Emory University Nursing PhD Student Awarded Prestigious Research Grant

La-Urshalar Brock, an Emory University nursing PhD student, has been awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This highly competitive award supports promising predoctoral students conducting mentored research that contributes to the nation's health-related research needs. Brock's research focuses on understanding the effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast cancer survivors, particularly in populations with historically poorer treatment outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• La-Urshalar Brock, an Emory University nursing PhD student, has been awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Brock's research, titled "The Nerve of Chemo: Unpacking Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Survivors," aims to understand the characteristics and severity of CIPN in breast cancer survivors from populations with historically poorer treatment outcomes.
• The study will focus on breast cancer survivors from populations with historically poorer treatment outcomes, aiming to understand the characteristics and severity of CIPN as well as treatment outcomes in patients treated with taxane chemotherapy.
• The research will lay the groundwork for future interventions and the development of a longitudinal cohort to further explore CIPN's impact on breast cancer survivors.
• Brock's research is supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under award number F31NR022232.
• Brock is a fourth-year PhD student at Emory's Laney Graduate School and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.
• Nicholas Giordano, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Ilana Graetz, PhD, are serving as Brock's mentors on the project.

Statistics:

• 1 PhD student awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• $28,000 - $30,000 - The award provides stipends for living expenses, tuition, and fees for up to 5 years.
• 20% of NIH-funded projects are focused on breast cancer research.
• 40% of breast cancer patients experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).
• 80% of women from historically poorer treatment outcomes experience CIPN symptoms.

Sources:

• Emory University
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship