Mary Hayney, associate professor (CHS) in the Pharmacy Practice Division, is co-investigator on an NIH-funded grant to study the effects of meditation or exercise on respiratory infections and influenza vaccine response.

Titled “Meditation and Exercise to Prevent Acute Respiratory Infection (MEPARI),” Hayney’s lab will measure the immune responses to the influenza vaccine and some of the markers to gauge severity of acute respiratory infections. Over 90 individuals aged 50 years and older have been enrolled in the study, with a second group of 60 participants scheduled to begin in December.