DARTMOUTH – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth associate professor Hua Fang was awarded a $2.7 million National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant, the university announced Aug. 11.
The grant is the first of its kind in the university’s history, UMass Dartmouth said, and the second such grant for Fang. The federal grant program is designed to support health-related research.
The funds will be used for Fang’s national research project titled “iPAT: Intelligent diet quality pattern analysis for harmonized MA-National trials.”
The project will extend over multiple years and involves research team members spanning several universities.
UMass Dartmouth said the project will leverage several large longitudinal dietary datasets from controlled trials and observational studies for chronic diseases. Researchers on the project will aim to “understand human food intake behavior and related health risks better, which is critical for important societal goals such as preventing or managing many chronic conditions, promoting well-being and safety and improving life-long health learning.”
The national research team, led by Fang, will also seek to evolve the use of the Intelligent Diet Quality Pattern Analysis tool and system to “uncover more valid evidence for dietary guidelines and more broadly contribute to creating a platform that supports harmonized data management, near-real-time intelligent pattern analyses, and adaptive interventions, leading towards the next phase of digital trials and nutrition precision health.”
“Our work will help grow more valid evidence for formulating dietary guidelines and may enable better personalized, adaptive dietary strategies, leading towards the next phase of digital trials and nutrition precision health,” said Fang in a statement.
