Fujifilm Sonosite Inc., a leader in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) solutions, and the Chest Foundation, the charitable foundation of the American College of Chest Physicians, announced their joint grant in creating the Chest Foundation Research Grant in Ultrasonography and COVID-19.
The objective of the grant is to investigate the role of POCUS technology on COVID-19 patients through clinical research. Fujifilm Sonosite is contributing up to 2 grants of $30,000 to the Chest Foundation in support of the joint program and will also donate newly launched Sonosite PX ultrasound systems to the selected research award sites.
As of early-September 2020, COVID-19 has resulted in more than 27 million infections and 898,000 deaths across the world. Although early studies report that POCUS is providing numerous benefits to intensive care clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients, additional research on the efficacy in the management of this deadly virus is critical.
“COVID-19 continues to negatively affect the health of people around the globe and overwhelm healthcare systems,” says Diku Mandavia, MD, FACEP, senior vice president, chief medical officer of Fujifilm Sonosite. “As a company that is focused on providing innovative, point of care ultrasound technology to healthcare providers, we’re excited to host a joint grant with the Chest Foundation. This research grant will investigate how POCUS can help in COVID-19 ICU care and has the potential to build upon the current evidence.”
“As the pandemic continues to sweep the world, our goal is to help accelerate research efforts including the role of imaging modality innovations in the diagnosis and management of patients with COVID-19,” says Chest Foundation President Edward J. Diamond, MD, MBA, FCCP.
The Fujifilm Sonosite and Chest Foundation Research Grant in Ultrasonography and COVID-19 is currently open and accepting proposals from interested Chest medicine professionals and members in the United States until October 30, 2020. Grant winners will be announced on December 1, 2020. Fujifilm Sonosite and the Chest Foundation expect the research findings to be available by December 2021.
For more information about the program and how to apply, visit https://foundation.chestnet.org/grants/