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CCTS Digest 7.24 .15 | www.uab.edu/ccts
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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
This Week in Science: Earth "2.0" Found; Four-Legged Snake Fossil Stuns Scientists 

Primitive man's best friend?
Tetrapodophis (artist's representation) is the first known snake known to have four limbs. (credit: Science magazine)

From  Science magazine: 

Scientists have described what they say is the first known fossil of a four-legged snake. The limbs of the 120-or-so-million-year-old, 20-centimeter-long creature are remarkably well preserved and end with five slender digits that appear to have been functional. Thought to have come from Brazil, the fossil would be one of the earliest snakes found, suggesting that the group evolved from terrestrial precursors in Gondwana, the southern remnant of the supercontinent Pangaea. But although the creature's overall body plan-and indeed, many of its individual anatomical features-is snakelike, some researchers aren't so sure that it is a part of the snake family tree.


Read the full story here.

 

Meanwhile, deep in outer space, a "haul" of planets from Nasa's Kepler telescope includes a world sharing many characteristics with Earth.

 

The orbital period of Kepler 452b (shown in this artist's impression) is very similar to that of Earth.

From BBC News: 

Kepler-452b orbits at a very similar distance from its star, though its radius is 60% larger.


 

Mission scientists said they believed it was the most Earth-like planet yet.


 

Such worlds are of interest to astronomers because they might be small and cool enough to host liquid water on their surface - and might therefore be hospitable to life.

 

Nasa's science chief John Grunsfeld called the new world "Earth 2.0" and the "closest so far" to our home. It is around 1,400 light years away from Earth.

 

John Jenkins, Kepler data analysis lead at Nasa's Ames Research Center in California, added: "It's a real privilege to deliver this news to you today. There's a new kid on the block that's just moved in next door."


 

The new world joins other exoplanets such as Kepler-186f that are similar in many ways to Earth. Determining which is most Earth-like depends on the properties one considers. Kepler-186f, announced in 2014, is smaller than the new planet, but orbits a red dwarf star that is significantly cooler than our own.

 

Kepler-452b, however, orbits a parent star which belongs to the same class as the Sun: it is just 4% more massive and 10% brighter. Kepler-452b takes 385 days to complete a full circuit of this star, so its orbital period is 5% longer than Earth's.

Seminars
Seminars, Symposia and Conferences
Friday, July 31

"Integration of BIG Biomedical Data in Translational Bioinformatics" 


 

Kun Huang, PhD

Department of Biomedical Informatics

The Ohio State University

 

12-1pm

Shelby 515

1825 University Blvd

 

Please register to attend; lunch will be served


Wednesday, August 5
CCTS Forum: Grant Writing/Assembly Resources
4:45-6pm in PCAMS, 1924 7th Avenue South

Join us for hors d'oeuvres and refreshments as we come together to discuss resources available at UAB to write, assemble, and successfully submit grants (or triage those that need a second chance).  


 

Please join us remotely via GoToMeeting:
 

  • You can also dial in using your phone
    • (312) 757-3121

    Access Code: 533-000-725
Thursday, August 6
2015 Leadership in Academic Medicine Lecture
Peter L. Slavin, MD
President, Massachusetts General Hospital

Noon-1pm
Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium

Lunch will be served; 1 hour of CME credit available

Thursday, August 6

CCTS/CTO Research Seminar Series 

12:30-1:30pm, PCAMS Library, 1924 7th Ave. S.

Please join us remotely via GoToMeeting:


Friday,  August 7
First Friday Mentoring Lunch
Noon-1pm, PCAMS (1924 7th Ave. S.)  

This is an informal opportunity to come together with Dr. David Chaplin, Director of the CCTS Training Academy and your peers to discuss mentoring issues.  No prerequisite attendance at any other mentoring events is required.  Please RSVP so that we have enough food:  ccts@uab.edu.

Thursday, August 13
Professional Skills Development Series
"Developing Abstracts" 
Dr. David Chaplin, Director, UAB CCTS Training Academy

11am-12:15pm
PCAMS, 1924 7th Avenue South

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone:  https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/840329197
You can also dial in using your phone. United States (Long distance): +1 (224) 501-3412  Access Code: 840-329-197

SAVE THE DATE: FALL SYMPOSIA

Tuesday, September 15

TIERS: Training Interdisciplinary & Emerging Research Scholars

The mission of TIERS is to provide beneficial information on career planning and development. Topics are presented in a relaxed environment structured to promote collaborative learning, networking and problem solving.

TIERS participants do not have to have a current career development or training award to attend.  Any junior faculty, postdoctoral fellow and pre-professional student interested in an academic research career may participant.


Mark your calendar:  Tuesday, September 15, 2015  for a dialogue with   Warren Ross, MD,  on career development topics such as interviewing and professional searches.  Dr. Ross is a nationally recognized physician executive who lends deep industry knowledge to senior search assignments, which focus on securing top executives for Academic Health Science Centers.  

 

Friday, September 25

UAB Center for Exercise Medicine - 3rd Annual Symposium

UCEM logo  

"Innovative Research from Discovery to Treatment to Prevention"

8am-2pm

Bradley Lecture Center at Children's Harbor

Birmingham, AL

 

Details and registration information will be posted soon at: www.uab.edu/exercise.

 

 

September 28-30, 2015

Immunogenomics 2015

 

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Ala.

 

The meeting will bring you together with key experts at the intersection of immunology and genomics as they explore the application of genomic technologies to better understand the immune system.

Attend Immunogenomics 2015 and:

  • Engage in a multi-day program of science talks presented by leading experts in the field of immunogenomics
  • Be a part of the grassroots revolution in the way we approach human health
  • Network with leaders and thinkers at exciting social events

View the program to see the line-up of international speakers who will be discussing their groundbreaking research.

 

Abstracts are still being accepted until Friday, July 17. Click here to learn how to present your research before an international community of scientists.

 

There are significant discounts available for early registration through Monday, July 27. Click here to see the conference pricing and reserve your spot today!

 

October 2, 2015

Community Engagement Institute

 

 

7:30am-3:30pm

Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, East Meeting Rooms

 

This event is an education and training opportunity for academic and community partners to explore, discuss and gain practical skills related to collaborative research and service, especially to address locally identified needs and to connect key stakeholders and change agents to one another for action.

Undergraduate and graduate students, community members, UAB faculty, organizations & community/neighborhood leaders, volunteers, faith-based leaders and organizations, health advocates, consumers, grass-roots organizers, local funders and others are encouraged to register and attend. 


Keynote speakers for the October 2, 2015, Community Engagement Institute are:

 

Al Thompson, MSW
Executive Director
Community Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) 
  
Dr. Sampson Davis
 

Registration is now open for this free event-register today!

 

Call for posters:
Conference participants interested in presenting a poster should complete the POSTER APPLICATION FORMProposals should be submitted NO LATER than 5 pm (CST), Tuesday, September 1st, 2015.   

 

October 22-23, 2015 
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.

 

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.    

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.

2015 CCTS Biomedical Informatics Summer Training Series


This series will consist of a series of seminars, presentations and online lectures covering key topics in biomedical and health informatics for clinical and translational science researchers and the resources related to these topics at UAB.  Reading materials will accompany the presentations-five live seminars and three online sessions.  Each live session will be approximately one hour on Wednesdays from 3-4 pm beginning June 3, in the PCAMS Building, 1924 7th Avenue South (NOTE: new location).  

 

Schedule of Presentations

 

Date

Topic

Presenters

June 3

What is informatics? (Introductory Presentation ) Topics include: Overview of biomedical and health informatics, key issues in the field, impact of informatics on medical research, education and patient care, informatics resources for researchers at UAB.

Eta S. Berner, EdD

June4-16

ONLINE SESSION-- Electronic health records- Topics include: description, functionality, use for research, and challenges for both healthcare and research.

 

June 17

Accessing data in electronic health records- Topics include: Demonstration of tools and resources for accessing UAB's electronic health record systems,

Matthew C. Wyatt, MSHI

June 24

Literature searching using advanced electronic techniques- Topics include: Tools, strategies and resources for effective literature searching for researchers in clinical and translational science.

Lee Vucovich, MLS

 

June  25--July 7

ONLINE LECTURES-Databases, Health Information Technology Standards and Interoperability of Clinical Systems .Topics include: Advantages of databases for clinical research, Importance of standards and description of the kind of standards  that exist in healthcare

 

July 8

Use of the EHR for Research-Topics include challenges in using the EHR for research, strategies to make the EHR more usable clinically and for research

James J. Cimino, MD

July 15

Role of bioinformatics in study design and analysis of genomic data- Topics include: tools and resources at UAB  and nationally  for genomic and other  "--omic" analyses.     

Elliot J. Lefkowitz, PhD

July 22-July 29

ONLINE SESSION--Linking genomic and clinical data-The eMERGE Network

 

Students who would like to take this as a one-credit course can do so.  All interested individuals should email Eta S. Berner, EdD, Course Director, at eberner@uab.edu to be put on the mailing list for course information and if you need additional information.  

 

 

Sessions will be broadcast via GoToMeeting at: 

DID YOU KNOW? UAB CCTS is on YouTube 

You've heard about our many wonderful programs and activities, but maybe you missed one? No worries, we've got you covered. Many of our speakers and series are videorecorded and posted online at our CCTS YouTube Channel. From topics ranging from informatics to community-based participatory research, to the top 5 strategies for improving participant retention in clinical trials, a wealth of information is at your fingertips. Click here to see what we have to offer.

The CCTS Congratulates Candace Floyd, PhD, president-elect of the National Neurotrauma Society

Candace Floyd, Ph.D., associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is the president-elect of theNational Neurotrauma Society. The president-elect will assume the duties of president in June 2016 for a one-year term. Floyd previously served terms as vice president and secretary/treasurer.

The National Neurotrauma Society seeks to accelerate research that will provide answers for clinicians and ultimately improve the treatments available to patients. It is open to scientists interested in neurotrauma research and promotes excellence in the field by providing opportunities for scientists, establishing standards in both basic and clinical research, encouraging and supporting research, and promoting liaisons with other organizations that influence the care and cure of neurotrauma victims.

Floyd is the holder of the Women's Committee of Spain Rehabilitation Center Endowed Chair in Rehabilitation Neuroscience Research and the director of Research for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The central focus of her research is to develop new treatments for spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.

She earned her doctorate from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University and did postdoctoral training in traumatic central nervous system injury research at the University of California, Davis. She joined UAB in 2006.


 

She serves as grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her research is currently supported by the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and private organizations including the National Football League.


Floyd was a 2011 CCTS Pilot Awardee! Click here to read the full story. 




 

Featured Funding :


 

*NEW* NIH Lasker Clinical Research Scholars


 

The National Institutes of Health, the nation's premier agency for biomedical and behavioral research, in partnership with the Lasker Foundation, is pleased to announce the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, an historic "intramural-extramural" partnership to nurture the next generation of clinical researchers

 

The program supports a small number of exceptional clinical researchers in the early stages of their careers to promote their development to fully independent positions. Successful candidates are designated as Lasker Clinical Research Scholars.


 

Lasker Scholars receive a unique combination of NIH funding for clinical research for to 10 years. In the first phase of the program, Scholars will receive appointments for 5-7 years as tenure-track investigators within the NIH Intramural Research Program with independent budgets. In the second phase, successful Scholars will receive up to 3 years of NIH support for their research at an extramural research facility; or the Scholar can be considered to remain as an investigator within the intramural program.


 

Lasker Scholars will have access to the NIH Clinical Center, the nation's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research. Through an arrangement with the Lasker Foundation, Scholars will have the opportunity to participate in selected activities, including attendance at the Lasker Breakfast and Award Luncheon, and participation in annual scientific meetings.

 

Applications are due August 27. Details:  http://www.nih.gov/science/laskerscholar/

Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level.

 

The current grant level is $240,000; $60,000 per year for a four-year period. In 2016, Pew will name the next Class of Pew Scholars. For the 32nd series of awards, to be made in 2016, one nomination will be invited from each of the participating institutions. Participating institutions have been selected on the basis of the scope of their work in biomedical research and recommended to The Pew Charitable Trusts by the National Advisory Committee of the Program. The application for the 2016 awards will open on August 3, 2015.


 

Eligibility:

  • Candidates must have been awarded a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field.
  • As of November 16, 2015, nominees must hold full-time appointments at the rank of assistant professor. (Appointments such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible.)
  • On July 16, 2015, candidates must have been in such an appointment for less than three years (not appointed before July 16, 2012), whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, or in work toward board certification does not count as part of this three-year limit
  • Candidates may be nominated by their institution two times in total. ALL applicants must be nominated by their institution and must complete the 2016 online application.
  • If an applicant's university has more than one eligible nominating institution or campus, that applicant may only apply from one institution; they may not reapply in a subsequent year from a different one.

Additional information concerning the 2016 Pew Scholars Program can be found here. 

Candidates who would like to be considered for UAB's nomination should contact Dr. Kent T. Keyser at ktkeyser@uab.edu.


 

Searle Scholars Program

UAB has been invited to submit the name of one nominee to the Searle Scholars Program. This program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding young scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Grants are $300,000 for a three-year term with $100,000 payable each year of the grant, subject to the receipt of acceptable progress reports. Generally, the program makes 15 new grants annually.

 

Applicants for awards which will be activated on July 1, 2016, will be expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.

Candidates should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after July 1, 2014. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent) at an invited institutionAdditional information concerning eligibility for the 2016 Searle Scholars Program can be found here.

 

If you meet the eligibility requirements, and are interested in being considered to be UAB's nominee, please contact Dr. Kent T. Keyser at ktkeyser@uab.edu.

 

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Contact the CCTS Research Commons ( ccts@uab.edu; 4.7442) to learn more. Visit the site now for these and ongoing additions to the list!


Check out the CCTS Funding Opportunities page on our website


Biostatistics
BIOSTATISTICS

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. 
 

 

 UAB CCTS Biostatistics Clinic                                                    

Come visit our team of biostatisticians for a one-on-one consultation

Weekly on Wednesdays, 11:30am-1pm

PCAMS Building 1924 7th Avenue South

 

The Biostatistics 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 group. 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.

 

Please contact the BERD and request design consultation by emailing ccts@uab.edu, calling (205) 934-4905 or connecting through Research Commons on the CCTS home page. 

 

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