Research Programs and Institutes Service Programs and Institutes Selected Research Projects Community Partners in Research and Service Biomedical Research in Spokane Faculty Contact Dennis Dyck Vice Chancellor of Research (509) 358-7618 dyck@wsu.edu Other contacts Complete department phone/email list Find a department's Web page

As Spokane’s research university, Washington State University Spokane attracts significant extramural funding to the region.

Research funding awards average over $10 million biennially. Much of this revenue comes from federal grants and contracts.

Research expenditures have doubled since 1999, and are expected to continue to grow rapidly.

Translational and applied research improves the quality of our health care system and the quality of life in our communities.

The continuum of fundamental and applied research also enhances the short-term and long-term potential for commercial applications and economic development for the region.

WSU Spokane is a leading participant in the development of the Spokane Alliance for Medical Research, a consortium developing a vibrant medical research program encompassing a spectrum of research conducted in collaboration with the medical community.

Research Programs and Institutes

• Applied Sciences Laboratory
• Area Health Education Center / Office of Rural Health
• Center for International Health Services Research and Policy
• Child and Family Research Unit
• Health Research and Education Center
• Institutional Review Board - Spokane
• Interdisciplinary Design Institute
• Spokane Alliance for Medical Research
• Spokane Grant and Research Development Support Services
• Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research Training
• Washington State Institute for Community Oriented Policing
• Western Regional Insitute for Community Oriented Public Safety
• Cancer Prevention & Research Center
• WSU Office of Grant & Research Development

Service Programs and Institutes

WSU Spokane houses and collaborates with a number of service and outreach units that enrich community fabric, improve the quality of K-12 education, and foster partnerships.

• Area Health Education Center
• Drug Information Center
• Hearing and Speech Clinic  
• Interdisciplinary Design Institute
• Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)  
• Small Business Development Center--Spokane Office
• Small Business Development Center--Statewide Office
• Spokane County Extension 
• Stevens County Learning Center
• Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training (WIMIRT)
• Washington State Institute for Community Oriented Policing (WSICOP)
• Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety (WRICOPS)  
• WSU Spokane CityLab  

Selected Research Projects

Research projects at Washington State University Spokane make use of the unique resources available to us and build upon the collaborative relationships currently established with key agencies and constituencies in the Spokane community.

Research is currently under way in Spokane to address topics including those listed below. Detail on some of these projects can be seen on the Health Research and Education Center page.

Federally funded research programs at WSU Spokane include:

• Genetic research program in eye disease (Bassem Bejjani)
• Genetic research in Down’s syndrome and autism (Lisa Shaffer)
• Clinical research in diabetes, and participation in the ACCORD trial (John White)
• Research in nutritional factors in kidney stone formation (Linda Massey)
• Clinical research in traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury (Dennis Dyck, WSU Spokane, and Bruce Becker, St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute)
• Pathophysiologic mechanisms of diabetic nephropathy (Dr. Kathy Tuttle, The Heart Institute of Spokane, and Robert Short, WSU Spokane)
• Community based prevention and early intervention research for at risk children (Christopher Blodgett)
• Mathematical modeling and the localization of physiological signals (Paul Schimpf)
• Investigation of racial profiling (Michael R. Smith)

Community Partners in Research and Service

WSU Spokane is proud to partner with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other institutions across the Spokane region. We help the community leverage the resources of a top-tier land-grant research university to tackle the difficult challenges facing us in the 21st century.

Examples of community partnerships include:

• Child and Family Research Unit: The Safe Start project partners with area social service and law enforcement agencies to help reduce children's exposure to violence.
• Health Research and Education Center: Professor Dennis Dyck works with Dr. Bruce Becker at St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute to extend the multi-family group support model to the families of people with traumatic brain and spinal-cord injuries. News release Oct. 1, 2002
• Criminal Justice: The Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety, housed at WSU Spokane, is a partnership of 5 Western states with projects in state and local anti-terrorism training, gun violence reduction, integrity training, and other community oriented policing issues. News release Oct. 2, 2002
• Health Research and Education Center: Professors Lisa Shaffer and Bassem Bejjani have joint appointments with WSU Spokane and Sacred Heart Medical Center, conducting genetic research and clinical genetics investigations.
• Spokane Alliance for Medical Research: WSU Spokane is one of the community partners in the SAMR, launched in 2003 to build federally funded research programs in concert with the medical community.
• Child and Family Research Unit: Spokane Head Start-University Partnership for Child Outcomes Grant Project is a partnership with Head Start to develop an outcome-driven model of organizational change.

Biomedical Research in Spokane

Our research is an integral part of the Spokane community and fabric. Of special note is the research occurring at WSU Spokane that is an integral component for development of a biotechnology and biomedical technology industry in the Spokane region. This has been recognized at the state and local level:

• A study of Spokane's potential for biomedical development stressed the importance of developing the WSU Spokane campus as a foundation for such efforts. Follow links found under biomedical development news online.
• The Governor's Economic Development office designated Spokane as a biomedical cluster, due in significant measure to WSU Spokane's presence here as a research institution with an explicit programmatic focus in the health sciences.
• The state legislature has funded monies in the last several sessions to increase research in Spokane specifically to assist economic development in the region.

Faculty

Our faculty excel in working with community resources. We have been complimented by federal funding sources and national accrediting bodies for our demonstrated ability to collaborate with the medical and health services community in Spokane.

Our faculty network both with our colleagues at WSU campuses in Pullman, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver, and with internationally recognized faculty at other institutions to enhance the impact and progress of our programs.

A number of innovative, nationally recognized interdisciplinary programs have come out of Spokane due to the ability of faculty here to communicate and collaborate across fields.

Taken together, our faculty are national leaders in their areas of expertise. For more on some of our world-class faculty, see our Profiles page.

WSU Spokane and its faculty are proud of our record as a community-engaged institution of higher education, research, and service. For more information on areas of faculty expertise, see our Faculty Experts Directory.