Center for Research
The Mission
The Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) Center for Research exists to support LUCOM faculty and students as they pursue excellence in research and scholarly activity.
The greater than 8,500-square-foot Center for Research features eight state-of-the-art molecular and cellular labs, a large central lab, a dedicated administrative suite, and an expanded animal facility.
Five Year Goals (2024-29)
LUCOM aims to enhance the research and scholarly activity of its faculty and students through the following primary goals:
- Increase opportunities for LUCOM students to engage in mentored scholarly or research activity throughout the 4-year curriculum.
- Increase collaboration across university departments, with an emphasis on expanding research and scholarly activity in osteopathic manipulative medicine and the osteopathic approach to patient care.
- Develop and maintain streamlined processes for securing intramural research funding for faculty and students.
- Increase access to resources and personnel to support and expand basic, clinical, and educational research and scholarly activity.
- Develop an environment that fosters life-long learning and facilitates the submission of competitive applications for extramural funding.
- Increase research and scholarship productivity and impact via dissemination in peer-reviewed journals and at professional conferences.
- Increase awareness and engagement of the LUCOM Cureus publishing platform and the annual LUCOM Research Day.
LUCOM hosts its annual Research Day each year in January. Visit Research Day to learn how you can participate.
Faculty, staff, and students have the opportunity to submit their work for publication through LUCOM’s “Liberty Medicine Research Channel” on Cureus. All manuscripts undergo peer-review and are indexed through PubMed and Google Scholar if accepted for publication.
Barb Lutz, Research Manager
Greg Bennett, Director of Health and Environmental Safety
Access
The Pre-Clinical Research Elective (LUCOM 6502) provides Liberty osteopathic medical students with hands-on experience in biomedical research and other scholarly activities.
LUCOM student doctors engage in a mentored research project in which they participate in hypothesis development, design and perform experiments, collect and interpret data, draw conclusions, and present their findings to peers and colleagues. Student-doctors gain experience in properly using biostatistics, reading and critiquing primary research literature, scientific writing, and maintaining a safe laboratory environment.
In addition, student doctors gain an understanding of key elements of the research enterprise, including manuscript preparation, grant development, and the regulations that govern the inclusion of animal models and human subjects in research projects. Scientific integrity and the responsible conduct of research are emphasized throughout the elective.
Learn about LUCOM 6502 (pdf)
Learn about Clinical and Scholarly Projects (pdf)
Learn about Laboratory-Based Projects (pdf)
Funding
Faculty Extramural Research Grant
All communications with funding sources outside of the university must be submitted through the Liberty University Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. An overview of the grant writing process and how to apply can be found on the Grant Process page.
Unless specifically instructed, LUCOM will not consider intramural applications for Faculty Release and Student Research Project Awards.
Faculty Intramural Research Grant
LUCOM faculty seeking funds to cover costs associated with research and/or scholarly activity can apply for a Faculty Research Project Award online through the Liberty University Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. Requests for more than $7,500 must be completed (including all hierarchal approvals) before November 1 of each year.
Faculty having received prior intramural funding are required to submit a progress report summarizing the results from the prior grant before new award funds will be released.
Faculty Presentation and Publication Grant
LUCOM faculty seeking funds to cover costs associated with presenting research or scholarly activity, or publishing a peer-reviewed manuscript, can apply for a Faculty Scholarship Award online through the Liberty University Office of Sponsored Programs and Research.
Faculty should review the Liberty University Travel Policy prior to submitting an application to ensure an appropriate budget is prepared.
Please note that any employee driving a University-owned, rented, or personal vehicle for the purposes of University business must be approved by Liberty University Transportation. This process determines the insurability of the employee. Please refer to the approved driver process.
Student Conference Presentation Grant
LUCOM student-doctors seeking funds to cover costs associated with presenting original, peer-reviewed research or scholarly activity at a national conference can apply for a Student Research Presentation Award online through the Liberty University Center for Research and Scholarship.
LUCOM sets a maximum budget for each submitted abstract and the application requires applicants to provide budget codes. Students travel outside of the USA is generally not supported. Budget amounts and appropriate budget codes can be provided by email from the LUCOM Center for Research at LUCOMResearch@liberty.edu.
Students should review the Liberty University Travel Policy prior to submitting an application to ensure an appropriate budget is prepared.
Please note that only Liberty-approved drivers are authorized to drive for any professional event. Please refer to the approved driver process.
The current programs for the Center for Research include:
- Central cardiovascular regulation led by John R. Martin, PhD
- Fungal pathogenesis led by Michael S. Price, PhD
- Gastrointestinal physiology led by Anthony J.M. Bauer, PhD
- Human proviral gene expression led by Yingguang Liu, PhD
- Immunology, cancer immunotherapy, and mast cell biology led by Christopher L. Kepley, PhD, FAAAAI
- Renal pathophysiology led by Joseph C. Gigliotti, PhD
- Reproductive physiology led by R. James Swanson, PhD
- Vascular physiology led by Jeffrey Jasperse, PhD
- Liberty University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
- Liberty University Institutional Biosafety Committee
- Liberty University Institutional Review Board
- Liberty University Office of Sponsored Programs and Research
- Liberty University Research Ethics Office
- Liberty University Quick Print (Poster)
- Poster and Presentation Templates
Stories
- LUCOM Research Fellow Furthers Human Immunology Understanding through Computational Research
- Liberty University researchers propose and study a new strategy for cancer immunotherapy
- LUCOM Earns First Place in Annual VCOM Research Day
- LUCOM hosts third Research Day to highlight LU student doctor work and collaborative findings
- LUCOM Center for Research partners with Cureus, an online platform to share peer-reviewed research
- LUCOM Student-Doctors Receive First Place in VAFP Oral Presentation Category
- LUCOM Center for Research hosts Dr. Michael Smith, Biomedical Frontiers Seminar Series continues
- LUCOM Center for Research hosts Dr. Uta Erdbrügger, Biomedical Frontiers Seminar Series continues
- LUCOM hosts first Research Day to highlight medical student work and commitment to quality research
- LUCOM Center for Research hosts Dr. Christopher Reilly, Biomedical Frontiers Seminar Series continues
- LUCOM Center for Research hosts Dr. Stefanie Robel, first BFSS presenter of the year
- Liberty osteopathic medical students present research at Experimental Biology Conference
- LUCOM faculty member mentors Liberty undergraduate research assistant on understanding kidney disease and cardiovascular health
- LUCOM faculty, student-doctors, and alumni collaborate on medical research
- LUCOM faculty, student-doctor newborn research published in peer reviewed journal
- LUCOM Professor Reflects on 30-year Career in Research Helping Thousands to Hear
- Abnormal weight loss research published by LUCOM faculty and student-doctors