Featured News
Taking the pressure out of intubation
Endotracheal tubes are usually secured to a patient's face with tape, adhesives, straps, or other devices that prevent the tube from accidentally jostling or dislodging. As time goes by, these devices can press down on the person's face, restricting blood flow and causing the skin underneath to slowly break down. These "pressure injuries" from intubation can be painful, and sometimes even require plastic surgery to fix, making the hospital stay even more complicated for patients who are already facing serious illness.
A group of UNC researchers with support from FastTraCS, the medtech incubator at NC TraCS, is working to make these complications a thing of the past through development of a mouthguard that secures the endotracheal tube without putting pressure on a person's skin—helping to limit the potential for complications during this life-saving procedure.
Community Feedback: Making diabetes research feasible for participants
Anna Kahkoska (previous TraCS K Scholar) and Angela Fruik are managing the "ChargeUp" study to scale new evidence-based treatments to reduce distress in people with Type 1 diabetes. But before diving into screening participants and testing interventions, they used community feedback sessions facilitated by the Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER) program at NC TraCS.
Searching for the genetic origins of a debilitating skin disease
Chris Sayed, a dermatologist at the UNC School of Medicine, has spent much of his career focused on what he calls the worst and most common disease you've never heard of: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Sayed didn't have the funding or resources to undertake a study on the fundamental science of a mysterious illness. So, he turned to NC TraCS and used a TraCS pilot grant to kickstart his research career.
InsideTraCS — with Alicia Bilheimer
Alicia Bilheimer, MPH, is the director of Engaged Science at NC TraCS. In her role, she oversees the Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER) program and provides strategic direction to other NC TraCS programs and services in their work related to inclusive and engaged research. We recently spoke with Bilheimer about what drives her to prioritize communities in research, and barriers she's encountered in building partnerships between researchers and the community.
Community feedback: plotting the future of pediatric IBD research
Michael Kappelman, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the UNC School of Medicine, recently kicked off a $14.4 million PCORI-funded study to finally get some data on the comparative safety and effectiveness of various IBD treatments in children. But before that study was funded, Kappelman wanted to make sure he was asking the right questions by organizing a series of community feedback sessions through the PaCER program at NC TraCS.
Advancing the research agenda at UNC-Chapel Hill
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