Higher Education

UWF Professor Lands $825,000 Grant to Help Cancer Survivors Rebuild Their Health

Dr. Karishma Chhabria Unrue’s “Move & Nourish Florida” initiative will pair breast and prostate cancer survivors with personalized nutrition, fitness and stress-management support. It’s one of the largest grants ever awarded to an assistant professor at UWF’s College of Health.

---

Surviving cancer is only the first fight. For many breast and prostate cancer patients, the years after treatment bring a different battle—an elevated risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol that can erode quality of life long after the diagnosis fades from view.

• University of West Florida Assistant Professor of Public Health Dr. Karishma Chhabria Unrue has secured nearly $825,000 through the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund to do something about it.

The grant funds “Move & Nourish Florida,” a statewide lifestyle intervention designed to help cancer survivors rebuild their long-term health through nutrition, physical activity and stress management — delivered in a way meant to actually fit into people’s lives, not just sit in a binder.

“This funding allows us to translate research into action by working directly with cancer survivors and the communities that support them. Our goal is to develop evidence-based approaches that improve health outcomes and can ultimately be implemented across Florida.” — Dr. Karishma Chhabria Unrue

---

One of the Largest Grants of Its Kind at UWF

University officials are calling the award a milestone for UWF’s research ambitions overall. It’s described as one of the largest externally funded research grants ever received by an assistant professor within the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health. Dr. Shelley Diviney, interim dean of the college, framed it as proof of concept for the kind of work the college wants to be known for:

“The Move & Nourish Florida initiative exemplifies our commitment to improving health outcomes through interdisciplinary collaboration, evidence-based practice and meaningful community partnerships.” — Dr. Shelley Diviney

An Interdisciplinary Push, Built on Local Partnerships

The project leans on a wide bench of expertise across campus and the community, pulling together:

• UWF’s departments of Public Health, Movement Sciences, Social Work, Nursing and Medical Lab Sciences
• The Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering’s Computational Statistics and Data Analytics Lab
• Health and Hope Clinic
• Community Health NorthWest Florida
• The Florida Department of Health

The work builds on Chhabria Unrue’s IMPACT Lab — short for Integrated Mental Health and Population Analytics for Clinical Translation, which she founded to focus on cancer survivorship, mental health, chronic disease and women’s health. Beyond the clinical goals, the grant will also create research and training opportunities for UWF students working alongside the project. For more on UWF’s Usha Kundu, MD College of Health, visit uwf.edu/UKCOH.