Congratulations to David Friedlander, MD, MPH on being awarded an NC TraCS $5-50K pilot grant. This grant will fund 1 year of Dr. Friedlander’s continued research into the medical and surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Part of the grant is supported by matching funds from the UNC Men’s Health Program led by fellow UNC Urologists Drs. Eric Wallen and Cully Carson.
View the full list of awardees on the NC TraCS website.
“I am incredibly grateful to both NC TraCS and the Men’s Health Program for supporting this research that aims to help younger cohorts of men experiencing symptomatic BPH, which is likely under-diagnosed, especially among the socioeconomically disadvantaged.”
David Friedlander, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Urology
About Dr. Friedlander’s Project
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is common among US males with direct treatment costs exceeding $1 billion. Symptomatic BPH occurs in 15% of men 40-49 years old and up to 20% of men in their 50s, but the prevalence may be underestimated since the condition tends to be underdiagnosed and undertreated among men less than 60 years old.
Acute urinary retention is a severe consequence of BPH, and if untreated, it can become chronic. Chronic BPH is linked to recurrent urinary tract infections and progressive renal disease, which can lead to end-stage renal disease.
The pathophysiology of BPH and disease progression have been studied, but little is known about the effect of non-clinical factors of acute urinary retention (e.g., patient understanding of the disease, access to care, care fragmentation) on disease progression and clinical outcomes.
It is hypothesized that the socioeconomically disadvantaged experience lower value pathways of care, which may in part be attributable to modifiable structural barriers to quality care.
Dr. Friedlander’s grant supported research aims to develop a comprehensive risk-adjusted portrait of the episode of care surrounding acute urinary retention among men with a diagnosis of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) utilizing a novel-claims based design.
About the NC TraCS Pilot Awards
The NC TraCS $5K – $50K Translational Research Matched Pilot Grant Program is designed to encourage and facilitate novel clinical and translational research in its many forms. Cross-disciplinary basic science research addressing the development of therapies, diagnostics or devices applicable to human disease, clinical research/trials, epidemiological studies, and/or community-based research are considered eligible for these awards
If selected, the program awards 1-year grants of up to $25,000 which must be matched for total awards of up to $50,000.