Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 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.
Patient Generated Data as a Novel Outcomes Instrument in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Principal Investigator
Brent Degeorge Jr., MD, PhD
Brent Degeorge Jr., MD, PhD
Year
2018
2018
Institution
Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Funding Mechanism
AAHS/PSF Research Grant
AAHS/PSF Research Grant
Focus Area
Hand or Upper Extremity, Technology Based
Hand or Upper Extremity, Technology Based
Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common upper extremity entrapment neuropathy and is associated with substantial impairment in upper-extremity function, quality of life, and sleep quality. Currently, there are no objective measures quantifying treatment outcomes in CTS. Instead, clinicians and researchers rely on subjective outcomes instruments. Interestingly, wearable activity monitors are now ubiquitous in the general population and multiple medical specialties utilize this technology as a research tool. Our proposal applies this technology to the field of hand and upper extremity surgery, with the aim of assessing the validity and reliability of wearable, activity monitors to characterize the sleep, upper extremity function, and global function of patients with clinical and nerve-conduction study confirmed CTS at baseline and following either non-operative management or open carpal tunnel release in comparison with standardized, validated patient-related outcome measures at fixed time points. This pilot, prospective cohort study will compare baseline and post-treatment validated patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) with patient-generated activity and sleep data obtained via an activity monitor. Subjects will be internally controlled and we will correlate this physiologic data with established PROMs to assess whether wearable activity monitors can detect changes in sleep, upper extremity function, and global function in this population. We hypothesize that patients with CTS who undergo non-operative management with demonstrate steady improvement, whereas those undergoing CTR will demonstrate short-term impairment due to the operative procedure followed by long-term improvement in sleep, upper extremity function, and global function, which can be detected with patient-generated data. The validation of patient-generated data as an outcomes instrument will have an impact on the field of hand surgery – serving as the first objective measure of treatment outcomes. It also provides more sensitive analysis of patient global function, helping to better-set patient expectations and inform health policy. This research will contribute to the public's understanding of CTS and improve the quality of care delivered to patients. Furthermore, once validated, the proposed methodology can be applied to all conditions of the hand and upper extremity, increasing the broad applicability of the approach.
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common upper extremity entrapment neuropathy and is associated with substantial impairment in upper-extremity function, quality of life, and sleep quality. Currently, there are no objective measures quantifying treatment outcomes in CTS. Instead, clinicians and researchers rely on subjective outcomes instruments. Interestingly, wearable activity monitors are now ubiquitous in the general population and multiple medical specialties utilize this technology as a research tool. Our proposal applies this technology to the field of hand and upper extremity surgery, with the aim of assessing the validity and reliability of wearable, activity monitors to characterize the sleep, upper extremity function, and global function of patients with clinical and nerve-conduction study confirmed CTS at baseline and following either non-operative management or open carpal tunnel release in comparison with standardized, validated patient-related outcome measures at fixed time points. This pilot, prospective cohort study will compare baseline and post-treatment validated patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) with patient-generated activity and sleep data obtained via an activity monitor. Subjects will be internally controlled and we will correlate this physiologic data with established PROMs to assess whether wearable activity monitors can detect changes in sleep, upper extremity function, and global function in this population. We hypothesize that patients with CTS who undergo non-operative management with demonstrate steady improvement, whereas those undergoing CTR will demonstrate short-term impairment due to the operative procedure followed by long-term improvement in sleep, upper extremity function, and global function, which can be detected with patient-generated data. The validation of patient-generated data as an outcomes instrument will have an impact on the field of hand surgery – serving as the first objective measure of treatment outcomes. It also provides more sensitive analysis of patient global function, helping to better-set patient expectations and inform health policy. This research will contribute to the public's understanding of CTS and improve the quality of care delivered to patients. Furthermore, once validated, the proposed methodology can be applied to all conditions of the hand and upper extremity, increasing the broad applicability of the approach.
Biography
Dr. DeGeorge graduated summa cum laude from The College of William and Mary and attended Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University where he completed his medical education and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Structural Biology. He then completed his residency training in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Virginia. Dr. DeGeorge went on to complete fellowship training in Hand and Microvascular Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He returned to the University of Virginia to join the faculty at the UVA Hand Center. Dr. DeGeorge’s areas of expertise include brachial plexus and peripheral nerve surgery and hand, wrist, and forearm reconstruction following trauma. He also specializes in microsurgery and arthroscopy of the upper extremity. His research interests include clinical trial design and outcomes research, complementary and alternative health interventions, articular cartilage repair and replacement techniques, and allograft tendon, cartilage, and dermis studies. Dr. DeGeorge has received additional training in clinical trial design and research methodology. He has received numerous awards for his research and academic excellence.
Dr. DeGeorge graduated summa cum laude from The College of William and Mary and attended Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University where he completed his medical education and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Structural Biology. He then completed his residency training in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Virginia. Dr. DeGeorge went on to complete fellowship training in Hand and Microvascular Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He returned to the University of Virginia to join the faculty at the UVA Hand Center. Dr. DeGeorge’s areas of expertise include brachial plexus and peripheral nerve surgery and hand, wrist, and forearm reconstruction following trauma. He also specializes in microsurgery and arthroscopy of the upper extremity. His research interests include clinical trial design and outcomes research, complementary and alternative health interventions, articular cartilage repair and replacement techniques, and allograft tendon, cartilage, and dermis studies. Dr. DeGeorge has received additional training in clinical trial design and research methodology. He has received numerous awards for his research and academic excellence.