Description of Core
The purpose of the Innovative Methods and Technology Core is to facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration among investigators in nursing and other disciplines to develop novel approaches for supporting the self-management of persons with chronic diseases.
We aim to link health behavior research with laboratory research measures (biomarkers), clinical measures (e.g, from physiology labs, out-patient clinics), and computer and information science (e.g., data monitoring, symptom management) to provide more comprehensive data for evaluating the effects of interventions.
T32 Precision Health Training Program
This T32 Precision Health training program funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) aims to provide future nurse scientists with critical skills to develop and implement innovative, effective, and personalized interventions for populations suffering from multiple chronic conditions (MCC).
St. David’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
The Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research (CHPR) in Underserved Populations was established in 1999 by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research to improve the health of underserved people through applied research.
Digital Heart Health
Digital Heart Health explores a combination of digital tools to provide support for knowledge and behavior for heart failure self-care by older adults over 55 years living in the community. They study how digital tools can provide information and support behaviors for taking better care of your heart condition.
Health Literacy and Technology
Narrowing the Gap between Health Literacy and Technology is a focus of Dr. Bo Xie, PhD, at UT Austin School of Nursing. Dr. Bo Xie is using the Electronic Health Information for Lifelong Learners (eHiLL), a National Institute on Aging funded intervention that promotes peer learning as older adults work side by side to complete online exercises.
Innovative Methods and Technology Administration Core
Director
Sharon Horner, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Horner is the director of the Center for Health Equity Research (HER) Innovative Methods & Technology Core. Dr. Horner’s research focuses on improving health of families with children. She has received approximately $3.7 million over 18 years in federal funding for her primary work with school-aged children with asthma and their families who live in rural areas. She recently completed a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Nursing Research and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (10R01 NR007770) to test her intervention in a stratified randomized control trial.
Co-Director
Bo Xie, PhD
Dr. Xie is the co-director of the Center for Health Equity Research (HER) Innovative Methods & Technology Core. Her research reflects her interdisciplinary training in Medicine, Psychology, and Science and Technology Studies. She focuses on health informatics interventions that can promote older adults’ use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health information and decision-making (i.e., e-health literacy) that may have important implications for patient-provider relationships and health outcomes.
