The purpose of this pilot study is to refine a mobile app, based on usability data, from 15 adults living with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The app is intended to reduce symptom burden and improve health-related quality of life for adults with PH, a chronic and debilitating cardiopulmonary condition. Participants will be asked to use the app and provide their thoughts about how to make it better by completing surveys and through interview. We also aim to assess readiness for broader implementation through surveys and targeted interviews with PH providers (N=15). Optimizing barriers and facilitators to implementation and gathering clinician perspectives will inform the design of a future randomized controlled feasibility trial.

A single weight based dose of alcohol will be given to approximate an alcohol binge (aiming to achieve a blood alcohol concentration of approximately 0.08%) to investigate downstream effects on intestinal permeability and changes in hepatic steatosis. Several studies have been performed in humans under similar conditions and looking at similar things. The PI, Dr. Garth Swanson, conducted one of these studies previously. Here, participants will be given a weight-based dose (2mL vodka per kg body weight) of alcohol, with assessment of intestinal permeability via urine collection over the 24 hours directly following alcohol consumption, assessment of changes in hepatic steatosis by evaluation with fibroscan before and after alcohol consumption, and blood markers of endotoxemia and related inflammatory markers after. The weight-based dosing of alcohol was chosen to reflect previous studies looking at the effects of a single episode of alcohol binge use, with the goal of achieving a blood alcohol concentration of approximately 0.08%, the lower limit of what is needed to be considered an acute alcohol binge.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can help preserve muscle strength and muscle thickness in individuals living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a progressive disease that causes weakness and muscle loss over time. NMES is a therapy that uses small electrical impulses delivered through adhesive pads placed on the skin to stimulate muscles to contract.
Participants in this study will use a portable NMES device at home approximately three times per week for 12 weeks. One muscle group will receive active electrical stimulation while the same muscle group on the opposite side of the body will receive low-intensity stimulation that does not produce a visible muscle contraction. This allows researchers to compare the effects of stimulation within the same participant.
During the study, participants will attend periodic clinic visits where researchers will measure muscle strength, evaluate muscle thickness using ultrasound, and ask questions about symptoms such as fatigue, muscle cramps, and comfort with the device. A follow-up visit will occur four weeks after the stimulation period ends. The goal of this pilot study is to determine whether home-based NMES is safe, feasible, and acceptable for individuals with ALS and to gather preliminary information about whether it may help slow muscle decline.

The goal of the DDRCC Biorepository is to collect human samples and health information to store for future research. Samples to be collected are blood, tissue (intestinal, liver, pancreas and/or lymph nodes), stool, and cheek swabs. Participants may be eligible to enroll if scheduled for a clinical visit or surgical procedure during which these samples could be collected.

In the current study, we will recruit individuals using addictive drugs (cocaine, cannabis, opioids, or methamphetamine) and non-drug use control individuals. The study participants will fill out questionnaires, consent, and donate samples (urine, saliva, nasal swab, and blood). These samples will be used to study the causes of unhealthy conditions during drug uses. Our goal is to prevent or treat the drug-associated unhealthy conditions (i.e., anxiety, memory impairment).

This study examines how parents and adolescents communicate about alcohol and marijuana during mid-to-late adolescence, a period marked by rising substance use risk. Although many parents want to reduce harm, they often receive unclear guidance, and what parents intend to convey may not align with what adolescents perceive. Building on prior work showing that alcohol-specific communication is multidimensional and meaningfully linked to youth drinking outcomes, this study surveys parent–adolescent dyads (ages 15–18) to assess the content, frequency, and perception of substance-related conversations. The study also extends prior research by directly comparing parent and youth reports to identify alignment and discrepancies in communication. In addition, it addresses a major gap by characterizing marijuana-specific parental communication, which remains understudied despite increasing adolescent use. Finally, the study tests whether parents' trauma histories, particularly trauma involving substance use, shape how and what parents communicate to their children about alcohol and marijuana.

This study aims to better understand the experiences and perspectives of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) who have recently been hospitalized for a medical condition. Participants will complete a brief, confidential survey about their views on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including barriers to starting treatment, factors that support treatment decisions, and what information they find most helpful. Individuals who meet eligibility criteria will be invited to participate. The information collected will help identify what patients need and prefer when making decisions about MOUD during a hospital stay. Findings from this study will guide the design of a future intervention that reflects patient identified needs and priorities.

LiveWell mBC is a group-based skills training program for women with metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The program teaches skills from dialectical behavioral therapy, an evidence-based psychotherapy, that have been adapted specifically to help women live as well as possible, with metastatic breast cancer. LiveWell mBC involves meeting with a small group of women with mBC plus two skills trainers 9 times total via telemedicine. Meetings include orientation plus 8 sessions learning and practicing skills including mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness and they last 90 minutes each. We are interested in seeing whether the program can help women to balance their emotions and better manage distress (e.g., anxiety, sadness) and symptoms (e.g., fatigue, breathlessness, pain) that can be common when living with mBC.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. They will have a 2 in 3 chance of being assigned to LiveWell mBC (experimental group) and a 1 in 3 chance of being assigned to Usual Care (control group). Women in the usual care group will continue to receive their standard oncology care. Participants in both groups will complete questionnaires four times total. Participants may be invited to participate in an exit interview about their experience. Participants will be compensated for completing questionnaires and the interview. For most people, participation will last approximately 4 months.

This research study aims to better understand how the brain and body change during physical or occupational therapy after a neurologic injury or condition. Adults who are already receiving outpatient neurorehabilitation will be invited to participate while they complete their regular therapy sessions. During therapy, participants will wear a lightweight cap that measures brain activity and will be video recorded so researchers can analyze movement patterns using computer software. These recordings do not change therapy activities and are for research purposes only. The study does not involve new treatments, medications, or procedures beyond standard care. Information collected may help researchers understand why recovery differs between individuals and improve future rehabilitation approaches.

We are recruiting healthy volunteers, age 18-65, for a 4-visit study designed to test whether brief non-invasive brain stimulation, called transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), changes how adults process pictures and odors. In addition to 3 tFUS sessions, the study procedures also include one 30-minute magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session and four 1-hour encephalography (EEG) sessions during which we will measure brain structure and function. Each of the 4 visits last about 2-3 hours and should occur over a 2-4-week time period. Compensation is available to those that qualify.