Serpil Erzurum, M.D., co-PI of the CTSC and chair of  Cleveland Clinic’s  Lerner Research Institute, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Dr.  Erzurum ’s scientific and clinical accomplishments have been broad and far-reaching in impact for respiratory medicine. Her groundbreaking translational research has uncovered mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension and asthma, and led to diagnostic and therapeutic advances in lung diseases.

Read the full article here.

The Clinical Research Forum is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2018 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards.

The 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.

Research studies eligible for nomination must have been published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2017, and must have been performed at a U.S. institution. Eligible research includes:

Three studies will be chosen for cash awards, which have been increased for 2018. The  Herbert Pardes Clinical Research Excellence Award , with a cash prize of $7,500, is presented to the study that best shows a high degree of innovation and creativity, advances science, and has an impact upon human disease. Two additional studies that show creativity, innovation, or a novel approach that demonstrates an immediate impact on the health and well-being of patients will be recognized with the  Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award  and a $5,000 cash prize.

Each Top Ten team representative will receive a travel stipend to the annual Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards on April 18, 2018 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. In addition, winning researchers will receive complimentary registration and present their work at the 2018 Translational Science meeting in Washington, D.C. They will also have the opportunity to meet with members of Congress and administration officials to discuss their work.

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

Researchers at the CTSA at the University of Minnesota have some questions about recruiting for behavioral health/psychiatry studies. They are searching for feedback as to what other CTSAs are doing in this field.

The survey will close on November 7, 2017.

You may open the survey in your web browser by clicking the link below:

UMN Behavioral Health Research Survey

If the link above does not work, try copying the link below into your web browser:

https://redcap.ahc.umn.edu/surveys/?s=N33MMEEP7F

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.

The 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data modules are now available on the PRCHN website. This data provides a snapshot in time of Cuyahoga County high school students and their health-related behaviors. 

In addition to making the data available on the PRCHN website, the YRBS team plans to use the new data to create and share a monthly infographic that aligns with national health observances.

Read more about the new data

See a larger image of the September 2017 (Suicide Prevention Month) infographic here.

View the 2017 YRBS data modules here.

I was honored to present an invited talk at the 11 ^th Annual Health 2.0 Fall Conference as part of a plenary session on "The Unacceptables—roadblocks in health care and digital health innovation that we can not and should not tolerate."   I kicked off the session by highlighting nine unacceptables, relying heavily on compelling illustrations from Health Data Matters .  See the full list here (my talk starts at minute 27.44) 

Even with the Cleveland Clinic's annual Medical Innovation Summit focused on genomics and precision medicine, there was growing awareness of the interactions between genes and the environment. In fact, for the first time ever, two "third rails" were mentioned—should health care providers look at patients' social media postings to better understand them? Should health care purchase data that would reveal tremendous information about patients from their online presence plus geolocation information?  For the person who raised the question, the answer was "no" but surely this is a question that will be increasingly discussed.

The national Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit, held in Cleveland October 23-25 ^th brings together urban sustainability and technology leaders to focus attention on how cities use data to improve services. While the entire meeting included only a single session relevant to health, it underscored that our work at Health Data Matters and with the Cleveland Medical Hackathon is indeed at the cutting edge. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program Officer Oktawia Wo̒jcik highlighted the 500 Cities local data portal developed by RWJF and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thanks to our partners at LiveStories, we have been able to integrate that tremendous dataset with our own local data resources. Jared Hawkins, Director of Informatics at the Innovation Program at Boston Children's Hospital presented CrowdClinical that monitors real-time discussions about health care on social media. From this resource, he constructed an index of LGBT-friendliness of health care institutions. That's a great illustration of the type of applications we aim to foster during the Cleveland Medical Hackathon. The city of Louisville was able to correlate reduction in asthma with closure of coal-burning facilities.

Digital Medicine Conference 2017: December 4-5, 2017

Location: Microsoft Innovation Center, New York

This first-ever meeting is to review the evidence for digital solutions to bring value to health care. If you are interested in attending, please contact me as I might be able to get discount registration in light of the School of Medicine's participation in NODEHealth, a conference sponsor. I'll be speaking on a panel, Digital Medicine for Underserved Communities: Models and Applications Monday afternoon.

National Digital Inclusion Alliance: Net Inclusion 2018 : April 17-19, 2018

Location: Cleveland Ohio Global Center for Health Innovation & Cleveland Public Library

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 me.

Amy R. Sheon, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Executive Director, Urban Health Initiative

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

216-368-0915

http://urbanhealth.case.edu 

www.healthdatamatters.org

@CLEhealthCUY

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 award supports the development of a comprehensive risk calculator that incorporates an individual’s clinical risk factors in addition to environmental and neighborhood-level characteristics to better predict major cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and heart attack. Current risk assessment tools rely on clinical indicators alone such as weight, age and smoking history, and do not consider factors associated with where patients live.

The four-year grant is based on the team’s recently published   paper   in Annals of Internal Medicine analyzing electronic health data of nearly 110,000 Cleveland Clinic patients. The team found that current models severely underestimate risk in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Dr. Jarrod Dalton is a former CTSC KL2 Scholar and collaborated with many members of the CTSC, including co-PI Dr. Adam Perzynski, Dr. Douglas Einstadter, and Dr. Neal Dawson, from the Center for Healthcare Research and Policy at MetroHealth Medical Center.

Read the full article here.

"We need strong collaborations and research based upon asking the right questions in specific areas," said a statement from Dr. Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, who heads the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. "The Centers of Excellence are poised to emphasize scientific inquiry that will promote health equity."

The Cleveland program will be run by Dr.  Ashwini Sehgal . Sehgal said it will work with Cleveland area community members and community organizations to understand and address health disparities.

Read the full article here.

This first-ever meeting is to review the evidence for digital solutions to bring value to health care. If you are interested in attending, please contact Amy Sheon to determine if you are eligible to receive a discount registration in light of the School of Medicine's participation in NODEHealth, a conference sponsor. Dr. Sheon will be speaking on a panel, Digital Medicine for Underserved Communities: Models and Applications on Monday afternoon.

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 . 

Getting Started with SMART IRB & the Online Reliance System

Nov 30  (additional dates through December)

Register

 

Implementing the SMART IRB Agreement 

Dec 8

Register

Responsibilities of Relying Institutions

Dec 14

Register

NEW! Serving as a Reviewing IRB

Dec 7

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 .

GI SPORE Developmental Research Project (DRP) Grant

[ GISPORE-DRP-RFA-2017]

DRP proposals will be considered for any GI malignancy, priority consideration will be given to proposals focused on non-colorectal GI malignancies. In addition, we plan to award at least 1 DRP per cycle to a non colorectal focused proposal. Developmental Research Projects in the area of Pancreatic Cancer are encouraged. 

Eligibility: All Case Western Reserve University faculty with an appointment at the Assistant Professor level or higher are eligible to apply for DRP funding. This includes faculty at all 10 schools throughout the university and/or affiliated healthcare centers. Investigators at the Instructor level will be considered eligible, if applications are accompanied by letters of support from department chairs indicating commitment to faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level by the time scheduled for pilot project initiation. 

GI SPORE Career Enhancement Program (CEP) Award 

[ GISPORE-CEP-RFA-2017]

All proposals must be directed towards translational research of a GI malignancy, with at least one specific aim that involves direct study of patients or human materials. 

Eligibility: 1) Individuals with junior faculty appointments at all CWRU affiliated institutions, including Cleveland Clinic (CC), University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC), MetroHealth, and VA, at the instructor or assistant professor level who have not previously served as principal investigator on a NIH Research Program Grant (i.e., R01s), first awards (i.e., R24s), or comparative development awards (i.e., K01, K07, K08, K12, K23); or, 2) Advanced post-doctoral or clinical fellows with commitments to independent faculty appointments at CWRU within one year; or, 3) Established investigators with faculty appointments at CWRU who seek to refocus their research on GI translational cancer research.

Visit  http://cancer.case.edu/research/initiatives/gispore/  to view instructions and eligibility information.  

Contact Suzanne Morris ( [email protected] ,  216.368.1976) with any questions.

The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center  announces the Basser External Research Grant Program, which focuses on projects that have the potential to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Research grant applications in basic science, prevention, early detection, or targeted therapeutics and relevant to the study of BRCA1/2 will be considered. This funding mechanism is not intended for Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.

Grants that demonstrate a potential for translation into clinical practice will be prioritized for funding.

Funding Level:

Review and Notification:

All applications will be reviewed by an External Review Committee and successful applicants will be announced in March 2018. Funding will have a start date of July 1, 2018.

Letter of Intent Deadline: November 13, 2017

Application Deadline: December 18, 2017

For more information visit the  Abramson Cancer Center website .

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), in support of the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, aims to support early stage development of entirely new and novel noninvasive human brain imaging technologies and methods that will lead to transformative advances in our understanding of the human brain. The FOA solicits unusually bold and potentially transformative approaches and supports small-scale, proof-of-concept development based on exceptionally innovative, original and/or unconventional concepts.

LOI Deadline: November 20, 2017

Application Deadline: December 20, 2017

For more information visit the  NIH website .

The NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI)  has announced a new funding opportunity, the Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA). This award will provide “long-term support to accomplished investigators with outstanding records of cancer research productivity who propose to conduct exceptional research. The research projects should break new ground or extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications that may lead to a breakthrough that will advance biomedical, behavioral, or clinical cancer research.” Awards will be for $600,000 direct costs per year, plus applicable Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs to be determined at the time of award. The total project period may not exceed 7 years. 

For more information visit the  NIH website .

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience  supports innovative research designed to bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated. To that end, the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience invites Letters of Intent for its 2018 McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience awards.

The program encourages and supports scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to the understanding of brain function. McKnight is interested in how a new technology may be used to monitor, manipulate, analyze, or model brain function at any level, from the molecular to the entire organism. Technology may take any form, from biochemical tools to instruments to software and mathematical approaches. Because the program seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available to the neurosciences, research based primarily on existing techniques will not be considered.

A goal of the Technological Innovations awards is to foster collaboration between the neurosciences and other disciplines; therefore, collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are explicitly invited.

In 2018, up to three grants will be awarded, each providing $100,000 per year for two years.

To be eligible, applicants must hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor or higher (e.g. associate professor or professor) at an institution in the United States. Scientists holding other titles (e.g., research professor, adjunct professor, professor research track, visiting professor, instructor) are not eligible. Applicants may not be employees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute or a scientist within the Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health.

LOI Deadline: December 04, 2017

Invited Proposal Deadline: April 23, 2018

For more information visit the  McKnight website .

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 .