues, said Flynn, professor
and vice chair for research in the department. Behavioral
health issues include depression, anxiety, diabetes
management, weight loss, smoking cessation, substance
abuse and more.
We re no longer going to have this artificial separation
where you get your behavioral health treated in one place
and your primary medical treatment at another it just
doesn t work. Integrating behavioral health into multiple
points of care is the only way to optimally address these
issues.
In
, the center secured . million in annual funding
for projects focused on obstetrics and pediatric settings,
and social service sectors such as child welfare. The Florida
departments of Health DOH , Education, and Children and
Families have significant investment in the center s research.
Most recently, the DOH partnered with Flynn on a .
million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services
Administration to address behavioral health in maternal
health care. The grant will help develop a sustainable
screening and treatment model for mental health and
substance abuse in pregnant and postpartum women.