An Apple a Day…

There are many adages about health, such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  One health truism that we all know to be absolute is “it’s important.”

That is certainly the case at UVA, where the UVA Medical Center accounts for just under half of the University’s $3.99 billion budget. Beyond the numbers, health is interwoven into life and academics across Grounds. Medical school students can dual-enroll at Darden to complete an MD/MBA. Batten and the Cooper Center conduct research in policy and populations that have huge impacts in healthcare. Undergraduates in Biomedical Engineering can have hands-on research experience in developing new technologies. And that’s not even beginning to mention the host of student health services the University offers.

With health being so important, it’s only natural that some of the best ideas we see are to improve health. The Jefferson Trust has recently funded many interesting projects in the field including autism biomarker research, design thinking for medical students, pediatric mental health, and personal protection against air pollution.

It often takes a trained eye to read proposals for projects like these and understand the process and impact.

Fortunately, the Trust has four physicians and two nurses on the board:

  • Victoria Davis Chen, MD (Col ’92)
  • Stephen Chen, MD
  • Ramesh Singh, MD (Res ’07)
  • Susan Singh (Nurs ’05)
  • John Sperling, MD (Col ’90, Med ’94)
  • Pat Woodard (Nurs ’69)

Here are some thoughts they have on healthcare and the Trust’s role in advancing ideas.

John Sperling, MD (Col ’90, Med ’94)

Healthcare is going through enormous changes that have only been accelerated by the recent pandemic.  The Jefferson Trust is ideally situated to help support creative and innovative ideas to impact healthcare not only in Charlottesville but also on a larger scale. We would encourage members of the University community to send their proposals for funding to the Jefferson Trust. Not only is the Jefferson Trust an excellent source for funding, but also has the support of Trustees with significant healthcare experience who can help mentor members of the community that would like to make an impact in healthcare.

Victoria Davis Chen, MD (Col ’92)

Improvements in healthcare are seldom made with one large discovery, but instead a series of smaller discoveries. The medical community relies on published, peer reviewed data upon which to build. In the Trust, we have an opportunity to watch an idea that excites us influence other bright minds. Granting this to a member of our UVA community is much further reaching than the original project being presented.

Pat Woodard (Nurs ’69)

I am always so pleased when The Trust receives health-related grant proposals. As we are living through a pandemic, we are especially reminded of the need for good research in nursing, medicine, public health and related fields. Also, projects that aim to improve nursing and medical education have great impact.

Grants in the News

Tim Victorio roughs up the first coat of epoxy so a second coat will adhere better. (Photo: Dan Addison)

Our grantees are busy! From constructing tables of recycled lumber to a successfully launching the Business Bootcamp for Artists, read about grant projects featured in local media outlets:

  • UVA Sawmilling received a flash grant in April 2021 to create tables from a 125-year-old tulip poplar tree. Read about the construction process and their partners in creating in this UVA Today article.
  • UVA Edge, an initiative of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, received an annual grant in 2021. UVA Today featured the impactful stories of five students in the first cohort class; read about them here.
  • StARTup Studio, a 2020 annual recipient, was featured in UVA Arts Magazine for their Business Bootcamp for Visual Artists hosted in October 2021.
  • Learn more about the Roadmap Scholars Initiative, one of our new 2022 annual grants from the Law School, from their features on NBC29 and Reuters.
  • The Holsinger Portrait Project is uncovering photos, researching, and telling the stories of Black Charlottesville residents. Read about this 2022 grant project in this Cavalier Daily article.
  • See recent updates from one of our 2020 grants in this UVA Today article; the Trust supported student researchers working on the larger project of air-filtering technologies.

To stay up to date on the work of our grantees, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Funding Ideas in a Flash

We received 18 proposals requesting $130,945 in funding in the January Flash Funding cycle. Thank you, UVA for your innovative ideas and commitment to further enhance the University!

If you missed January, our February Flash funding proposal form is open. Flash grants are capped at $10,000 and focus on short-term projects or immediate use opportunities, often for student organizations. Proposals must be submitted no later than February 28, with decisions determined by March 15.

For additional information, please visit our Grant Seekers page or contact our Director of Grants, Amy, at abonner@virginia.edu to discuss your idea and potential funding.

Jefferson Trust’s 2022 Awards Set New Dollar Amount Record

The Jefferson Trust Board of Trustees has hit new records in its grant-making: awarding nearly $1.35 million to 14 new projects and programs. This is the largest amount ever awarded, and this set of grants also includes the largest number of $100,000+ grants ever awarded.

“This grant cohort is absolutely phenomenal. I can’t wait to see how they transform UVA,” says Amy Bonner, Director of Grants for the Trust. “They are also the result of the most difficult decision-making process the Jefferson Trust has faced — the volume of innovative proposals received clearly demonstrates that the University community is rebounding from the pandemic.”

Together these grants will provide new opportunities for student research and unique classroom experiences, as well as providing pipeline opportunities for future Wahoos. Roadmap Scholars aims to increase the number of underrepresented students attending elite law schools; Star Hill Pathways focuses on improving student outcomes and closing opportunity gaps with local middle and high school students; and Environmental Thought and Practice in Real Life brings environmental leaders to Grounds to engage with undergraduate students and provide immersive learning opportunities with environmental practitioners. Read on for a full list of funded programs.

The 2021-22 Grants:

Roadmap Scholars Initiative: $200,000

This Law School initiative is designed to increase the number of underrepresented students attending elite law schools. From initial exploration of the legal profession to ultimate matriculation, the program will provide aspiring lawyers with the support, opportunities and connections necessary to succeed on their journeys to law school.

Side Hustles Micro Courses: Masterclasses in Contemporary Business Topics: $150,000

Side Hustles and Micro Businesses (SHMB) is a new series of micro courses to prepare UVA students with entrepreneur ambitions to develop profitable businesses.

Starr Hill Pathways: $150,000

Starr Hill Pathways will improve student outcomes and close opportunity gaps, ensuring that local youth (1) are prepared for post-secondary education, (2) have access to enrichment opportunities and support networks, and (3) thrive socially and emotionally. Focused on historically marginalized communities and youth in grades 6 to 12, the goal is to build a support system for students that leads them to admission to UVA or the college of their choice.

Optimizing pediatric donor heart utilization using big data analytics: $133,078

A team of pediatric cardiologists, data scientists, students and engineers are using big data analytics to optimize pediatric heart transplants — the right donor heart with the right patient at the right time. Analyzing data sets from the United Network of Organ Sharing (the most comprehensive representation of pediatric heart transplantation system in the world) will help to improve clinical practice and create predictive modeling to assess specific donors for specific candidates.

Walking the walk: Environmental Thought and Practice in Real Life: $120,000

Environmental Thought and Practice in Real Life (ETP IRL) will bring environmental leaders — thinkers, creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and activists — to Grounds to engage with undergraduates in a non-traditional classroom setting, providing immersive learning experiences. Practitioners-in-real-life (PIRLs) will help lead classes centered on environmental practice, focusing on sets of projects that reach into the broader University community and beyond.

Deaf Orpheus: $100,000

A staged production, “Deaf Orpheus,” will unite the worlds of the Deaf and hearing in an unprecedented full-scale expression of Deaf Opera at UVA in March 2023. Opera singers, Deaf actors, directors and instrumentalists of international prominence will partner with UVA’s USingers and Music Performance Faculty for this production. The production will also be made into a film.

Decarbonization Innovation Summit and Lab: $100,000

Through a summit event and subsequent student-led projects, Decarbonization Innovation aims to encourage interdisciplinary coordination and dialogue to advance solutions to the world’s decarbonization challenge.

Phytoremediation to reclaim farm and tribal lands from PFAS contamination: $93,000

This project allows a team of undergraduate students to demonstrate the full utility of industrial hemp as a tool for phytoremediation of PFAS-polluted agricultural soils and develop methods for implementation and training that can be shared with other communities affected by PFAS pollution.

The Cavalair Project: Smarter buildings for a healthier UVA community: $82,000

Students will conduct research to allow smarter approaches to HVAC system usage (occupancy levels and air quality metrics) that deliver a better, healthier environment for occupants at lower cost in several UVA buildings.

Centering African American Life in Central VA: Community Engagement & The Holsinger Portrait Project: $73,000

In a joint effort with local community members, a team from the University Library and Department of History will create an exhibition, community engagement program and digital humanities research program around a collection of photographs of African American community members taken over 100 years ago.

Integration of Virtual Reality (VR) in Training Medical Students: $54,973

A team of physicians, educators and technologists seek to implement a new model of medical case observance training using virtual reality, cutting-edge 360-video editing techniques, and specially programmed VR headsets. This innovative approach will help to increase trainee comprehension and patient safety.

Search for Hidden Chambers in the Temple of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá: $35,834

Undergraduate students will work to research, design and fabricate detectors to help search for hidden chambers in the Temple of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá. Through their work, students will gain a better understanding of particle and nuclear physics and be introduced to the new field of muon tomography.

Saving Athenian Democracy: $28,400

This new, interactive undergraduate course is a hands-on learning experience to expose UVA students to the ancient roots of our modern democracy. The course will challenge students to study and roleplay the lives of the ancient Athenians who worked to restore their democracy between 403 and 398 BC.

Charlottesville Zoning Design Workshop (CZDW): $28,184

This initiative aims to engage students across the School of Architecture in the design and policy questions raised by Charlottesville’s Comprehensive Plan. By exploring zoning through an architectural lens, CZDW will work with students to develop design-research with potential to impact local policy debates, while organizing public symposia on related issues of zoning policy and housing design.