CENTER FOR DESIGN AND HEALTH RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF URBAN WALKING
Jenny Roe, director of the School of Architecture's Center for Design and Health and professor, will collaborate on a research project that recently received funding from iTHRIV, the integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia.
iTHRIV is a Clinical Translational Science Award Hub; it awarded four biomedical research projects this month, including Roe's — which will study the impact of urban walking on public health.
“iTHRIV is excited to partner with the National Institutes of Health in supporting our community nonprofit and governmental organizations, who are collaborating with academic researchers to address important health needs across Virginia,” said iTHRIV Director Karen Johnston, the University of Virginia’s associate vice president for clinical and translational research. “It is our hope that these pilot grant projects will benefit underserved communities and improve research partnerships.”
Other projects address autism spectrum disorder, improved access to colorectal cancer screening and postpartum depression. Community organizations will be involved in the efforts, working with teams of physicians and researchers from UVA and Virginia Tech.
“Our unique approach to community engagement through regional iTHRIV advisory boards in Northern, Central and Southwest/Southside Virginia ensures that we foster collaborative research among community, clinical and academic organizations and institutions to serve diverse communities across the majority of the commonwealth,” said associate professor Kathy Hosig, director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Health Practice and Research. “The opportunity to involve our community partners in research that is a priority for them is extremely rewarding.”
The four teams will be awarded a total of $80,000 in funding.
Mary Irene DeShong Professor of Design and Health, Jenny Roe, will work with co-principal investigators: Jeremy Hoffman from the Science Museum of Virginia; Chris Neale from UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy; and Julia Gohlke, an associate professor of population health sciences at Virginia Tech.
A 2017 Community Health Assessment undertaken in Richmond found a need to improve city-wide physical activity by increasing walking. It is important to understand the optimal conditions for these walks, taking into account the benefits of some spaces over others on personal outcomes such as mood and cognition and environmental outcomes such as air quality and temperature. This research will help address the issue of understanding the benefits of walking in cities.
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