The overall mission of the Center for Advancing Multimorbidity Science: Profiling risk and symptom expression to develop customized therapies for adults with multiple chronic conditions (CAMS) is to enhance interdisciplinary, biobehavioral research focused on complex multiple chronic conditions in human adult populations. Its specific purpose is to provide the infrastructure and resources to new investigators and their collaborators integrating two subfields: Multimorbidity Science and Symptom Science, characterizing risk susceptibility and treatment responder profiles using advanced analytic techniques. This will allow clinicians and scientists to identify persons who are more likely to develop specific conditions/symptoms as well as those who may respond to customized therapies.
The specific aims of this Center are to: 1. Develop a sustainable interdisciplinary biobehavioral research capacity by establishing and coordinating an infrastructure and resources that facilitates the integration of Multimorbidity and Symptom Science through the development of patient risk and therapy responder profiles. 2. Build thematic science beginning with a reconceptualization of the science of Multiple Chronic Conditions (Multimorbidity) to include Symptom Science. 3. Enable research that will develop into new programs of science and independent investigator research applications. The Center includes 61 faculty and builds upon the research strengths of the faculty at the University of Iowa in symptom science and gerontological nursing (FY2018 research base is $1,118,436 in direct costs). In addition, it is embedded in a strong supportive interdisciplinary network of investigators and Centers from other University departments and Colleges. We will leverage exceptional University resources and complete proposed projects and activities to further the integrated hybrid area of Multimorbidity and Symptom Science. The Center aligns with three thematic areas of the 2016 NINR Strategic Plan: Symptom Science, Self-Management, End-of-Life and Palliative Care and supports the NINR Common Data Element (CDE) initiative.
The increasing prevalence of multiple chronic conditions (MCC), coupled with escalating costs and poor health outcomes, is shifting clinical practice from a single-disease paradigm to one addressing multiple conditions and symptoms through precision health, targeting preventive and therapeutic interventions toward those for whom they will work best. Our Center will accelerate the realization of precision health by: a) broadening the conceptual model of multimorbidity science to include symptoms/ symptom clusters; b) training new investigators in multimorbidity science and advanced data analytics; and c) mentoring new investigators from pilot projects through the established programs of research in multimorbidity and precision science. In summary, our Center will advance precision health through the integration of Multimorbidity and Symptom Science: conceptually, methodologically, and empirically.
