U-M Precision Health recognizes cutting-edge research with its Investigators Awards

Precision Health at the University of Michigan recently announced 10 recipients of its 2018 Investigators Awards: grants of up to $300,000 each over two years. The grants, totaling nearly $3 million, will support research in a spectrum of precision health fields, including wearable technology, machine learning, predictive modeling, genetic analysis, imaging, and social science.

Two U-M Depression Center members were recipients of the university's 2018 Precision Health Investigator Awards. These include:

  • Emily Provost, PhD; Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: “Measuring and Interpreting the Relationship Between an Individual’s Social Environment and Mood" and;
  • Zhenke Wu, PhD; Assistant Professor, Biostatistics: “Bayesian Hierarchical Models for Using Mobile Technology to Individualize Care in Mental Health.” Depression Center member Dr. Srijan Sen, the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Professor of Depression and Neurosciences is a part of this research project. 

View a full list of awardees and their topics.

Awardees were chosen from among an initial pool of more than 100 applicants with significant research projects. “It was exciting to learn about the breadth of activities proposed across the many strong grant applications, and challenging to choose the 10 that were eventually funded,” said U-M Precision Health Co-Director Mike Boehnke. “We look forward to learning from these projects, and to seeing the next round of proposals in 2019.”

These wide-ranging, innovative projects demonstrate why U-M is fertile ground for precision-health research: the depth and breadth of topic areas; the inclusive, collaborative spirit that is a hallmark of U-M; and a passion for creative approaches and innovative ways to tackle health-related problems. Beyond its monetary support, Precision Health aims to provide the tools, expertise, and access these researchers need to connect with colleagues across campus and to publicize and advance their work.

Here is the original annoucement from Precision Health: https://precisionhealth.umich.edu/news-features/features/u-m-precision-health-recognizes-cutting-edge-research-with-its-investigators-awards/