Funding awarded for study of antibiotic use in nursing homes, gut microbiome changes in Alzheimer's disease

antibiotic resistance study in nursing homes
Dr. Christopher Crnich
Dr. Barbara Bendlin

Two Department of Medicine faculty members have been awarded funding through the Wisconsin Partnership Program's Collaborative Health Sciences Program.

Christopher Crnich, MD, PhD (pictured at top right), associate professor, Infectious Disease, was awarded funding for a proposal entitled, "A Cluster Randomized Trial to Assess the Impact of Facilitated Implementation on Antibiotic Stewardship in Wisconsin Nursing Homes."

The project will explore how to improve the adoption and implementation of a urinary tract infection (UTI) management improvement toolkit that has been developed by academic and community stakeholders for use in Wisconsin nursing homes.

Barbara Bendlin, PhD (pictured at lower right), associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology and Federico Rey, PhD (not pictured), assistant professor, Department of Bacteriology were awarded funding for a project entitled, "Gut Microbiome Dynamics in Alzheimer’s Disease"

The study will explore the role of gut bacteria in the development and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Each project will receive $600,000 over three years.

The UW School of Medicine and Public Health's Wisconsin Partnership Program funds research aimed at improving the public health needs of Wisconsin and reducing health disparities through initiatives in research, education and community partnerships.

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Photo caption: Early-career physicians talk with a nursing home resident in this 2017 file photo. Research led by Dr. Christopher Crnich studies patterns of antibiotic resistance in nursing homes, which - when it occurs - poses risks to elders residing in the facilities. Photo credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine