VCU physician receives CHEST Foundation/ATS Research Grant in COVID and Diversity

Peter Jackson, MD, of Virginia Commonwealth University, has been named the first recipient of the CHEST Foundation/ATS Research Grant in COVID and Diversity.

Dr. Jackson received $25,000 to support his research: "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Care in Uganda."

He wrote: "It is now predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic will indirectly result in an estimated 6.3 million excess cases and 1.3 million excess deaths from TB globally with the majority occurring in Africa and other LMICs [low and middle-income countries]. Given the toll that COVID-19 will have on TB care it is imperative to begin research investigating potentially modifiable risk factors for patients with TB in Africa."

The spillover effect of the COVID pandemic has touched every aspect of medical care and health care access. The proposal put forth by Dr. Jackson aims to understand the impacts of the pandemic on care access for individuals with TB in Uganda. Like COVID, TB is a disease that disproportionately impacts impoverished communities. This award has the potential to provide avenues for intervention to improve TB care access while enduring the constraints of the pandemic."

Neeta Thakur, MD, MPH, Chair of the Health Equality and Diversity Committee, American Thoracic Society

"Given that COVID-19 could indirectly result in an additional 1.3 million deaths from tuberculosis globally, with the majority occurring in low and middle-income countries, identifying evidence-based solutions to minimize the impact is imperative," said Robert DeMarco, MD, FCCP, chair of the CHEST Foundation Awards Committee.

"As the world focuses on COVID-19, it is critical that the medical community not lose sight of the ongoing and growing needs of those already struggling with lung disease in the midst of this pandemic."

This research grant is one of two awards offered by the ATS Research Program in partnership with the CHEST Foundation.