Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant awardees announced

The impact of wildfire on the risk of developing a migraine; using AI to improve childhood cancer outcomes; managing pain in people with sickle cell disease; and understanding the spread of herbicide resistance — these are some of the projects supported by the most recent Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant awards.  

Ignite grants are part of WashU’s Research Seed Grant program, which provides initial funding and assistance for potentially transformative research by innovative, collaborative teams from across the university. In celebration of the new School of Public Health, this year the seed grant program is focused on efforts to solve society’s deepest public health challenges. The program is run by the Research Development Office within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and funded by the Here and Next strategic plan.

Ignite awards provide up to $50,000 to support projects addressing complex problems that require an interdisciplinary approach. Applications are open for Spring 2026 Ignite Interdisciplinary Grants until February 18. See here for more information and to apply. 

The Fall 2025 awardees are:

Improving outcomes for children with cancer

• Principal investigator: Kim Johnson, PhD, a professor at the Brown School and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health
• Co-investigator: Dennis Barbour, MD, PhD, a professor of biomedical engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering

Survival rates for children with cancer in sub-Saharan African countries hover from 20% to 30%, far below the 85% survival rate in the U.S. This is partly because some families in sub-Saharan Africa abandon treatment before the child is in remission. Using artificial intelligence (AI) video-generation tools combined with scripts, this project will create engaging, cost-effective videos to educate caregivers on cancer treatment and prognosis, and the importance of adhering to a treatment plan. The goal is to improve childhood cancer survival by enhancing caregiver understanding and trust in medical care, and to demonstrate the potential of AI to address global health inequities.

Understanding how wildfires trigger headaches

• Co-principal investigators: Benjamin Kumfer, DSc, a research associate professor and senior lecturer of energy, environmental & chemical engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering; and Yu-Qing Cao, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine

Wildfires are becoming more common, significantly affecting air quality not only in fire-prone areas such as the Western United States and Canada but across the entire continental U.S. This project seeks to explore how inhaling particles from wildfire smoke contributes to neurological symptoms such as headache and migraines. The aim is to provide a clearer understanding of the risks associated with wildfire, ultimately paving the way for better prevention and treatment strategies.

Promoting healthy brain development 

• Principal investigator: Joan Luby, MD, the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Psychiatry at WashU Medicine
• Co-investigators: Lora Iannotti, MA, PhD, the Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professor at the School of Public Health; and Lindsay Stark, MPH, DrPH, also a professor at the School of Public Health

Pregnancy and the first year of life are a critical time in brain development. To help new parents support their children’s healthy brain development, Luby and colleagues developed the Benefiting the Lives of Offspring and Their Mothers (BLOOM) program at WashU Medicine. This project will implement and evaluate an app to deliver the program remotely so it can reach people who face barriers to accessing health care in person, such as those living in rural areas or who lack transportation. Community health workers use the BLOOM app to provide live, virtual “teach and coach” sessions on enhancing parent-child relationships and optimizing child development, starting in pregnancy and continuing through the child’s first year of life. 

Sustaining healthy eating and physical activity programs for young children

• Principal investigator: Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health
• Co-investigators: Nathan Jacobs, PhD, a professor of computer science & engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering; and Todd Combs, MA, PhD, a research assistant professor; Sara Malone, MSW, PhD, an assistant professor; and Ross Hammond, PhD, the Distinguished Professor in Public Health Systems Science, all at the School of Public Health

Child care center-based programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity can be effective at fostering children’s physical, emotional and cognitive development and improving their overall well-being. But despite the proven benefits, such programs are not always maintained over time. This project aims to identify the factors that influence whether a program is sustained by developing a computational model built through input from child-care practitioners and AI technologies. The ultimate goal is to determine the most effective ways to help child-care centers sustain physical activity and healthy eating programs. 

Preventing suicide among adolescents in Uganda

• Principal investigator: Massy Mutumba, MPH, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health
• Co-investigators: Ryan Lindsay, MSW, EdD, a professor of practice at the Brown School; Mary McKay, PhD, executive vice provost, a professor at the Brown School and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health; Nhial Tutlam, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health; and Saras Chung, PhD, a research associate professor at the Brown School

Self-harming behaviors including suicide are rising among adolescents in Uganda, yet most schools lack ways to recognize risk and connect students to care. This project pilots a school-linked, culturally adapted approach that integrates family-based care with evidence-based mental health skills training. Schools serve as points of early identification and referral, while trained community providers deliver group-based, family-inclusive support outside the school setting.

Understanding herbicide resistance in agricultural weeds

• Principal investigator: Kimberly Parker, PhD, an associate professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health
• Co-investigators: Ross Hammond, PhD, the Distinguished Professor in Public Health Systems Science at the School of Public Health; and Kenneth Olsen, PhD, the George William and Irene Koechig Freiberg Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences

Global food security is threatened by the emergence of agricultural weeds that can no longer be controlled by existing herbicides. This project will characterize the spread of resistance to the herbicide quizalofop-P-ethyl in weedy rice, a major pest species that threatens rice production in the U.S. The project also will collect information on how farmers are responding to this emerging resistance, and farmers’ views on alternative weed-management strategies.  

Improving control of asthma

• Principal investigator: Kaharu Sumino, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at WashU Medicine
• Co-investigators: Emmanuel Tetteh, MD, MPH, a research assistant professor at the School of Public Health; and Penina Laker, MFA, an associate professor at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Anti-Inflammatory Reliever (AIR) therapy is a promising approach for treating asthma. The therapy combines anti-inflammatory and quick-relief medications into a single inhaler that patients use only when symptoms occur. Patients prefer AIR, it improves outcomes, and it is recommended in guidelines — but adoption has been limited in low- and middle-income countries including Nigeria. For this project, a multidisciplinary team from WashU and Nigeria will identify barriers to AIR adoption, design solutions engaging stakeholders, and co-create a road map for AIR adoption in Nigeria. Their findings will have the potential to inform strategies to promote the use of AIR across low- and middle-income countries, in which over 90% of the asthma mortality occurs.

Identifying safe opioid prescribing patterns for sickle cell disease

• Principal investigator: Kevin Xu, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at WashU Medicine and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health
• Co-investigators: Lindsey Filiatreau, MPH, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health; and Allison King, MD, PhD, MPH, the Fred M. Saigh Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Research, a professor of pediatrics at WashU Medicine, and a secondary faculty member at WashU Public Health

Sickle cell disease can cause recurrent bouts of severe pain that require chronic opioid therapy. After a pain crisis has resolved, doctors will often wean patients off opioids, but there is little evidence on how to do so safely while continuing to manage pain effectively. This study uses national administrative claims data to evaluate different tapering strategies on clinical outcomes including hospitalizations, emergency visits and mental health, with a goal of generating better evidence on managing pain in people with sickle cell disease.