• PI: Alex Evancho
• CRC: Kate Grindle

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Exercise Among People with ALS (IPALS) aims to decrease obstacles for exercise for people with ALS and promote healthy behaviors.

IPALS is funded by the Center for Exercise Medicine and Center for the Study of Community Health in a joint pilot grant. The study is actively recruiting participants!

The protocol involves recruiting those with ALS to fill out a series of surveys that go over their current exercise habits and behaviors towards exercise.

• PI: Dr. Byron Lai
• CRCs: Ashley Wright and Raven Young

This study comes from a R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health – Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

This two-year, $222,000 grant is enrolling participants until May 1, 2025, upon which the study will move into the testing phase.

This study uses a two-armed parallel group design. A total of 50 physically inactive children with cerebral palsy (aged 6-17 years) will be randomly allocated into one of two groups: a 12-week Sprint-Intensity Interval Training (SIT) or a waitlist control group that continues habitual activity for 12 weeks. The SIT prescription includes three tele-supervised sessions per week with 30 repeated sequences of four seconds of maximal arm exercise, with active recovery, warm-up, and cooldown periods (for an approximately 20-minute total session).

The overall aims of the study are to improve peak oxygen consumption and increase indicators of cardiometabolic health as measured by DXA scans and blood-related cardiometabolic indicators.

• PI: Dr. Byron Lai
• CRCs: Ashley Wright and Raven Young

This is a pilot randomized controlled trial to investigate the potential effects and feasibility of a 14-week Extended Reality program on physical activity participation and indicators of health among pediatric patients with cancer.

Coordinators are actively enrolling participants whose treatment requires at least a two-week inpatient stay.

This is a two-year, $70,000 pilot grant from the UAB Department of Pediatrics Kaul Pediatric Research Institute.

This study uses a two-arm parallel group design. Overall, 16 pediatric patients with cancer undergoing rehabilitation (aged ≥ eight years) at a children’s hospital will be randomly allocated into one of two groups: one that receives behavioral coaching and another that doesn’t receive any additional behavioral coaching during the Extended Reality program in the hospital until discharge and then for eight weeks at home.

• PI: Dr. Jereme Wilroy
• CRC: John Giannone

Building on the success of Movement-2-Music, or M2M, Cardiometabolic Health Intervention Using Music and Exercise (CHIME) is a five-year, $3.3 million grant from NIH that aims to get participants in the mindset of having exercise in their regular routine.

CHIME is a 24-week program of three one-hour sessions of live remote training and monitoring of vital signs to study the effects for the target population of wheelchair users.

Participants in the CHIME study complete choreographed exercise routines designed to be accessible for a broad range of body types and abilities. Individuals are compensated up to $830 for their full participation in the study.

These exercise doses and resources ideally act as a foundation for patients to achieve sustainable wellness routines and accomplish their health goals.

Read more about the CHIME studyOpens an external link.

• PI: Zoe Young
• CRC: Avery Vitemb

Movement-to-Music (M2M) is a rhythmic based exercise program delivered through Zoom in which participants can actively engage with instructors and other participants in the convenience of their own home for a period of three times a week for 12 weeks.

Individuals who qualify for M2M include people diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinsons disease, or multiple sclerosis.

M2M is a Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living.

Individuals are randomized into one of two groups: one group will start the M2M class immediately while the other control group will continue with their regular activity and have an opportunity to start M2M classes later on. However, individuals are grouped together in classes based on similar levels of functional ability.

Read more about the M2M projectOpens an external link.

• PI: Dr. Christine Ferguson
• CRC: Omer Faruq

This 16-week study, funded by CEDHARS pilot program for $50,000, will use an experimental approach called the Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial to help determine which combination and sequence of weight loss program features are most effective in people who are at risk for type 2 diabetes (prediabetes) and have a disability.

Participants in the study will complete a group-based weight management program and will be initially randomized to consume either a high or reduced carbohydrate diet. After four weeks, participants will be identified as responders (= 2.5% weight loss) or non-responders (< 2.5% weight loss). Responders will continue with their initial randomized group for the remainder of the trial. Non-Responders will be re-randomized to second stage interventions of either adding additional exercise counseling or beginning individual counseling sessions on time-restricted eating protocol for the remainder of the trial.

The adaptations have been incorporated by NCHPAD expert information specialists and have gone through external reviews. The adapted protocol is now in the process of institutional review board (IRB) approval. The enrollment for this 16-week trial is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.

• PI: Alex Evancho
• CRC: Melissa Do

This is a pilot and feasibility study that aims to investigate the influence of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to address insomnia in breast cancer patients receiving palliative and supportive care services.

Specifically, the researchers are examining the tolerability, feasibility, and efficacy of at-home use of taVNS as a treatment for insomnia and cancer-related fatigue by looking at the outcome measurements of sleep, cancer-related fatigue, mental disorders, and cognitive performance. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate the effect of taVNS on pro-inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha interleukin-1 beta and C-reactive protein.

In this one-year study from a $25,000 grant from the UAB Palliative Research Enhancement Project, participants will use a taVNS device for 15 minutes before bed for two weeks. The study is still enrolling participants.

• PI: Dr. Rachel Cowan
• CRC: Chloe Sapalaran

This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, aims to determine what changes in transfer, self-care, and mobility would be meaningful to people with spinal cord injury who use a wheelchair.

There are three separate parts of the study being conducted. The first project is interviews, the second is surveys for data collection, and third is model validation.

The study’s researchers are actively recruiting for all three parts of the study. For more information, please contact Chloe at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• PI: Dr. Jim Rimmer
• CRC: Kate Grindle

This SBIR grant, Usability and Functionality Evaluation of the EXercise Power-up (EXP) Device with End Users, is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and is currently in the recruitment phase.

The purpose of this study is to examine the usability of the prototype EXP device to improve exercise outcomes among individuals with physical disabilities and mobility limitations by comparing it to regular exercise.

This study will include the participant selecting an exercise machine to use (arm/leg cycle or pulley). Participant will then exercise on that machine while watching TV and exercise on that machine upgraded with the EXP prototype while connected to a virtual exercise environment. Participants will complete surveys and an interview about their experience after testing.