For a step-by-step guide on getting involved in CHS Undergraduate Research, click the link "How Students Get Involved" and read the instructions.
- Please scroll down to see which opportunities are compatible with your major, field of interest, or future career objectives, then contact Dr. Andreatta to request an interview for the project you are interested in pursuing.
- Opportunities below are open to all UK undergraduate majors, not just those in CHS!
Research opportunities offered through the College of Health Sciences Undergraduate Research Program are only available for academic credit.
**NEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE as of: 7-10-25**
Title of Opportunity: Recovery of skeletal muscle following ACL injury (OPEN)
Contact person: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faulty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Fry
Department: Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: Our lab is interested in promoting skeletal muscle health and strength. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries result in significant weakness that is not restored with traditional rehabilitation strategies. This weakness prevents a return to sports/activity, increases re-injury rates, and promotes overall poor health outcomes. We have recently shown that ACL injury up-regulates myostatin signaling in quadriceps muscle, which promotes muscle fiber atrophy along with dysregulated activity of other cells residing within muscle (muscle stem cells) to reduce muscle quality through fibrosis. These changes likely promote weakness after ACL injury, and our lab is interested in preventing these molecular changes to improve functional recovery after injury. We have collected clinical muscle samples from patients with ACL tears, and the student will have the opportunity to perform immunohistochemical laboratory techniques on muscle fibers from these human samples to assess molecular and cellular changes to skeletal muscle and how different types of physical therapy may impact muscle health after the injury. We have also developed a mouse model to simulate the clinical condition in which we will probe the mechanistic role of myostatin on muscle adaptations after ACL transection. We will be utilizing multiple transgenic mouse models along with a pharmacological inhibitor or myostatin, and the student will have the opportunity to be involved in immunohistochemical, biochemical, and/or in vivo functional strength experiments using mouse skeletal muscle. Additionally, the student will have the valuable opportunity to be a co-author on a peer reviewed research article.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA of 3.5
- A background in chemistry and biology is preferred.
- Enthusiastic about science and learning
- Preference given to students who can commit to multiple/consecutive semesters
- Very detail-oriented and highly organized.
- Reliable, responsible, and strong work ethic.
Posted: 7-11-25
Title of Opportunity: Examining the impact of access to durable medical equipment through a refurbishing and reutilization program on community participation. (OPEN)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Patrick Kitzman, PhD
Departments: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: Access to durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters, is crucial for maintaining quality of life and community involvement for people with disabilities. However, many individuals lack access to the necessary equipment. We conducted a survey to assess how providing refurbished DMEs, through an existing program, impacts the quality of life for the individuals who need the equipment and their caregivers.
Our lab needs 1 to 2 undergraduate students to help with data analysis, literature search, and manuscript development.While performing these activities, students will learn basic research skills and gain experience in scientific writing. As part of this research work, students will have publication and/or presentation opportunities.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Prefer soph, junior, or senior-level students.
- Familiar with conducting literature searches.
- Familiar with Microsoft Office programs, especially Word and Excel.
- Students must be detail-oriented, very organized, reliable, and responsive to email.
- Students must be willing to take direction and instruction and not afraid to ask questions.
- Friendly and able to work as part of a collaborative team.
Posted: 7-9-25
Title of Opportunity: DASH-ing to Heart Health: Research in Health Equity (OPEN)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Brandi White, PhD, MPH
Departments: Health and Clinical Sciences (HHS, MLS, CLM)
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025 & Spring 2026
Description: Although the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular disease risk factors, there is a lack of available health information on how to follow a feasible DASH diet for low-income Black American women who may be at the most at risk for hypertension because of poor social determinants of health. The goal of this community-engaged research project is to create a cookbook that increases awareness/knowledge of hypertension and improves the ease of following a DASH diet by providing culturally relevant and low-cost DASH recipes that low-income Black women can use when making heart-healthy food choices.
The project’s aims are to: (1) evaluate how currently available DASH recipes perform in terms of cultural relevance and economic feasibility; (2) describe what factors influence adherence to the DASH diet through qualitative interviews; and (3) determine how effective a culturally tailored cookbook is at increasing DASH knowledge and the likelihood of using DASH recipes. Students who work with our research team will gain experience collaborating with local stakeholders and community members, qualitative and quantitative data collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and disseminating research findings.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Interest in health equity research and/or community engagement
- Students must feel comfortable and willing to work as part of an interactive team
- Students must have strong organizational and communication skills, and be responsive to email
- General knowledge and basic experience in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are needed.
- Prefer given to students who can commit to 2-3 credits per semester over several semesters
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive and collaborative team.
Posted: 7-7-25
Title of Opportunity: Student Awareness of Accessibility in Professional Education (OPEN)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Mona Carper, PT, DPT
Departments: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: We are searching for 1-2 undergraduate students to assist with our established research project. As physical therapy professionals, we are taught to be advocates for those with disabilities. Advocacy requires us to understand the challenges faced by persons with disabilities. This project aims to assess the initial awareness of professional students’ knowledge of accessibility issues within healthcare education and measure changes in this knowledge and awareness through pre/post focus groups conducted before and after their participation in survey development and analysis. This research will utilize focus group analysis to examine both initial awareness and any changes that occurred. Student researchers will be expected to perform the following activities:
- Learn how to analyze qualitative data
- Learn how to use Dedoose software in qualitative analysis
- Summarize findings
- Learn how to document citations
While engaging in these activities, students will learn fundamental research skills and gain experience in scientific writing. As part of this research, students will have opportunities for publication and/or presentation.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Open to all majors
- The student is not required to have specific physical therapy interests or knowledge
- Students must be detail-oriented, organized, and responsive to email
- Willing to participate in small lab meetings to review progress
- Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
- No prior research experience is required
Posted: 5-2-25
Title of Opportunity: Swinging Into Language: Revising a multisensory kit for play-based language intervention (OPEN)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Allison Hatcher, PhD, CCC-SLP
Departments: Communication Sciences & Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: The Swinging Into Language (SIL) kit is a multisensory, theme-based educational program designed by two pediatric speech-language pathologists to support language development and early literacy in young children. This innovative kit includes various components, with a key feature being a guidebook that offers research-based information and practical instructions for adult users (including teachers, speech therapists, and caregivers) to facilitate play-based learning. Although a prototype version of the SIL Kit has already been developed, high-quality educational tools require ongoing revision and refinement to reflect current research and best practices.
Our goal is to update the guidebook and its references as the next step in preparing for a pilot study in early childhood classrooms.
Undergraduate Research Assistant Role: As a research assistant on this project, you will:
- Learn how to conduct literature reviews with guidance from faculty and support from university librarians.
- Gain experience writing journal article-style background and introduction sections.
- Learn proper citation practices and how to document references accurately.
- Participate in research focused on educational product design in the areas of child language and literacy.
Through these activities, students will build foundational research skills, strengthen their scientific writing abilities, and have the opportunity to present findings at local, state, or national conferences. Participating students must be available for weekly meetings, with flexibility for scheduling changes.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA.
- Experience or familiarity with conducting literature searches is helpful.
- Preference given to those with an interest in pediatric communication sciences and disorders (CSD), including autism, language disorders, phonological awareness, and early intervention. Students majoring in early childhood or special education are also encouraged to apply.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Prompt and professional email communication.
- Strong attention to detail, creative problem-solving abilities, openness to feedback, and a willingness to revise written work as needed.
- Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively within a research team.
- Friendly, responsible, and professional demeanor.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF tools.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and dependable.
Posted: 4-24-25
Title of Opportunity: Promoting the Health of the Equestrian Athlete Initiative (OPEN)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Tumlin, PhD
Department: Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: The Equestrian Athlete Initiative in the UK Sports Medicine Research Institute (SMRI) has a mission to optimize health and wellness, and performance of equestrian athletes across their lifespan through research and community engagement. Our research focuses on (1) establishing performance profiles for various disciplines in equestrian sports, (2) enhancing quality of life and longevity in equestrian participation through evidence-based approaches, and (3) supporting the equestrian community through education and outreach. As an undergraduate research student, you would help conduct surveys, performance testing, and interviews in both field and lab-based venues. You will also gain skills in creating and presenting information from research to various communities. For any field experiences, you must have your own means of transportation to the off-campus location.
Prerequisites:
- Motivated individual with an interest in equestrian sport and learning more about equestrians
- Hardworking, detail-oriented, organized, and reliable
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive team
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Availability for weekly journal club during Fall semester on Tuesday's 2:00-3:15 pm
- Preference given to students who can commit to 2-3 credits per semester over several semesters
Posted: 7/8/25
FULL Opportunities - May re-open at a later date
Title of Opportunity: Telehealth Education: Have We Moved the Needle? (ASK ABOUT AVAILABILITY)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Joneen Lowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA-F
Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: OPEN TO ALL MAJORS - The Center for Telehealth Education, Research, and Outreach (CTERO) seeks to improve patients’ access to healthcare across the lifespan and settings through telehealth. CTERO believes that e-health is only as strong as the quality of the providers, the evidence supporting the telehealth services, and the relationship with the patient and community. Clients and speech-language pathologists cite the need for training in telehealth. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of formal telehealth education at the university level.
The current project seeks to determine the current state of telehealth education in departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders across the U.S. Selected students will contribute to the development, deployment, and analyses of the survey. It is anticipated that the survey will be developed in the fall of 2024 and distributed in the spring of 2025. No prior experience in research is required.
Prerequisites:
- Must have at least 3.2 cumulative GPA
- Open to students across disciplines (e.g., healthcare, learning design, technology, engineering, communication, public health, education, etc.)
- Have access to a computer/laptop and stable Internet
- Be available Wednesdays from 2 – 4 pm for lab meetings in fall 2024. Spring 2025 lab meeting time may change.
- Must be responsive to emails
- Thrive on details, thinking outside the box, and embraces revision, revision, revision
- Willing to take specific direction and work as part of a research team
- Highly responsible and keenly aware of patient privacy issues
- Experience with Microsoft Office applications such as Word
- Very detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and careful
Posted: 4/3/25
Title of Opportunity: Innovative Technologies for Advancing Speech-Language Services and Education (ASK ABOUT AVAILABILITY)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Joneen Lowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA-F
Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: OPEN TO ALL MAJORS - The Center for Telehealth Education, Research, and Outreach (CTERO) seeks to improve patients’ access to healthcare across the lifespan and in various clinical settings through telehealth. CTERO believes that e-health is only as strong as the quality of the providers, the evidence supporting the telehealth services, and the relationship with the patient and community. This current project seeks to investigate innovative uses for two pieces of technology related to virtual engagement.
- Holographic communication amps up the videoconferencing experience by turning 2-dimensional video meetings into a 3-dimensional immersive experience.
- To see an example: https://youtu.be/_TnNSkRUPLw?si=8lkf-9nZfPuv0Yid
- ClassVR provides a safe and secure way for users to explore virtual and augmentative realities in the classroom.
- To see an example: https://www.classvr.com/us/
Selected students will be on the ground floor setting up and writing protocols for using the equipment, identifying possible clinical and educational uses, and providing demonstrations of the technologies’ uses. Selected students must be team-oriented, open to learning, think creatively, and be self-motivated. No prior experience is required; however, being a self-starter/manager and general comfort in thinking creatively while challenging yourself is required.
Prerequisites:
- Must have at least 3.2 cumulative GPA
- Open to students across disciplines (e.g., healthcare, learning design, technology, communication, engineering, public health, education, etc.)
- Have access to a computer/laptop and stable Internet
- Be available Wednesdays from 2 – 4 pm for lab meetings; have additional time to work with the technologies in the lab
- Must be responsive to emails
- Thrive on details, thinking outside the box, and embraces revision, revision, revision
- Willing to take specific direction and work as part of a research team
- Highly responsible and keenly aware of patient privacy issues
- Experience with Microsoft Office applications such as Word
- Very detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and careful
Posted: 4/3/25
Title of Opportunity: Research at the Center for Telehealth Education, Research, and Outreach (ASK ABOUT AVAILABILITY)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Joneen Lowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA-F
Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Spring 2025
Description: OPEN TO ALL MAJORS - The Center for Telehealth Education, Research, and Outreach (CTERO) seeks to improve patients’ access to healthcare across the lifespan and settings through telehealth. CTERO believes that e-health is only as strong as the quality of the providers, the evidence supporting the telehealth services, and the relationship with the patient and community.
CTERO seeks to add energetic, forward-thinking, and creative student researchers to our team. Selected students will be assigned to projects that match their interests and skill sets. Examples of potential projects include but are not limited to:
- Use of ChatGPT and AI in education and clinical practice
- How is telehealth increasing access to therapy services
- Assessing students' skills in using videoconferencing platforms and troubleshooting technology problems that arise
- How disabilities are being accommodated in telehealth sessions by different provider groups
- Conducting oral mechanism exams via telehealth
Selected students must be team-oriented, open to learning, think creatively, and be self-motivated. Students will have the opportunity to increase their general knowledge of telehealth and gain experience with various research methodologies including the use of various technologies. Selected students may assist with
• Participant recruitment
• Development of online training
• Organizing and managing data
• Transcribing and analyzing interviews and videos
• Conducting literature searches
• Managing outreach activities
No prior experience is required; however, general comfort in using and learning about technology is preferred. Training will be provided.
Prerequisites:
- Must have at least 3.2 cumulative GPA
- Open to students across disciplines (e.g., healthcare, learning design, technology, engineering, communication, public health, etc.)
- Have access to a computer/laptop and stable Internet
- Be available Wednesdays from 2 – 4 pm for lab meetings
- Must be responsive to emails
- Thrive on the details and enjoy finding patterns
- Willing to take specific direction and work as part of a research team
- Highly responsible and keenly aware of patient privacy issues
- Experience with Microsoft Office applications such as Word
- Very detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and careful
Posted: 8/14/24
Title of Opportunity: Interprofessional Education Through Difficult Conversations Simulation (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Kara Lee, DPT, NCS, Assistant Professor
Departments: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: Interprofessional collaboration is essential to achieve key health care goals, including providing quality treatment, improving outcomes, reducing costs, supporting clinician well-being, and promoting health equity. This project aims to determine the impact that holding simulated difficult conversations has on the confidence of physical therapists and clinical leadership management students to engage in this essential aspect of healthcare.
We are looking for 1-2 undergraduate students to assist with this research project. The research will utilize a mixed-method survey-based approach to examine student perceptions of the impact of practicing challenging conversations. The interprofessional aspect of this project involves a unique combination of undergraduate non-clinical students and professional graduate students.
Student researchers will be expected to perform the following activities:
- Learn how to perform literature reviews with guidance from faculty and consultation with the Medical Center Librarians
- Learn how to write a journal article background and introduction
- Learn how to document citations
While performing these activities, students will learn basic research skills and gain experience in scientific writing. As part of this research, students will have publication and/or presentation opportunities.
Prerequisites:
- Open to all majors
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- The student is not required to have specific interests or knowledge in physical therapy or clinical leadership management, as this project focuses on activities common to all workspaces.
- Students must be detail-oriented, organized, and responsive to email
- Willing to participate in meetings to review progress
- Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
- No prior research experience is required
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Graphic Medicine for Untreated Hearing Loss (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Anne Olson, PhD, CCC-A
Departments: Communication Sciences & Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025 and Spring 2026
Research shows there are several consequences of untreated hearing loss (HL), including: increased isolation, risk of falling, possible cognitive decline, and depression. People with untreated HL wait up to 10 years before addressing the issues. Currently, there are few interventions to help address untreated HL. This project aims to conduct a focus group about a comic book developed to describe untreated hearing loss within the context of health behavior change.
Undergraduate student researchers working on this project will gain valuable insights into how research can address real-world health challenges through innovative, person-centered approaches. They will also learn how to design and conduct qualitative studies, such as focus groups, to gather meaningful feedback from participants.
Prerequisites:
- Students must be motivated with an interest in audiology-related research
- Students with strong written and verbal communication skills for IRB writing and potential contributions to publications are preferred.
- Students must be detail-oriented, organized, and responsive to email
- Students must be able to work independently and be part of a collaborative team
- Minimum GPA of 3.50
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Voice and Speech Rehabilitation Research Lab [VSRR] Projects (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Keiko Ishikawa
Department: Communication Sciences & Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description: The Voice and Speech Rehabilitation Research Lab (VSRR) is in search of 3 to 4 highly motivated undergraduate students who wish to participate and be a part of an exciting new opportunity in voice and voice therapy. The VSRR lab is looking for research assistants who are CSD students and who have a strong interest in voice production. Strong preference will be given to students who are rising Sophomores and Juniors who are willing to commit to two semesters of participation for 2 credits per semester.
The VSRR Lab will study how real-world environments can affect a person’s ability to maintain learned voice and speech therapy techniques to ensure positive treatment outcomes. Since this is a new lab, the first group of students selected to participate will be specifically helping Dr. Ishikawa develop her new lab at UK, so flexibility and an interest in helping to set up the new lab are required. In general, students are needed to help in the following VSRR lab activities:
Participant recruitment
- Assist with in-person and online data collection
- Running acoustic analyses on sound recordings
- Editing sound and video files
- Data organization using spreadsheets
- Assist with protocol development and manuscript preparation
Selected students will have the opportunity to participate in the development of conference presentations and journal publications. No prior experience is needed to participate in this research opportunity. Training will be provided for you.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.2 GPA
- Students must be CSD or Pre-CSD majors with strong interest in voice production, voice treatment, and/or the physiology of speech.
- Students who have done well in basic science courses, speech A&P, and speech science are especially encouraged to participate.
- General knowledge and experience in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are expected and necessary.
- Students must have strong organizational and communication skills, and strong problem solving skills too.
- Students must be willing to learn new things and be receptive to direction and instruction
- Students must be willing and feel comfortable working as part of an interactive team in the lab
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: A Retrospective Chart Review of Occupational and Physical Therapy Practices in Acute Care for Disorders of Consciousness. (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Jenna Neikirk, MS, OTR/L
Departments: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Fall 2025
Description:
Purpose and Rationale
Our project focuses on understanding how occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) help individuals with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Due to severe brain injuries, these individuals have very limited awareness, and understanding how therapy is provided can help improve their care. This research is important because it can guide healthcare providers in offering the best possible treatments to support this population's recovery and quality of life.
Activities and Analyses
In this study, we’re performing tasks such as writing and submitting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application, which ensures our research is ethical and follows all necessary guidelines. We’re also reviewing patient charts to look for patterns in how OTs and PTs are used for individuals with DOC. For example, we might analyze how often therapy is provided, the types of activities used, and the outcomes. Once we’ve gathered enough information, we aim to publish our findings to share what we’ve learned with other healthcare professionals and researchers.
What You’ll Learn and Gain
By participating in this research, you’ll gain hands-on experience writing an IRB application, a crucial skill for conducting ethical research. You’ll also learn how to review and analyze medical charts, identify meaningful patterns in data, and contribute to drafting a publication for a scientific journal. These skills are valuable for anyone interested in healthcare, rehabilitation, or research. Additionally, you’ll develop critical thinking and organizational skills, and you’ll have the chance to make a real impact by helping improve care for people with disorders of consciousness.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Open to all majors
- Understanding of HIPAA or the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality in healthcare research.
- Strong written and verbal communication for IRB writing and potential contributions to publications.
- Familiarity with Excel, SPSS, or basic data organization tools (optional but helpful).
- Current undergraduate student (preferably sophomore or higher) in a relevant field such as Health Sciences (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nursing), Biology or Neuroscience, Psychology, and Public HealthPrefer that students engage in our lab for at least 2 semesters
- Students must be detail-oriented, organized, and responsive to email
- Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: mHealth Technology and Invisible Chronic Illness (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Jami Warren, PhD
Department: Health and Clinical Sciences (HHS, MLS, CLM)
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is an invisible chronic illness that affects between 500,000 and 3,000,000 people in the United States annually. Individuals with POTS often experience delays to diagnosis as well as misdiagnosis because symptoms often overlap with other conditions. Recently, POTS has gained press coverage because symptoms of POTS are being noted among patients who have had COVID-19. In our recent research with POTS patients, mobile and connected health technology (e.g., smartphones wearable sensors) were mentioned as a potential way to help patients decrease their time to diagnosis by providing them with a means to record objective data to give to their physicians. Mobile Health (mHealth)—the use of mobile information and communication technology in improving health--can provide key health information to physicians throughout a patient’s diagnostic journey.
In this phase of our study, we will be utilizing focus group feedback from our previous work to develop and test a mobile health app in a small clinical trial with diagnosis-seeking POTS patients. Our lab needs additional students to begin in January 2024. The student will help with study-related tasks such as communicating with participants, managing online surveys, compiling, and possibly helping to analyze data.
Students selected to participate in this research project will gain experience conducting focus group interviews, transcribing and analyzing qualitative data, working as part of a research team, and potentially gaining valuable publication and presentation experience as well.
Prerequisites:
- Prefer HHS students interested in patient-provider communication.
- Must have at least 3.5 cumulative GPA
- Possess a basic understanding of the research process
- Willing to take specific direction and work as part of a research team
- Highly responsible and keenly aware of patient privacy issues
- Experience with Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel.
- Very detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and careful
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Attitudes About Rural Healthcare (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Heather Witt, PT, DPT, CBIS
Departments: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: Spring 2025
Description: We are searching for 1-2 undergraduate students to help with our established research project. Rural healthcare is often associated with health disparities, including higher incidence of disease and disability as well as higher rates of chronic pain. This project aims to understand physical therapy student attitudes and beliefs surrounding rural and urban healthcare and the potential bias from healthcare professionals regarding healthcare in rural versus urban settings.
This research will use participatory photography, focus group analysis, and survey data to examine student perceptions of rural and urban healthcare settings in greater depth. Student researchers will be expected to perform the following activities:
- Learn how to analyze data (both qualitative and quantitative)
- Learn how to use Dedoose software in qualitative analysis
- Summarize findings
- Learn how to document citations
While performing these activities, students will learn basic research skills and gain experience in scientific writing. As part of this research, students will have publication and/or presentation opportunities.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Open to all majors
- Prefer that students engage in our lab for at least 2 semesters
- The student is not required to have specific physical therapy interests or knowledge as this project focuses on attitudes and bias
- Students must be detail-oriented, organized, and responsive to email
- Willing to participate in small lab meetings to go over progress
- Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
- No prior research experience is required
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Prevalence of Disordered Eating in Appalachia (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Shelley Irving, MSPAS, PA-C
Departments: Physician Assistant Studies
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Patients in rural and medically underserved communities with disordered eating conditions are challenging to diagnose and treat because of the lack of healthcare access. This project aims to understand the prevalence of eating disorders in Appalachia and support work being conducted as part of a grant to the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
This research will help define the prevalence of disordered eating conditions in these rural communities and will help inform the development of critically needed resources to help patients with these diagnoses lead healthier lives.
Student researchers will be expected to perform the following activities:
-
Gain experience in how to develop a research question,
-
Conduct a literature review
-
Summarize findings, and
-
Learn how to document citations.
While performing these activities, students will learn basic research skills and gain experience in scientific writing. As part of this research work, students will have publication and/or presentation opportunities.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Prefer soph, junior, or senior-level students
- Familiar with Microsoft Office programs
- Students must be detail-oriented, very organized, reliable, and responsive to email.
- Students must be willing to take direction and instruction and not afraid of making mistakes.
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive and collaborative team.
Posted: 9-24-24
Title of Opportunity: Increasing Clinical Rotation Supply through Churn Analysis (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Shelley Irving, MSPAS, PA-C
Departments: Physician Assistant Studies
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Graduate programs in medically-related professions (e.g., physicians, nurses, and physician assistants) require clinical training in clinical settings (e.g., physician offices, hospitals, clinics). Given the growth of programs in medicine, nursing, physician assistants, etc., the demand for these clinical placements is growing substantially. At the same time, medical providers are expected to be more productive (see more patients). Thus providers may not have time to be clinical supervisors for students in training. These trends make finding clinical placements more difficult. We are applying a business data manipulation technique known as "churn analysis" to our past rotation schedule data to discover trends that can inform us as to how we can improve our ability to maximize obtaining clinical rotation sites.
Our goal is to better understand supervisor behavior to see which types of clinical sites are more likely to take more students more often, and conversely to see why sites drop out or take fewer students. This project is important because it will help with understanding where our program needs to invest its effort to increase opportunities for clinical placements, and conversely to avoid seeking placements at sites more likely to drop out.
Student researchers will be expected to perform the following activities:
- Taking extracted placement data and formatting it to be able to calculate churn statistics.
- Apply logic statements (in Microsoft Excel) to classify all placement changes.
- Summarize the types of placement changes.
- Calculate several types of churn statistics.
- Write up findings and observations.
- Review current literature.
While performing these activities, students will learn about basic research skills, data manipulation using Excel, learning how to use Excel logic and other formulas, computation and presentation of statistics, and lastly, develop experience in scientific writing. Students will have publication opportunities as part of this research work. Students will work with project staff in Lexington and they will meet with the faculty director of the project during her weekly office hours in Lexington.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Must have Excel or Google Sheets experience with formula and charting use.
- Must have data manipulation experience.
- Interested in improving skills in analysis.
- Prefer students with experience in searching and summarizing research and business literature.
- Student must be detail-oriented, very organized, reliable, and responsive to email.
- Student must be willing to take direction and instruction and not afraid of making mistakes.
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive and collaborative team.
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: "All About Communication” - Research Lab Projects (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Drs. Janine Schmedding-Bartley, & Judith L. Page
Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: The All About Communication Research Lab (AAC) is comprised of 3 faculty members in the Dept of Communication Sciences & Disorders (Drs. Schmedding-Bartley, & Page) who together investigate communication assessments and various treatments for children and adults with complex communication needs.
The AAC Research Lab faculty are in search of several student research aides to assist with the overall work of the lab in several ongoing projects. The undergraduate positions offered by the AAC Lab will provide an opportunity for students to become actively involved in one or more ongoing projects with different combinations of faculty and doctoral students. All students will have an opportunity to assist with a variety of tasks including: application preparation for human subjects approval, transcription of client data, data entry, data cleaning, data coding, data management and library research, research poster preparation and presentation, and lastly material preparation for use in assessments and interventions.
No prior experience is needed to participate in this research opportunity. Training will be provided for you. All participating students must be available on Wednesdays between 2 and 4 pm for on-line Zoom meetings among lab participants.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Availability Wednesdays 2 to 4 pm
- Any major is welcome, but CSD students are preferred
- Opportunity is open to 2nd semester Freshman through Seniors
- Student must be detail-oriented, very organized, reliable, and responsive to email
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive team
Posted: 10-18-24
Title of Opportunity: UK Rehab MakerSpace: Joint rehab project between "All About Communication” (AAC) - Research Lab and The Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network (KARRN) (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentors: Drs. Janine Schmedding-Bartley, Judith L. Page from CSD and Dr. Patrick Kitzman from PT.
Departments: Communication Sciences & Disorders and Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: The All About Communication Research Lab (AAC) (https://www.uky.edu/chs/aac-lab) and the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network (KARRN) (https://www.uky.edu/chs/karrn) have created a “makerspace” to experiment and create useful rehabilitation/habilitation aids for individuals with a variety of different disorders that affect their quality of life. By sharing ideas, tools, and knowledge, we can improve their participation in life and foster better and greater interaction with their surroundings. Our "makerspace" is an inclusive place to create, build, collaborate, explore, and learn together.
We are looking for students who like to physically create things with their hands and are willing and not afraid to dive in and learn some technical skills including basic electronics, programming, using craft tools, 3-D printing, and learning how real-world signals are converted for use by digital equipment (computers, iPhones, iPads), to name a few. No prior experience is needed to participate in this research opportunity. Training by one of the faculty will be provided for you...or we'll work to together to figure out how to do something!
All participating students must be available on Wednesdays between 3 and 4 pm for in-person and/or on-line Zoom meetings among lab participants. Current makerspace tools and technology include:
- 3D printer (QIDI X-MAX)
- Soldering station
- Laminating station
- Electronics
- Computer/software
- Crafts/hardware supplies
- Sewing supplies
- Tools
Our UK Rehab Makerspace is in search of student research aides to participate in several ongoing as well as developing new projects including:
- 3D printing of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and assistive technology (AT) tools,
- rehabbing donated AT and durable medical equipment (DME),
- adapting toys and books for inclusive play,
- creating AT switches,
- evaluating our makerspace impact, and
- developing your new ideas to help someone do something they couldn't do before.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Availability Wednesdays 3 to 4 pm in-person or via Zoom.
- Any major is welcome including CSD, HHS, PT, OT, AT, rehab and biomedical engineering, and those with similar interests
- Student must be detail-oriented, very organized, reliable, and responsive to email.
- Student must be willing to take direction and instruction and not afraid of making mistakes.
- Friendly and able to work as part of an interactive team and collaborative team.
Posted: 2-23-24
Title of Opportunity: Muscle and functional recovery after critical illness (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor Name: Dr. Kirby Mayer
Faculty Email: kpmaye2@uky.edu
Graduate Student Mentor Name: Felipe Gonzalez
Department and Affiliation: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: We are in search of 1-2 undergraduate students to help with our research and join our established research team. Our research focuses on understanding the recovery and care trajectory following hospital discharge. We are actively enrolling survivors of critical illness, including Spanish-speakers, and conducting assessments at hospital discharge, as well as at 3, 6, and 12 months after. As part of our work, we measure muscle strength, record muscle ultrasound, assess muscle power, conduct physical function tests, and administer questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality, frailty, fatigue, quality of life, physical activity level, optimism/resilience, and disability state. In select cases, we also perform muscle biopsies and analyze blood samples.
Our REBOUND lab has multiple ongoing research projects that students will have the opportunity to be involved with. We are seeking undergraduate students to assist with data collection, contacting subjects, organizing and extracting data, and receiving brief training for REDcap (Research Electronic Data Capture) and EPIC (local electronic medical record system). In addition, we need help with storing and organizing muscle ultrasound images of critical illness survivors.
Participating students will gain insight and contribute to the clinical research process, including interacting with patients, analyzing data, and helping create manuscripts. Each student's time commitment will be at least 3-5 hours per week.
Prerequisites
• Minimum GPA 3.25
• Sophomore or Junior preferred
• Prefer that students engage in our lab for at least 2 semesters
• Reliable, responsible, and responsive to emails
• Organized and motivated with an excellent work ethic
• Familiarity with basic Microsoft Excel (needed for entering data)
• Prefer students with a health sciences or health profession background
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Patient-Centered Outcomes in the ICU Recovery Clinic (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kirby Mayer
Department: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: We are looking for 1-2 undergraduate students to assist with our research initiatives and become an integral part of our research team. The ICU Recovery Clinic at the University of Kentucky Clinic provides care to ICU survivors through an interdisciplinary approach. Students entering any health profession will encounter patients with complex needs and who are ICU and COVID-19 survivors. Our research will allow the undergraduate students to better understand recovery and trajectory of care after hospital discharge. Our lab, REBOUND, has many ongoing research projects that students will have the opportunity to be involved with. We are creating a large data base of all the patients we serve in the clinic for current and future research initiatives.
Participating students will have the opportunity to understand and help with the process of retrospective studies, data analysis, and manuscript creation. We are looking for undergraduate students to assist with data organization and extraction through our electronic medical record system called EPIC. The time requirement for each student will be 3-5 hours per week minimum.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA 3.25
- Sophomore or Junior preferred
- Prefer that students engage in our lab for at least 2 semesters
- Reliable, responsible, and responsive to emails
- Organized and motivated with an excellent work ethic
- Familiarity with basic Microsoft Excel (needed for entering data)
- Prefer students with a health sciences or health profession background
- Current electronic medical record access is a bonus but is NOT required for participation
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Assessing skeletal muscle dysfunction after severe burn trauma (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faulty Mentor: Dr. Allison Owen
Department/College: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Survivors of critical illness often experience loss of muscle mass (i.e., atrophy) and/or strength, which is not restored by current rehabilitation treatments. The changes to a patient’s muscles persist for years following hospital discharge and contribute to poor quality of life among survivors.
Our lab is interested in what goes wrong in skeletal muscle during and after critical illness so that we can identify new treatments aimed at improving muscle function and strength among survivors. Our lab specifically studies patients with burn injuries because these individuals develop a specific condition known as fibrosis, a situation that is known to impair muscle function. Fibrosis is an accumulation of non-contractile elements of muscle collectively referred to as the extracellular matrix (ECM). Our lab is interested in investigating how burn injury triggers cellular and molecular changes in the ECM that contribute to muscle fibrosis, weakness, and dysfunction.
Students accepted into our lab will learn to perform various immunohistochemical staining methods on muscle biopsies from burn-injured patients. They will also conduct analyses on animal tissues using various biochemical tests to assess muscle tissue changes after an experimental injury that may contribute to poor muscle health. Depending on the level of involvement, students will have the opportunity to co-author a peer-reviewed research article and participate as part of the lab team on poster presentations at scientific meetings.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA of 3.5
- Preference given to students who can commit to multiple/consecutive semesters
- Detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and responsible
- Strong work ethic, a fast learner, and flexible
- Students must be receptive to direction and instruction
- Students must feel comfortable and willing to work as part of an interactive team
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Understanding the Pathogenesis of Periodontal Disease (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Octavio Gonzalez
Department/College: College of Dentistry
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Our group is interested in identifying the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, particularly associated with: (1) the role of host-bacteria interactions and (2) the effects of aging on the gingival innate immune responses. These studies seek to identify new molecular pathways that will provide the foundation to prevent and treat periodontal disease, which is still affecting 50% of the US adult population. For this, we use in vitro (cell cultures) and animal models combined with several molecular techniques. Previous undergraduate students have had very productive experiences in our group with the opportunity to present the main findings at local scientific meetings as well as co-authoring publications in top dental and immunological journals.
Prerequisites:
- GPA 3.5 or better
- Availability for lab work at least 6 - 8h/week for at least 1-2 years
- Complete UK web safety training (4 courses) for working in the lab
- Preference will be given to students with excellent academic performance, interested in pursuing dental education and involved in the research certificate program from the UK College of Health Sciences
Posted: 7-15-24
Title of Opportunity: University of Kentucky Aphasia Lab Research Projects (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Christen Page, PhD, CCC-SLP
Department: Communication Sciences & Disorders
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of functional strategies and support services on life participation (how individuals participate in previously enjoyed activities). Using the life participation approach to aphasia (LPAA Project Group, 2001), the University of Kentucky Aphasia Lab aims to provide long-term functional support services for individuals with chronic aphasia and their caregivers (participants). The support services within the Aphasia Lab will provide mechanisms to increase communication opportunities and confidence for individuals with aphasia (communication deficits following a stroke) and awareness of communication competence by their caregivers/co-survivors. With these services, participants will re-engage as active members of a communicating society. Support services will include:
Strategies to facilitate participation in vocational, social, or educational activities;
- Caregiver/co-survivor education to reduce burdens and reveal communication competence for individuals with aphasia;
- Group interaction to increase confidence and communication opportunities for individuals with aphasia.
Students who are chosen to participate in this undergraduate research experience will learn research skills through the following tasks:
- Critically appraise research articles.
- Assist with manuscript preparation/revisions.
- Manage data collected from assessments given to persons with aphasia and caregivers.
Dr. Page has multiple years of experience mentoring undergraduate students as they complete research projects. She provides clear instructions with examples/resources and is available and happy to answer any questions that may arise. While this project may require multiple semesters to complete, students could potentially present findings at a state or national conference.
Prerequisites:
- Familiarity with conducting literature searches is preferred but not required
- Dependable and punctual and responds to email in a timely manner
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- General knowledge and basic experience in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are needed.
- Students must have strong organizational and communication skills.
- Students must be willing to learn new things and be receptive to direction and instruction
- Students must be willing and feel comfortable working as part of an interactive team in the lab
Posted: TBA
Title of Opportunity: Discovering Mechanisms of Injury and Recovery in the Lower Extremity (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brian Noehren
Department: Physical Therapy
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description: Our lab is focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of several common injuries that occur in the lower extremity. We use a variety of methods to answer our research questions, including:
- 3D motion capture,
- Advanced muscle strength assessment,
- Magnetic resonance imaging, and
- Clinical behavioral measurements and the
- Use and development of computer code to process and analyze the data we collect.
Students working in our lab serve in a variety of capacities, such as observing clinical evaluations, assisting in data collection, and processing data. The undergraduate students working in our lab gain an understanding of anatomy, common clinical assessment techniques, and joint mechanics. Students also have an opportunity to assist physical therapists in research treatment studies ongoing in the laboratory. Students that work in the laboratory for an extended period of time also have the opportunity to present research at national conferences. Leadership opportunities also exist for students who return for a second semester to help train and supervise newer students.
We are looking for 2 students to join our lab who have excellent attention to detail, a strong work ethic, are interested in a future career in the medical field, and enjoy working in a collaborative team environment.
Prerequisites:
- Prefer a current Freshman or Sophomore but will also consider a Junior for the position
- Must commit to a minimum of 8-10 hours per week (fall/spring) on the project, which is equivalent to 3 credits of coursework.
- Must be interested in working in a lab over multiple semesters
- Minimum 3.4 GPA
- Preference will be given to Pre-PT students and Pre-Med
Posted: TBA***
Title of Opportunity: Emerging Practices in Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience (FULL)
Contact: Dr. Richard Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu)
Faculty Mentor: Karen Clancy, PhD
Department: Health and Clinical Sciences
Position Type: Academic credit only
Position Availability: TBA
Description:
Recent legislative changes have highlighted the need to understand how quality, safety, and patient experiences fit into the mainstream of healthcare management strategies. These factors, combined with the global pandemic response to COVID-19, are influencing the re-design of health delivery organizational frameworks and many healthcare practices. Our research group is seeking student assistance to help us further our research work in these areas.
We are seeking student help to prepare a comprehensive literature review on emerging trends and practices in health care related to quality, safety, and patient experience. Student help in preparation of this review will be invaluable for developing publications and grants that will help further extend the research work performed by our group. Selected students may also have additional opportunities helping support associated faculty and graduate student research as well. Selected students can expect to learn about the research process, the use of research databases, writing skills associated with creating annotated bibliographies, and learn how to produce a literature review. All of these skills are easily translatable to the student’s own academic and clinical work.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum GPA of 3.3
- Strong basic writing skills
- Experience with writing annotated bibliographies and literature reviews is preferred
- Experience with Word and Excel, or similar types of software.
- Very detail-oriented, organized, reliable, and careful
Posted: TBA
END