Lowey Announces $200,000 Federal Grant to Mercy College for Research Study of Adolescents with Lupus
DOBBS FERRY, NY – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester) today announced that Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY, has been awarded a $200,000 federal grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study adolescents with lupus.
“Lupus is a devastating disease that carries extra health risks for adolescents,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey. “This funding will support Mercy College’s critical research that improves our understanding of lupus in adolescents and that stands to enhance the lives of those living with this disease. As Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to secure these types of federal resources to directly benefit the Lower Hudson Valley.”
“We are very proud of the outstanding and remarkable achievement of our three faculty who were awarded this prestigious and competitive grant from the National Institute on Disability Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR),” said Dr. Joan Toglia, dean and professor of the School of Health and Natural Sciences at Mercy College. “In addition to fulfilling an important knowledge gap in the care of adolescents with lupus, this grant also represents a significant advancement for faculty research at Mercy College.”
Dean Toglia said the three faculty members awarded the grant (Kathy Kenney-Riley, Shari Berkowitz, and Kim Rapoza) have been mentored from experienced researchers since October, 2014, as part of Mercy College's participation with the Langston University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (LU-RRTC), which was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to build research capacity and infrastructure in rehabilitation research within minority serving institutions.
As the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey was instrumental in securing a $3 billion increase in federal funding for NIH as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018. The $3 billion, or 8.8%, increase from the FY2017 enacted level is the largest increase in NIH funding in 15 years. Lowey was also instrumental in securing an estimated $115 million in lupus research for FY 2018, an increase of $25 million from FY 2015.
###