WILMINGTON, N.C. – Thanks to a $1 million investment, Novant Health physicians based in Wilmington are partnering with peer physicians and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to advance two clinical research efforts in North Carolina.
The pair of $500,000 research grants was awarded by a collaborative involving Novant Health, UNC Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The funding will launch joint Novant Health and UNC School of Medicine studies focusing on evaluating tools that expand access to prenatal scans and advancing efforts to improve surgical care.
“We're excited to announce two groundbreaking grants to advance collaborative research between Novant Health and UNC focused on improving health outcomes in our coastal communities. These awards will fund studies on maternal health and the post-surgical use of opioids— two important issues in southeastern N.C.,” said Mark King, vice president of research and innovation at Novant Health and the chair of the collaborative's Research Advisory Council. “In addition, these collaborations will build additional infrastructure for future research here at the coast.”
The organizations formed an expanded alliance as part of Novant Health's 2021 acquisition of what is now Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In addition to expanding clinical research, the organizations are also growing medical education and pediatric specialty care, with an emphasis on Novant Health's Coastal Region in southeastern North Carolina.
The latest award bolsters previously funded research: this collaborative awarded a separate $1 million grant last year to launch a pair of research projects to reduce health disparities for pediatric asthma and evaluate treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Each study is led by investigators based in both Chapel Hill and Wilmington, and work on those projects continues.
The collaborative also previously invested nearly $1 million to launch 19 individual $50,000 research grants.
“The partnership between UNC and Novant Health in research to benefit all people living in coastal North Carolina is really starting to hit its stride. These two exciting new projects aim to improve obstetric care and surgical care at the coast but also bring new insights to our state, the nation and the world,” said Dr. John Buse, a professor and advisor to the UNC School of Medicine’s Office of Research.
Testing artificial intelligence to advance access to prenatal care; boosting research capacity
While ultrasounds have been a hallmark of pregnancy care in the United States for 50-plus years, access to these scans can vary significantly depending on where the expectant mother lives. In recent years, UNC researchers have been participating in efforts to develop low-cost, accessible ultrasound technology that could transform prenatal care in areas without access.
Researchers have paired portable ultrasound devices with artificial intelligence to interpret the images in real time. Locally, researchers will enroll an expected sample size of 600 pregnant women over two years, focusing on uncommon and rare obstetric conditions. Local scans will enrich a larger study—already enrolling participants in North Carolina and beyond—by including individuals from rural and underserved areas across the region to help refine existing AI models.
These efforts will also build future research capacity in southeastern North Carolina by creating a hub at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center focused on OB-GYN research. Having a foundation in place will support sustainable research in the region for years to come.
The project, titled “Democratizing obstetric ultrasound on the North Carolina Coast: an innovation research platform,” is led by Dr. Ben Chi and Dr. Katelyn Rittenhouse from UNC and Dr. Lindsey Buckingham and Dr. Ashwin Patel from Novant Health.
Improving surgical care by providing alternatives to opioids in post-surgical pain management
The second project will establish a research collaborative that focuses on improving surgical outcomes across the state’s southeastern region.
Participating surgeons across the collaborative will receive benchmarked performance reports and meet to review performance, identify improvement targets, and develop and test novel approaches to improve quality and reduce costs to support evidence-based improvement processes.
The collaborative’s first focus area is the use of opioids to treat pain after a patient undergoes a general surgery. This project was selected, in part, because of the known risk a percentage of patients will become persistent users. Additionally, variation in prescription practices exists depending on the type of surgery.
Specific goals of this effort include increasing access to safe/convenient opioid disposal; advancing patient education about pain expectations and alternatives; and sharing a data-driven standard opioid prescribing schedule based on surgical procedure and patient usage.
The project, titled “Building an Implementation Science Network to Reduce Post-Operative Opioid Prescribing in Coastal NC,” is led by Dr. Jared Gallaher, Dr. Clara Lee and Jessica Schumacher, Ph.D. from UNC and Dr. William Hope from Novant Health.
About Novant Health
Novant Health is an integrated network of nearly 900 locations, including 19 hospitals, more than 750 physician clinics and urgent care centers, outpatient facilities, and imaging and pharmacy services. This network supports a seamless and personalized healthcare experience for communities in North Carolina and South Carolina. Novant Health is nationally recognized for our unwavering commitment to safety and the highest quality care, and we serve as a catalyst for healthcare transformation through clinical trials, leading-edge research, innovative care delivery models and robust virtual care networks. The expertise and empathy of our more than 41,000 team members along with more than 8,600 independent and employed clinicians are at the heart of Our Cause as industry leaders caring for communities across the Carolinas. In 2024, Novant Health provided more than $1.6 billion in community benefit, including financial assistance and services.
For more information, visit NovantHealth.org. Follow Novant Health on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
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