The UNLV School of Public Health and University of Nevada, Reno's School of Public Health have partnered in committing $10,000 to support joint grant submissions, publications, community-engaged projects, contracts, professional presentations and training sessions. Dean Shawn Gerstenberger (Public Health) and UNR SPH Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci have selected the following projects to receive $5,000 each:

1. "A Mixed Methods Pilot Investigation of Cannabis Perceptions and Behaviors among Older Adults with Health Conditions in Nevada using Ecological Momentary Assessment" — led by co-primary investigators Timothy Grigsby (Social and Behavioral Health) and Jennifer Carson, clinical associate professor and director of the Dementia Engagement, Education and Research Program in Reno, will work on a pilot investigation of cannabis perceptions and behaviors among older adults with health conditions in Nevada. They believe the successful completion of this project will not only yield valuable insights into a critical and underexplored area of study but also position this multi-university team as leaders in this burgeoning field. This exploratory study also holds significant potential to catalyze career development for junior faculty members across both of the state’s R1 universities. The data generated from this pilot project will provide strong preliminary data for a future National Institutes of Health (NIH) exploratory (R21) or longitudinal (R01) funded project.

2. "Bridging the Gap: A Housing-Based Assessment Tool for Global Health Disparities" — Erika Marquez and Louisa Messenger, assistant professors of environmental and occupational health at UNLV, and Joshua Garn, epidemiology associate professor in Reno, have proposed a study aimed at developing an integrated housing-based assessment tool that explores the prevalence and clustering of environmental conditions in Pampanga, Philippines, to inform local policies, practices and programs. As the built environment where we live, work, play and worship is vital to shaping global health outcomes, this team will characterize environmental risk factors of concern and assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting larger household-based intervention trials in Pampanga, Philippines. The primary outcomes of this proposal will be at least two publications from the proposed research and the submission of at least one NIH application or equivalent within a year of collecting the pilot data.