Pilot Projects Program

Round 7 Pilot Project Awardees

Kahsi Pedersen, Ph.D.

MaineHealth

Kahsi circle time


Assessing a Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Training to Improve Mental Health of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Rural Areas

Adult caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who live in rural areas are more likely to experience stress and anxiety and less likely to receive mental health care than those who live in more urban areas. This project collected preliminary data on daily stress and anxiety and tested an innovative and accessible 30-day mobile app-based mindfulness training (MT) for these caregivers. Forty caregivers were recruited in a rural Maine community. One study aim was to learn whether mindfulness training could have a meaningful impact on parental stress and anxiety. The study also assessed whether or not caregivers experienced a decrease in stress and anxiety as a result of their exposure to daily mindfulness training. The knowledge gained from these data is expected to inform an innovative model for expanding rural caregiver access to effective and long-lasting solutions for improving their mental health and to improve the availability of diagnostic, treatment, and support services for families of individuals with ASD living in rural communities. 

 
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Assessment of Firearm Owners’ Opinions on Safe Storage in Northern New England

Firearms are not always stored safely, resulting in injuries and fatalities, including suicides. Turner’s project explores firearm owners’ storage practices with the aim of guiding community-based strategies to create a safer gun culture in northern New England.

 

Christopher Turner, MD, MPH

 Maine Medical Center

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 Genetic Factors of Non-Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease in Maine 

The basis for Dr. King’s project is that while diabetes and hypertension are primary risk indicators for chronic kidney disease, genetic factors may also contribute. This study will help answer this question.

Benjamin King, Ph.D.

 University of Maine


 

 

Meagan Stabler, Ph.D.

Dartmouth Health

 

 


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Northern New England Provider Insights and Participatory Engagement (NNE PIPE) Survey 

Dr. Stabler’s project has several goals, including understanding the needs of rural northern New England patients, promoting collaboration among clinicians, strengthening the NNE CO-OP Practice and Community Based Research Network’s research capabilities, and better understanding the challenges and opportunities facing clinical practices.

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Development and Evaluation of ErMo™, an Affordable DIY Power Mobility Device for Children with Neuromotor Disabilities

Dr. Fiorentino’s team has developed a power mobility vehicle that helps children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities gain mobility at a critical time in their development. The goal is to provide a device that costs in the hundreds—versus thousands—of dollars to all caregivers. 

 

Niccolo Fiorentino, Ph.D.

University of Vermont

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Bikki Tran Smith, Ph.D., MA

University of Vermont

 

bikki circle time
 
 
When Formal Supports End: Picturing Health Access for Afghan Refugees in Small Town Refugee Resettlement Communities in Vermont

Informed by critical race theory (CRT), racist nativism, and intersectionality, the goal of this mixed-methods inquiry was to understand how race and ethnicity, class, politics, and immigrant status intersect within rural geography to produce health disparities and inequities among Afghan refugees living in small town resettlement communities in Vermont. Using photo research methodology, asset mapping and focus groups, Tran Smith investigated mechanisms through which structural racism and nativism impact access to health resources, and identified patterns of resource distribution by race and ethnicity, class and immigrant status to serve as a critical first step to generating interventions targeting structural barriers to healthcare and resources for healthy living.