Introducing the Recipients of the Incyte Ingenuity Awards in GVHD^TM!

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University was awarded $100,000 to implement its project, Smart Help for GVHD Assessment and Tracking.

The mobile application identifies erythema body surface area on people with chronic GVHD, which can be a biomarker for mortality. Erythema is a redness of the skin, either in a limited area or widespread. In collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology, the program leveraged modern techniques in image processing and machine learning to convert conventional smartphone images into pseudo-hyperspectral images that can accurately detect and quantify erythema in a range of Fitzpatrick skin types, which is a skin tone scale developed to classify skin coloring. Hyperspectral imaging is a technique that analyzes a wide spectrum of light, rather than the typical method of assigning primary colors (red, green, blue) to each pixel, with the purpose of identifying and gathering detailed information. Through the analysis of these images, this project provides the ability for people with GVHD to effectively track their disease and detect change in a remote setting.

Vanderbilt University is refining its patient-facing mobile application and aims to pilot the program among people with GVHD in the future.

Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions was awarded $35,000 to implement its project, Supportive Care Intervention to Address Employment Concerns for Patients Living with Chronic GVHD.

The program aimed to help support the development and evaluation of a work support intervention program designed to identify and address the employment challenges of people living with GVHD. In collaboration with MGH Cancer Center, the goal of this project was to become the first evidence-based intervention to help people with GVHD address employment challenges and subsequently improve quality of life.

MGH Institute of Health Professions has developed a “Return to Work Plan” for the blood or marrow transplant survivor community, which was evaluated with 30 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients. The plan evaluated participants and provided key resources and support to promote the ability to return to work after a transplant.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was awarded $100,000 to implement its project, Addressing the Gaps in Education for Children and Young Adults With Chronic GVHD.

This study assessed the specific barriers to academic performance in children and young adults of school-/college-going ages with chronic GVHD. By evaluating individuals with chronic GVHD against their non-impacted peers, this project identified specific barriers, including worries about physical appearance due to hair loss and skin discoloration, difficulty concentrating caused by tiredness and fatigue, eye discomfort and blurriness, and painful hand contractures impacting the ability to control a pencil or drive a car.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has developed Back to School with GVHD, an animated video to educate on a child’s experience going to school with GVHD.

Watch Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s video Back to School with GVHD and meet JoJo the panda as she navigates school with chronic GVHD.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta was awarded $35,000 to implement its project, A Virtual Rehabilitation Program for Children With Chronic GVHD.

The virtual rehabilitation program aimed to provide easy access to physical fitness to improve exercise adherence, aerobic capacity, musculoskeletal strength and flexibility, and ultimately, quality of life in children living with chronic GVHD. Studies have shown that physical rehabilitation is often inadequately addressed in comprehensive chronic GVHD care. This proposal addressed the need for physical rehabilitation for these children and helped them tackle limiting barriers they face, such as exposure and risk of infection, given the virtual environment.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta started the BMT Track Club, which encourages participants to run and reach their selected goal distance and have plans to continue to enroll additional patients into its rehabilitation program in the future.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was awarded $100,000 to implement its project, the GVHD-Focused Telehealth Clinic.

The GVHD-Focused Telehealth Clinic addressed inequities and expanded access to GVHD care, through a multispecialty GVHD telehealth clinic for adult and pediatric patients with GVHD. This telehealth clinic improved patient access to GVHD management and thereby improved their quality of life. The project served a wider and more diverse population of people with GVHD.

The clinic served multiple adults and children with more than 300 visits, nearly 30% of which were through virtual telemedicine visits. Notably, the clinic was able to provide consistent care to patients during COVID spikes and patients reported overall improvements to fatigue, sleep and work after participating in the clinic.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has since expanded services at its clinic to include the incorporation of AI technology in treatment response assessment and rehabilitation and supported the development of a similar clinic in Miami.