Grants Funded
Grant applicants for the 2024 cycle requested a total of nearly $3 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated more than 100 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $650,000 dollars to support more than 20 plastic surgery research proposals.
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Outcomes of Corticosteroid Treatment for Trigger Finger by Stage
Janae Kittinger MD
2012
Scott and White Healthcare
AAHS/PSF Research Grant
Hand or Upper Extremity
Trigger finger is one of the most common hand ailments with an incidence of 2-3% in the general population and up to 10% in diabetics. This condition causes painful catching or popping of the involved tendon with normal use. It can progress to the affected digit being temporarily or permanently locked in flexion, inhibiting activities of daily living. Currently there are multiple accepted management options; however, none have been linked to a clinical classification of the disease state. Our study aims to create a staging system for trigger finger and show how the stage influences response to corticosteroid injection. This will be a prospective study of four groups that are distinguished by stage of disease (1-4). We will identify a total of 120 patients (40 in stage 1 and 2, 20 in stage 3 and 4). This group of patients will then undergo corticosteroid injection. Follow-up will be at one, three, and six months. Success will be defined as resolution of symptoms at six month follow-up. This pilot study will create a foundation for us to be able to expand our research project to include assessing the reliability and validity of the staging classification system and treatment algorithm recommendations, as well as assessing the clinical efficiency/cost impact of using our staging system.
Janae Maher, MD grew up in Chanute, KS, graduating valedictorian in 2000. She attended Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS, for undergraduate school, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a major in biology. In 2008, she obtained her medical degree with AOA honors from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Currently, Dr. Maher is a PGY-5 Plastic Surgery Resident at Texas A&M / Scott & White in Temple, TX. Her dedicated interest to clinical research has led to multiple grants, presentations and publications on various topics during her residency.