Research By the Numbers

The Office of Research Services supports the scientific, scholarly and creative endeavors of the faculty and staff at UMKC. As of September 24, 2019, our work included:

  • 70 new awards totalling $11,357,286 (FY20 to date)
  • 103 new proposals (FY20 to date)
  • 18 invention disclosures and 12 patents (FY19)

UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies Receives DHHS Award

Assistant Professor Joseph Lightner
& Assistant Professor Amanda Grimes
School of Nursing and Health Studies

The UMKC Office of Research Services is pleased to announce that the School of Nursing and Health Studies has been awarded $800,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services offices of Minority Health and Women’s Health. Led by Dr.’s Amanda Grimes and Joseph Lightner, the grant will fund the project “Youth Engagement in Sports: Collaboration to Improve Adolescent Physical Activity and Nutrition (YES Initiative)”

Dr. Grimes describes the background of the project, “The evidence is very clear that American youth suffer from high rates of obesity, inactivity, and poor nutrition (Youth Behavior Risk Surveillance System, 2017). Adolescence seems to be a critical time in a child’s life where behaviors are learned or reinforced. Girls are particularly prone to low rates of physical activity during adolescence.”

This project aims to increase physical activity and consumption of healthy food by implementing an intramural sports program and a weekly nutritious food delivery within middle schools in Kansas City, Missouri, specifically among girls. With sustainability at the core of this project, we have recruited organizations who are experts in delivering each component of the intervention including Kansas City Parks and Rec, the Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition of Children’s Mercy Hospital, Truman Medical Center’s Community Health Strategies & Innovation.