This article is the first in an ongoing series to highlight UK College of Health Sciences faculty efforts to combat the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Researchers were not immune to COVID-19’s impact as the virus forced labs to rethink and reinvent operations nationwide. UK College of Health Sciences (CHS) faculty pivoted quickly to sustain their current opportunities and joined with investigators around the world to provide solutions in their areas of expertise to fight the pandemic’s effects.

Roughly 1 in 7 Americans live with a disability that impacts daily mobility. The average cost of a wheelchair ranges from $500 to $2,000 without insurance, seriously curbing access to this essential equipment for patients who lack proper coverage. The UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) in Hazard is working to bridge this gap for Kentucky patients through a project that repairs and redistributes used medical equipment to communities in need. 

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of research projects not affiliated with infectious disease research have halted. But, this doesn’t mean students are unable to engage with research. Richard Andreatta, PhD, FASHA, director of undergraduate research for the UK College of Health Sciences, shares how students can keep their science skills sharp while labs are closed.    

Spraining your ankle may seem like a small injury compared to others, but researchers at the UK College of Health Sciences (CHS) know how something small can develop into larger problems down the road. Now, a team of CHS investigators are collaborating with military researchers at the Naval Health Research Center, and faculty at the University of Virginia, to find rehabilitative solutions for populations most at risk for chronic and future ankle injuries.

Kevin Murach, PhD, didn’t always want to be a researcher. But, with the encouragement of several mentors through his career, Murach (now a post-doctoral fellow with the Center for Muscle Biology) is part of an elite team of scientists whose projects have been consistently funded at the federal level. 

A new clinical trial initiated by University of Kentucky researchers argues against the hypothesis that the diabetes drug metformin could help exercising seniors gain more muscle mass. The double-blind trial, conducted at the University of Kentucky and University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that older adults who took metformin while performing rigorous resistance exercise training had smaller gains in muscle mass than the placebo group. The results of the trial were published in Aging Cell, Sept. 26.