logo
CCTS Digest 10.16 .15 | www.uab.edu/ccts
Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter
In This Issue

Partner Network:
While we invite you to take part in all of our programs, items featuring this icon may be of particular interest. Look for the symbol throughout the Digest. Have news you'd like to share? Send it to: ccts@uab.edu
2nd Community Engagement Institute a Success!
Dr. Max Michael, speaker Al Richmond, Dr. Shauntice Allen, and keynote speaker Dr. Sampson Davis at the 2nd Annual Community Engagement Institute

The second annual Community Engagement Institute enjoyed an overflow crowd for the daylong education and training event designed to benefit both community and academic partners.

The event, held Oct. 2 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, was organized by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Clinical and Translational Science's One Great Community Council and the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health's Jefferson County Community Participation Board.

Author and physician Sampson Davis, M.D., addressed the more than 250 individuals in attendance about the importance of family and community support in cultivating personal success. Davis returned to his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, after graduating from medical school where he and two of his high school friends - who also became doctors - started an organization called The Three Doctors. Their goal is to spread the word of health, education and youth mentoring, and become "the Michael Jordan of education," so that learning becomes a glamorized trend throughout all communities.

In the afternoon, Al Richmond, MSW, executive director, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, shared some of what he has learned in his more than 25 years in a career that uniquely blends social work and public health to address racial and ethnic health disparities.

"This event is setting the stage for enhanced community engagement, for learning about what people can do in their own communities, as well as displaying the diversity of resources available at UAB," Richmond said.

This year's CEI event was free to the public, and attendance more than doubled from last year. Attendees represented members of more than 100 Greater Birmingham faith-based organizations, universities, government and nonprofit agencies, local and state health department representatives, community organizers, city and county officials, and representatives from the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. Read more about it here.

Seminars
Seminars, Symposia and Conferences
Wednesday, November 4
CCTS Forum: Training Academy Opportunities
4:45-6pm
PCAMS, 1924 7th Avenue South


Join the CCTS for hors d'oeuvres, beverages, and a host of presentations on training opportunities offered by the CCTS Training Academy. Hosted by Dr. David Chaplin, Training Academy Director. 


Please join us remotely via GoToMeeting: Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/533000725  
You can also dial in using your phone (312) 757-3121 
Access Code: 533-000-725

Friday, October 23
Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance Symposium
8am-1pm
Nursing Building - Auditorium (NB 1028)
1701 University Boulevard



Featuring:  A keynote talk about discovering new compounds to treat SARS and MERS, by the eminent experts in the coronavirus field, Mark Denison (Vanderbilt) and Ralph Baric (UNC-Chapel Hill)
 
Presentations from local ADDA grantees, including:
-David Bedwell and Kim Keeling, about developing high throughput screening assays for diseases that have nonsense mutations (Hurler Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, among others)
-Michael Niederweis, about finding molecules that can induce self-poisoning of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and
-Anupam Agarwal, about targeting heme oxygenase-1 as a new strategy to treat kidney disease

A presentation Rob Jordan from Gilead Sciences, about the discovery and development of a new therapy to treat Ebola 

There will be posters of additional drug discovery projects available for viewing and discussion during the coffee and lunch break
 
Registration is not mandatory, but it would greatly appreciated. Please register by Monday October 19.

Thursday, October 29
"Toward Precision Medicine: Informatics Hurdles and Policies Pending"


Presented by Jessica Tenenbaum, PhD
Associate Director for Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics Core
Duke University, Duke Translational Medicine Institute, Durham, NC
 
9-10am
Shelby 515
1825 University Blvd
 
Please register to attend  no later than Monday, 10/26/15.  Light breakfast will be served.
 
Questions? Please contact Dr. James Cimino, Director, Informatics Institute (ciminoj@uab.edu; 205.996.1958)
 
Thursday, November 5
Vulnerable Populations: What You Should Know, with Sheila Moore 
12-1pm
PCAMS, 1924 7th Avenue South

 
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/930891813
You can also dial in using your phone: (267) 507-0008
Access Code: 
930-891-813

Friday, November 6 
First Friday Mentoring Lunch
Join the CCTS Training Academy Leadership in an informal lunch setting to discuss mentoring opportunities, challenges, and advantages. Featuring Dr. David Chaplin and Ryan Outman, CCTS Training Academy.

Noon-Until
PCAMS, 1924 7th Avenue South
Please RSVP so we may order lunch.

Tuesday, November 17
TIERS: "Practical Project Management: Shortcuts and Useful Tips for Improved Project Management" 
Featuring Dr. Molly Wasko, UAB's Collat School of Business

5-6 pm
PCAMS - 1924 7th Avenue South


Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 
You can also dial in using your phone: (408) 650-3123 Access Code: 718-705-597

FALL SYMPOSIA

Thursday-Friday, October 22-23
Hosted by: UAB Center for Nanoscience Materials and Biointegration
UAB Alumni House and Abroms-Engle Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA)

This third annual summit brings together expertise in a variety of science and engineering disciplines and explores applications of nanotechnology tools and devices in biology and medicine. We have recruited some outstanding speakers from within Alabama and throughout the country (Harvard, UCLA, UNC - Chapel Hill, and University of California -Riverside). Featuring plenary speakers Dr. Paul Weiss, California NanoSystems Institute on "Nanoscience Approaches to Heterogeneity in Biological Sciences" and Dr. Charles Lieber, Harvard University, "Nanoelectric Tools for Brain Science."

For more information contact Charita Cadenhead, (205) 975-8076

Thursday-Friday, October 22-23
UAB Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center-4th Annual Symposium
"Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease"
 
William W. Featheringill Keynote Lecture:
Charles N. Serhan, PhD
Director, Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury
Brigham and Women's Hospital
The Simon Gelman Professor of Anaesthesia (Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology)
Harvard Institutes of Medicine
Professor, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
 
Taking place at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, Birmingham, AL
Please visit the CCVC website for more information; Registration and Trainee Abstract Submission are Open.

Friday, October 23
Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging
23rd Annual Symposium
8:30am-1pm
Edge of Chaos, Lister Hill Library, 4th Floor

Call for research abstracts:   The Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging requests abstract submissions from faculty members and their trainees for possible oral or poster presentation at this year's Annual Meeting. Abstracts must be on recent aging-related research. Electronic submission deadline: 4pm, Friday, August 21. Send to: Peter Bosworth at email: bosworth@uab.edu.

Friday, November 13
The 10th Annual Research Scientific Retreat
hosted by  UAB Department of Genetics (Heflin Center) in conjunction with HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
UAB Alumni House
Keynote address presented by:

 
Howard Jacob, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Medical Genomics and Chief Medical Genomics Officer
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
 
Accepting abstract submissions (350 words or less for the body of the abstract)
Please E-mail your abstract as a Word document attachment to lwang12@uab.edu  by October 9, 2015

Sunday & Monday, November 15-16
Network of Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI) South Regional Meeting 
 

Who attends?
* Network of Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI) members
* Underrepresented minority investigators, including post-graduate doctoral students, who are conducting biomedical research in the fields of:
o diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism
o digestive and liver diseases, nutrition
o kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases.
 
How do I attend?
 T o attend, fill out and submit the Enrollment Form .
 
What happens at the meeting?
* Mentorship
* Poster Presentation
* Scholarly exchange among field leaders
 
Can I submit an abstract for the poster presentation?
Participants are encouraged to submit abstracts. Visit the meeting page  for more information.
 
Questions? Contact Dr.  Alethea Hill, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing and member of the NMRI  at: ahill@southalabama.edu.

UAB Research Orientation Program - a NEW RESEARCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITY for Faculty, Coordinators, Budget & Regulatory Staff

New to the UAB platform of education offerings for research is a program designed for young investigators and research staff who are new to research (possibly within the first 2 months of starting in research).  
 
The program will be a basic review of how to implement a sponsored- or investigator-initiated study including clinical, regulatory and financial aspects. The intent of this program is to provide a basic overview of implementing a study, familiarize attendees with the language, and hopefully provide guidance on avoiding pitfalls when starting out.  This is not an all-encompassing program, but will provide basic tools and some of the necessary language in order to successfully conduct a research study.
 
We encourage new faculty, coordinators, budget and regulatory staff to attend.  
At this time there is no cost for the program.   Click here for more information.

Fourth Thursday of each month 8am - 12noon in PCAMS (1924 7th Avenue S.).
 
Registration is limited, so please REGISTER early by contacting   Dharti Patel :  Dpatel80@uab.edu.

IRB TRAINING NOTICE

The  UAB Office of the IRB has posted information regarding continuing training for investigators involved in human subjects research that must be completed by December 31, 2015. For more information, please visit: 
http://uab.edu/research/administration/news/Pages/IRB-continuing-training-requirement-for-2015.aspx
 
If you have questions about IRB training requirements, please contact the Office of the IRB at 934-3789.
  UAB's 5th SHORT COURSE ON NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING: TECHNOLOGY AND STATISTICAL METHODS 
December 14-17
 Next-generation sequencing technology is impacting almost all aspects of biomedical research. This technology generates an unprecedented wealth of data that demands novel analysis strategies. While IT infrastructure and bioinformatics developments are obviously required to enable sound information extraction, sophisticated statistical methodologies and algorithms are also essential for interpreting the data. We are calling statisticians, genetic epidemiologists, bioinformaticians, and genome biologists, to discuss the statistical challenges and opportunities in next-generation sequencing data analysis. We believe that this course will provide a venue for exchanging of cutting-edge information and ideas, and fostering collaborations among methodologists, analysts, and biomedical investigators. 

Topics: (tentative) 
Technical overview of NGS (Platforms; chemistry; library construction); Next Generation Sequencing in Methylation Studies; Predicting Causal Variation; StatGenLab - a virtual machine for genetics data analysis; Functional Genomics; Variant Calling & Assembly NGS Data; Rare Variants Analysis; Transcriptome Analysis; ChIP-Seq Data Analysis; Methylation using Bisulfite Sequencing; Cloud Computing; Statistical Methods for NGS Data. 

Deadline for Application: Friday, October 30, 2015. Acceptance decisions will be made by Friday, November 6, 2015. 

Attendance is limited. Please register early. 


Biostatistics
BIOSTATISTICS & BIOREPOSITORY (*new!)

Mondays
Epidemiology/Biostatistics Clinic in The Edge of Chaos
  
This clinic provides the UAB community access to epidemiology and biostatistics resources.  Available most Mondays, 10am-2pm in The Edge of Chaos (Lister Hill Library, 4th floor).  Check the Edge of Chaos calendar   for confirmation of meeting dates and times. 
 

*NEW!*  UAB CCTS Biostatistics & Biorepository Clinic                                                    
Biostats: Weekly on Wednesdays, 11:30am-1pm
Biorepository: First Wednesday of each month, 11:30am-1pm
PCAMS Building 1924 7th Avenue South

We've expanded our Biostats Clinic to include members of our CCTS Biorepository Team. On the FIRST WEDNESDAY of each month, experts from our CCTS Core Lab will join the CCTS Biostats experts to answer questions and provide consultative services on any aspect of specimen collection, specimen management, specimen processing and biorepository needs.

The Biostatistics & Biorepository Clinic is open to all faculty members, post-docs, fellows, residents, and students. Attendees are invited to bring statistical and methodological questions about on-going research projects, projects being planned, manuscripts in progress, responses to peer reviewers, and published articles. They are also invited to bring their laptops. Assistance will be provided by members of the  CCTS BERD & Biorepository groups. A light lunch is served.  

 
BERD Design Consultation Available Today
In support of Pilot & Feasibility Projects, the CCTS is offering design consultation through its Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Division (BERD).  A team of methodologists, including experts in Epidemiology (Gerald McGwin, Russell Griffin), Biostatistics (Robert Oster, David Redden, Leslie McClure, Paul Lin), and Statistical Genetics (Hemant Tiwari, Xiangqin Cui) are available to collaborate in the design of  the pilot proposals as well as in their review.  If other methodological expertise is required in the project design, the BERD will recruit the required expertise from among the network of UAB methodologists.
 
If you can't visit the clinic, please contact the BERD  or the Core Lab at your convenience  by emailing ccts@uab.edu,  calling  (205) 934-7442, or connecting through  Research Commons on the CCTS home page. 

Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Training Program

The CTS Training Program is a six-month certificate program that includes approximately 50 hours of didactic instruction and interactive experience.

STARTS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Our program provides training in clinical and translational research over a six-month period (January to June) with class on Wednesday mornings, 8-10 am. Videoconference access is available for those away from UAB.

Course content represents the following modules: Clinical Trials, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Ethics, Clinical Genetics Research, Behavioral Research, Outcomes Research, Dissemination of Results, and Grant Writing and Funding Opportunities.

Trainees from Partner Network institutions may attend via videoconference from schools outside of driving range to UAB.  Please contact Wendy Price to access the meeting code.

All of the sessions are presented by experienced clinical and translational researchers or individuals with special expertise in areas such as grants and contracts and regulatory issues. Preceptors include faculty and research staff from across the Partner Network.

For more  information about participation in the program, or if you are interested in presenting, contact Jean Lambert, Training Academy, at:  jeanl@uab.edu .

UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science |   ccts@uab.edu | www.uab.edu/ccts
 Pittman Center for Advanced Medical Sciences
1924 Seventh Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294