We extend a warm welcome to Dr. John Chae who recently joined the CTSC leadership as a member of our Executive Committee, and representing MetroHealth. He replaces John Sedor, MD who recently left MetroHealth and is now conducting research at the Cleveland Clinic.

In his roles as Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Medical Director of Neuromusculoskeletal Service at MetroHealth, Dr. Chae focuses on the application of electrical stimulation to create movement for individuals with paralysis. The stimulation of implanted devices sends messages to nerves and muscles to cause arms, legs and lungs to move again. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Chae has received numerous awards including the 2007 Braddom Research Award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists, which “recognizes an individual who over the previous decade has…had the most significant impact on the science and practice of rehabilitation medicine.”

Dr. Chae is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the NIH Clinical Center, the Board of Trustees of the Association of Academic Physiatrists and the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research represents patient and voluntary health groups, medical and scientific societies, academic and research organizations, and industry, dedicated to enhancing the federal investment in biomedical, behavioral, social, and population-based research supported by NIH.

Read the final Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research letter regarding the budget deal and FY 2018 medical research appropriations here (PDF) .

A consortium of universities and research groups has received a five-year, $25 million grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science to create a new National Center for Data to Health (CD2H).

The award will coalesce and coordinate informatics activities across the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program, a network of more than 50 medical research institutions, to provide collaborative clinical and translational research infrastructure.

Read the full article here.

The 2018 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards honors outstanding achievements in clinical research from across the nation. The competition seeks to identify major advances in the biomedical field resulting from the nation’s investment in health and welfare.

Nominations must be submitted by Friday, January 12, 2018 through the website at  clinicalresearchforum.org/top10.

Breathe Free: We Share Air  is working with community residents and organizations in three Greater Cleveland neighborhoods to change the conversation around smoking in homes and neighborhoods. The project is launching a series of bus ads as well as radio spots that feature community residents discussing their own experience with tobacco use and the challenges involved with quitting.

Listen to the radio spots!

PRCHN faculty, staff, affiliated faculty, NOCA members, and other PRCHN partners presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Their topics ranged from fresh and healthy food access in under-served neighborhoods, to community-academic partnerships and their impact on public health, to the Cleveland bicycling advocacy community's progress toward national benchmarks.



See the full list of PRCHN presentations at APHA

The Fall 2017 issue of School of Medicine’s alumni magazine, Medicus , featured work underway in our program and by the Patient-Centered Media Lab at MetroHealth to help patients get digitally connected and be able to use electronic health tools. See:  Bridging the Health Care Digital Divide on page 30.

As part of the November 15-21 ^st Divided by Design series exploring how Cleveland became one of the nation’s most segregated cities, Ideastream highlighted the work we do in Health Data Matters, showing the connections between historic redlining (discriminatory lending practices that began after the Great Depression) and current disparities in health and the social determinants of health.  See the entire series or the segment featuring our work .

Finally, an article, Why Aren’t our Digital Solutions Working for Everyone , published in the November 2017 issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics, called out the model we published recently showing how health systems (and social service organizations) could screen patients for digital literacy and connectivity, refer them to local partners for support, and then train patients to use electronic health tools such as patient portals.

Michael Gregory Kurilla, M.D., Ph.D., will direct the NCATS Division of Clinical Innovation beginning Dec. 10, 2017. Kurilla’s new role will include leading the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program, which supports innovative solutions that advance the efficiency, quality and impact of translational science with the ultimate goal of getting more treatments to more patients more quickly. As the largest NIH initiative, the CTSA Program supports a national network of medical research institutions that work together to tackle system-wide scientific and operational problems in clinical and translational research that no one team can overcome.

Kurilla currently serves as director of the Office of BioDefense, Research Resources and Translational Research at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where he also has been involved with biodefense product development. Prior to joining NIAID in 2003, Kurilla was an associate director for infectious diseases at Wyeth. He also worked at Dupont in antimicrobials, and on molecular pathology at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.

“Mike has a wealth of experience in the management of complex and complicated translational science initiatives,” said NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D. “His record of expertise and accomplishment across the translational sciences — including efforts to combat some of the most concerning scourges of our time such as Ebola and Zika virus — makes him ideally suited to lead NCATS’ clinical innovation efforts.”

Kurilla has led several World Health Organization global research efforts and testified before Congress about public health emergencies including biological threats. He is an esteemed author of numerous scientific publications on infectious diseases and has received many prestigious awards — including a Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service — for his expertise and research advances. In addition, he previously served on the CTSA Program Steering Committee.



Kurilla holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology as well as an M.D. from Duke University, was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, and completed a residency in pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His B.S. degree is from the California Institute of Technology.

“The NCATS CTSA Program encapsulates the overall mission of NIH, taking fundamental scientific biomedical discovery and translating that knowledge into better health and health care for all Americans as well as the world,” Kurilla said. “The opportunity is challenging but also humbling, and I look forward to working with all elements of the program to advance its goals.”

The Meeting of the Minds 2017 Annual Summit was held on October 23-25, 2017 in Cleveland, OH, spotlighting innovations in urban sustainability and connected technology. Visit their website for the full agenda, videos of the sessions, and more information.  Mark your calendar for the  2018 Annual Summit in  Sacramento !

On December 6 and 7, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will host an Opioid Symposium and Code-a-Thon to promote and employ innovative ways to leverage technology and data to address the nationwide opioid epidemic.

The SMART IRB team regularly hosts a series of webinars to help institutions, IRBs, and investigators learn more about how the SMART IRB Agreement, SOPs, and complementary tools and resources can help them implement single IRB review arrangements for their studies. Webinars are open for registration at  SMARTIRB.org . 

Implementing the SMART IRB Agreement 

Dec 8

Register

Getting Started with SMART IRB & the Online Reliance System

Dec 12

Register

Responsibilities of Relying Institutions

Dec 14

Register

Serving as a Reviewing IRB

Dec 18

Register

 

Note: Webinars are repeated. Watch a previous session and access slides at  smartirb.org/resources .

 

Questions? Contact  [email protected]  

Thanks to the robust engagement of local advocates, the third annual Net Inclusion Summit will be held in Cleveland. Academics, advocates, policymakers and community members will discuss policy innovations to improve digital equity, and the science around the impact of digital skills and connectivity on many aspects of life. A number of us are planning a pre-conference workshop focused on addressing disparities in use of digital tools for improving health. If you are interested, please contact Amy Sheon.

The Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention (ICRC-S)  has announced that its fourth Research Training Institute (RTI) will take place on Monday, May 7th to Friday, May 11th, 2018 at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.

The RTI is a five-day series of interactive workshops, presentations, mentoring and small group sessions designed to promote collaboration between suicide prevention researchers and those involved in suicide prevention practice. Faculty include staff from the University of Rochester Medical Center and other experts in the suicide prevention research field. Applicants will be selected through a competitive process that requires researchers and injury prevention/suicide prevention professionals to work as partners to submit one joint application describing a research project which focuses on public health approaches to suicide prevention. 

Application Deadline: January 12, 2018

For more information visit the  ICRC-S website .

Workshop Submission Deadlin e: February 5, 2018

Abstract Submission Deadline: March 20, 2018

 

The  SciTS conference  is the annual international forum dedicated to SciTS, bringing together thought leaders from a broad range of disciplines and fields, including: communications, management, social and behavioral sciences, information technology, systems science, and translational research. It provides investigators, academic administrators, and funders with state-of-the-art knowledge, strategies, and connections. SciTS scholars, scientists engaged in team-based research, institutional leaders who promote collaborative research, policymakers, and federal agency representatives will be in attendance. 

 

This year’s conference for the SciTS community will be hosted by the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas on May 21-24, 2018.

 

Workshops

The SciTS Program Committee invites submissions from individuals or groups to conduct  Special Interest Workshops and Seminars .

 

Workshops/Sessions will be 3.5 hours or 6.5 hours in length. All topics relevant to the application of Science of Team Science approaches are welcomed, specifically with respect to training sessions that will equip SciTS investigators with tools and technical skills for data collection, analysis, or presentation in their research areas. Workshop/seminar proposals that incorporate a variety of instructional approaches (e.g. lecture, interactive discussion, hands-on exercises) and materials (e.g. slides, handouts, sample data) are strongly encouraged. We encourage workshops or seminars with a focus on methodologies including systems approaches to the field of SciTS as well as methodologies for conducting evaluation and understanding team dynamics. Furthermore, we welcome workshops and seminars that provide practical guidance for conducting and managing team science in a variety of contexts and settings, and workshops with a focus on developing team science educational and training resources.

 

All workshop submissions should include the information listed in the attached Call for Workshops and should be submitted through our  Workshop Submission Form .  Acceptance notifications will be made in March 2018, and Workshops will be held between May 21 and 24, 2018.

 

Abstracts

The SciTS Program Committee also welcomes  abstracts  for paper presentations, lightning round presentations, and panel presentations, as well as scientific posters.

 

Paper, Lightning Round, and Poster abstracts are limited to one page, while Panel abstracts are limited to four pages. Abstracts not meeting these page limits will not be considered. A panel proposal must include an abstract summarizing the overall theme of the panel, and panel submissions showcasing research papers should also include individual abstracts for each individual presentation.

 

All abstract submissions should utilize the attached  Abstract Template  and should be submitted through the Abstract Submission Form .  Acceptance notifications will be made in April 2018. Presenting authors will be responsible for conference registration, travel, and hotel costs. Poster presenters will be responsible for poster printing costs. Abstracts will be compiled and made available to participants.

 

More information about submitting a Workshop proposal or Abstract is attached, and information about conference registration, fees, and additional travel and lodging details will soon be posted on  the conference website .

 

Questions? Contact the conference planning team at  [email protected].

The purpose of this pilot project program is to develop investigators with a high capacity to engage in partnerships with communities to conduct high-quality health disparities research. Community partnerships are intended to leverage the experience and understanding of the community in identifying the root causes of health disparities that adversely affect health. Investigations of interest include the development, pilot testing, and/or dissemination of community-based studies to understand and/or eliminate health disparities.

View the RFA and apply via WebGrants here.

Ohio is looking for new ideas to be brought to the fight against drug abuse and addiction through today’s launch of the Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge . This global challenge is seeking new approaches and technology solutions whether they be from regular citizens or researchers and scientists.

Ohio is spending $1 billion annually attacking the opioid problem from every direction including prevention, education, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement. Recently, Ohio Governor John R. Kasich called for Ohio Third Frontier funding to accelerate scientific and technological breakthroughs that could help combat the U.S. opioid problem. The Ohio Third Frontier is a state initiative that identifies and advances promising technology. 

“Whether you’re a medical or healthcare expert, or simply a concerned citizen, we are calling on everyone to be part of the solution,” said Director David Goodman, chair of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. 

The Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge will leverage $8 million of a $20 million commitment to advance new ideas in the battle against drug abuse and addiction. The Challenge is a multi-phase, multi-million-dollar prize competition with escalating prize amounts associated with progressive levels of solution development. 

The first stage is the idea generation phase, which will collect ideas from technical and non-technical audiences including caregivers, service providers, researchers, citizens, entrepreneurs and anyone impacted by the crisis. Up to five ideas from the idea generation phase with the highest likelihood of leading to a solution will be selected for a cash award of $10,000 each. In addition, runners-up will be entered in a drawing to win $500 prizes; 20 will be awarded to citizens and 20 to technical professionals and experts. 

The second stage is the challenge phase, using expertise of the worldwide business and innovation community to advance technical solutions in the areas of prevention, treatment, and overdose avoidance and response. 

The final stage is the product phase, enabling winners of the Challenge to further develop their technology for market entry. 

Responses for the idea phase of the Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge should be submitted at  www.OpioidTechChallenge.com and are due by December 15, 2017 at 5 p.m. US EST. Winners will be announced in late January 2018, and the second phase of the program, the challenge phase, will launch in February 2018.  

For more information visit the  Ohio Opioid Challenge website .

Friends For An Earlier Breast Cancer Test  is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and education and to raising funds for research into earlier detection of breast cancer. Since its inception in 1995, Friends has awarded nearly $4 million in seed grants to qualified projects.

To advance this mission, grants of up to $40,000 over one to three years will be awarded in support of pilot research projects focused on new methods aimed at improving detection of early stage breast cancer. Priority will be given to projects that lead to the development of new techniques in the areas of biological or immunologic methods of early detection.

Applications are accepted from both established investigators who have funding but want to embark on a new area of research, as well as less experienced researchers. In either case, the proposal should represent a new approach to the area of interest.

For more information visit the  Earlier.org website .

I-Corps@Ohio  is a statewide program developed to assist faculty, staff and students from Ohio universities, colleges and community colleges in validating the market potential of technologies and launching startup companies. I-Corps@Ohio is modeled after the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) successful I-Corps (Innovation Corps) program, which has been proven to increase innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration. The I-Corps@Ohio program incorporates lean launch, customer discovery and business model innovation methodologies to assess technologies and enhance the business acumen and networks of research faculty and students.

The long-term objective is to drive sustainable technology-based, entrepreneurial economic growth in Ohio. I-Corps@Ohio is offered on a competitive basis to teams comprised of research faculty or staff members, student(s) and executive mentor(s). Teams develop market-driven value propositions and scalable business models that attract seed, angel and venture funding to support company formation, market entry, and accelerate the growth of income and jobs in Ohio.

The primary goals of the I-Corps@Ohio program are to advance the translation of fundamental research to innovative products and services that drive scalable business models that serve as the basis for startup companies. Furthermore, the program recognizes that these new ventures must be of sufficient merit to attract subsequent third-party funding, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train students and faculty in the practice of innovation and entrepreneurship. Teams that receive I-Corps@Ohio funding are required to complete an intensive 8-week, hands-on training program. The curriculum is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurial teams understand the market for their technology, develop a compelling commercialization strategy and attain new skills that will be very useful to a long-term career in research and development.



For more information, visit the   I-Corps@Ohio webpage .

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund  is accepting applications for its 2018 Postdoctoral Enrichment Program.

The annual program awards grants of up to $60,000 over three years to support career-development activities for underrepresented minority postdoctoral fellows in a degree-granting institution (including affiliated graduate and medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions) in the United States or Canada whose training and professional development are guided by mentors committed to helping the fellow advance into a career in biomedical or medical research.

Up to twelve grants will be awarded for enrichment activities annually. Grants are meant to supplement the training of postdocs whose research activities are already supported by other sources.

To be eligible, applicants must have no more than thirty-six months of postdoctoral research experience (in a research laboratory) at the time of application and not be more than five years from his/her PhD; be nominated by a qualified mentor at the degree-granting institution where the applicant will conduct his/her postdoctoral/fellowship training; have secured a postdoctoral position with funding (including support from the mentor's existing research grants) at a degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada; and be an underrepresented member of a minority group (i.e., American Indian or Alaska Native, black or African American, Hispanic, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander). 

For more information visit the  BWF website .

The National Psoriasis Foundation  Research Program funds and promotes research into psoriatic disease and related comorbidities, under NPF's mission of finding a cure for psoriatic disease and improving the lives of those affected.

Research projects are selected not only for their potential to yield information that may help treat psoriatic disease, but also to answer basic questions about the underlying disease mechanisms, comorbidities, and public health. Applications undergo a rigorous scientific peer-review by a panel of experts and are then selected for funding based on patient input and Foundation priorities. This year the Foundation is offering six different research grant opportunities: Discovery Grants, Translational Research Grants, Early Career Research Grants, Bridge Grants, the 2018 Pediatric Psoriasis Challenge Grant, and Psoriatic Arthritis Research Grants. 

For more informaiton, visit the  NPF webpage .