Building Resilience through innovative Interventions to promote Growth & Health after Trauma COBRE

About This Grant

One of the most pressing and significant public health crises currently facing the United States and beyond is the gaping need for exponential improvements in access, quality, and healthcare for individuals affected by trauma and adversity. Stress that extends from adverse life events, such as discrete traumatic events (e.g., assault, serious injury) and chronic stressors, is a well-documented and consistent predictor of a wide range of mental health and physical health problems across the lifespan. The individual and societal costs associated with biomedical conditions that are caused or worsened by traumatic stress are estimated to exceed $300 billion annually. Factors, such as poverty and inconsistencies in healthcare access or utilization, are highly prevalent among trauma-exposed populations, rendering some individuals more vulnerable to adverse health outcomes – exacerbating already-existing unbalanced health indicators. South Carolina (SC) ranks among the poorest in the US with regard to traumatic events, health care, and differences in health outcomes. The overall goal of the SC Building Resilience through Innovative Interventions to promote Growth and Health after Trauma (BRIGHT) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) is to strengthen immediate and long term capacity of early-stage investigators (ESIs) to conduct high-impact independent research with an emphasis on development and rigorous testing of innovative interventions and implementation strategies that aim to improve access and/or quality of care among individuals affected by trauma and adversity. We will establish a multi-disciplinary traumatic stress research center with critical cores in digital health, community engagement, and implementation science to strengthen MUSC’s biomedical infrastructure and capacity to achieve meaningful population impact in SC and nationally. Through BRIGHT, we will: 1) Mentor a “deep bench” of promising ESIs and new investigators (NIs) to become independently funded investigators in technology-enhanced and constituent-engaged biomedical research to improve health care and outcomes among trauma-affected populations; 2) Build research infrastructure that dramatically accelerates the growth in expertise and readiness of ESIs/NIs to conduct high-impact independent research; and 3) Promote sustainability of the COBRE by developing innovative multidisciplinary research programs, rigorous evaluation, ongoing improvement strategies, and mission alignment with other Centers at MUSC and across the state of SC. Four exceptional ESI who are committed to leading innovative, cross-disciplinary initiatives at the intersections of traumatic stress, digital health, and community engagement will be provided funding as well as expert mentorship, consultation, and training through three Research Cores in each of these areas. Opportunities for faculty interaction, networking, and collaboration will be provided by a Pilot Project Program, mentoring and enrichment activities, and an annual retreat to bring more investigators into the field of traumatic stress and adversity-related health.