Research

Your research can change the world

The IUPUI research community gives you the opportunity to make a difference, both locally and globally. Whether your idea engages a specific academic area or crosses disciplines, like STEM education, arts and humanities, integrated artificial intelligence, data science, and social, political, and life sciences, your idea could be the next big discovery that changes the world.

 

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Description of the following video:

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[Words appear: 2022 Research Frontiers Trailblazer Recipients. At the bottom of the screen is an IU logo with the words "IUPUI, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research”]

[Words appear: Keith Avin, PhD, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy]

[Video: Avin is standing in a hallway and smiling at the camera.]

Avin speaking: My name is Keith Avin. I'm an associate professor in the IU Department of Physical Therapy.

[Video: Avin speaking to the interviewer; a close-up of Avin speaking to the interviewer; a woman jogging on a treadmill in an IUPUI athletic facility; a close-up of the woman’s shoes as she jogs on the treadmill; Avin talking with the woman as she jogs.]

Avin speaking: So, my research looks at skeletal muscle health and function for those people living with chronic kidney disease. Quite often, you know, these people, they live with chronic kidney disease, but they see a slow deterioration in how they move, how they function, how they feel. And right now, I'm a physical therapist by clinical training, and that's not really a part of our practice. And, my overall goal for my research is really to start to better understand how the muscles are affected by chronic kidney disease, and then, really, how we can help it. So, a lot of my studies focus around exercise interventions for those living with chronic kidney disease.

[Video: Avin speaking with the interviewer; Avin lifting weights in an IUPUI athletic facility; Avin using a weight machine; Avin speaking to the interviewer: a close-up of Avin speaking to the interviewer.]

Avin speaking: So, the long term implications of my research are really helping people interact and move better in their environment. Right now, we don't understand exercise that well or to the extent that we should for people living with chronic kidney disease. I love exercise. I hope everyone that is able to loves exercise. But for those living with chronic kidney disease, I don't feel as confident of what specifically to tell them to do, and that's what this research is doing. I've also developed a platform in terms of my research experience, from the bench to bedside and beyond, so that I can move forward in my research to each level, so that we can move from more of the basic science components all the way through clinical implementation.

[Video: Avin walking down a hallway and into a lab; Avin talking with a woman in the lab; the woman talking with Avin; a close-up of Avin talking and smiling; the woman using a microscope; a close-up of Avin viewing data; Avin and the woman viewing data on a computer screen; a close-up of Avin pointing at data on the screen.]

Avin speaking: In the people that have chronic kidney disease, we have evidence now, both in my lab and other labs, that are starting to show that exercise may not always have beneficial effects. There are concerns that it can have detrimental effects. And, one of the core values is to do no harm. We have to make sure that we keep that inherent to our patients. And we can't simply say, “Go out and do it. Be more active.” We have to be more intentional. We have to be more prescriptional with that to make sure that we can really help these patients truly interact with their environment and help them move and not have a detrimental aspect of that.

[Video: Avin speaking to the interviewer; a close-up of Avin speaking to the interviewer; Avin working on his computer in his office; a close-up of Avin typing; a close-up of Avin’s face as he works.]

Avin speaking: The end goal for my line of research is ultimately with patient care. I want physical therapists, kinesiologists, exercise physiologists to be standard of care to help these patients live better lives. It's not, “You have chronic kidney disease. We're going to watch you walk slower over time. We're going to watch you having a harder time getting up out of a chair. Just let it happen.” I want that this research reinforces the need to incorporate exercise, to incorporate physical therapy-related interventions and management to help these people live better lives.

[Video: A close-up of Avin speaking to the interviewer; Avin speaking to the interviewer.]

Avin speaking: So, receiving this award was surprising and humbling. I think when you go through the research world, it can be hard at times, because you're not always succeeding along the way. There's a lot of rejections from papers and grants, and when you get this award, you're realizing that all of your hard work, your effort, your energy is still being recognized by people.

[Music]

[Words appear: IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, next to an IU trident.]

[Music]

[Video fades to black.]

[End of Transcript]

Description of the video:

[Beginning Transcript]

Description of the following video:

[Music]

[Words appear: 2022 Research Frontiers Trailblazer Recipients. At the bottom of the screen is an IU logo with the words "IUPUI, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research”]

[Words appear: Rebecca Ellis, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, Associate Professor, School of Nursing]

[Video: Ellis is standing in a hallway and smiling at the camera.]

Ellis speaking: My name is Rebecca Bartlett Ellis, and I'm an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Nursing.

[Video: Ellis speaking to the interviewer; a close-up of Ellis speaking to the interviewer.]

Ellis speaking: My research focuses on individuals with chronic kidney disease and helping to develop interventions that will support their adherence to medications. And, individuals that are African-American or black are often disproportionately affected by chronic kidney disease, and my research aims to recruit and enroll individuals that are at the highest risk for chronic kidney disease.

[Video: A close-up of the nameplate outside Ellis’ office; Ellis typing at her computer; Ellis viewing her computer screen; Ellis speaking to the interviewer; a close-up of Ellis speaking to the interviewer; Ellis speaking to the interviewer.]

Ellis speaking: And, my intervention is focused on individuals in the early stages of chronic kidney disease. Often, interventions will focus on the later stages when significant damage has already occurred to the kidneys and individuals need dialysis. My research is focused on the earlier stages, in stages one through four, because I want to make a difference for individuals and prevent them from needing dialysis much earlier than they would historically.

[Video: Ellis speaking to the interviewer; Ellis meeting around a table with three individuals; a close-up of a man participating in the meeting; Ellis speaking at the meeting; a close-up of hands examining the pillbox; Ellis speaking to the interviewer.]

Ellis speaking: One of the aspects of my research that is very important to me is the opportunity to engage students, and I have done that in all ways in the various projects that I've conducted. One that I am most proud of is the work that I've done with my interdisciplinary colleagues here on the IUPUI campus, and together with our students, we have developed a smart and patented pillbox that really moves us in a way forward in research to monitor how individuals take their medications. And, we have students from multiple disciplines that were involved in that project.

[Video: Ellis showing the pillbox to a patient in a clinic room; Ellis and the patient with the focus on Ellis; Ellis and the patient with the focus on the patient; Ellis speaking to the interviewer; virtual video meeting on a laptop with a nurse and the patient.]

Ellis speaking: The smart pillbox that my team developed is trailblazing, because it integrates sensors in a variety of different ways. It provides meaningful information to us about how people are taking their medications, how they're using their pillbox, and their adherence to their medications, which is different than other pillboxes that may only capture an adherence score.

[Video: A close-up of the nurse during virtual meeting with cell phone; a close-up of the patient with a cell phone and device; Ellis speaking to the interviewer.]

Ellis speaking: So we're able to, with the way our sensors are integrated, to tell different behaviors that individuals are engaging in when they are managing their medications in their pillboxes.

[Video: A close-up of Ellis speaking to the interviewer; Ellis walking down a hallway; a close-up of Ellis speaking to the interviewer.]

Ellis speaking: Receiving this Trailblazer Award is incredibly meaningful, because this is an award that recognizes cutting edge research. And, my work is in digital health and focused on improving medication adherence, and the intersection of those are very innovative. And, this award was recognizing the impact that my research has had to date and the opportunities that I have going forward.

[Music]

[Words appear: IUPUI Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, next to an IU trident.]

[Music]

[Video fades to black.]

[End of Transcript]

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