UNC School of Nursing Biobehavioral Lab welcomes visitors during UNC Research Week

The UNC School of Nursing’s Biobehavioral Lab welcomed more than 50 visitors to an open lab event Oct. 21 as part of UNC Research Week.

Visitors included people from nursing, sports medicine, neuroscience and bioengineering, as well as high school students who attended with their parents.

Guests explored the lab room by room to learn how technologies and biomarker assessments can advance health care and research. Demonstrations featured multiplex biomarker analysis, sleep and physical activity monitoring, pulse wave analysis, body composition assessment, portable electrocardiography (EKG) and methods that allow research participants in rural areas to collect their own blood samples.

Visitors spoke with lab research assistants about the science behind the equipment, its uses in research and health care, and opportunities to access lab resources for teaching and community service.

“We opened our doors to showcase the BBL’s equipment, facilities and services and to share how our lab can support research, teaching and community service across disciplines,” said Grace Wu, director of the Biobehavioral Lab. “We hope this event inspires new collaborations and helps researchers, educators and community partners discover opportunities to work together to advance science and improve health.”

The event highlighted how biobehavioral science can connect disciplines, introduce future scientists and health care professionals to research, support research collaborations and strengthen community engagement.

---