ICTR June 2020 Newsletter                             
In This Issue

  • Returning to the Work Place
  • Clinical Research Training Program Graduation
  • Four CTSA-sponsored Covid-19 Pilot Projects Awarded
  • New IRB Policies and Procedures Updates
  • Spotlight on Success - New NIH Translational or Clinical Research Grants
Returning Back to Campus
Einstein will be ramping up activities beginning June 1, including research, while ensuring your safe and healthy return to the Campus. To view the comprehensive guide with details about the new workplace policies and standards,  click here .  Details regarding research and educational programs will be posted on the Einstein website shortly.  
Congratulations CRTP Grads!
After a rigorous 2-year program, 13 junior faculty, trainees, and medical students graduated with an MSc degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The graduates with their mentors and areas of research are depicted below. Though we were unable to convene an in-person commencement this year, this outstanding group were acknowledged at Einstein’s virtual commencement exercises, and we add our congratulations to them and their families who supported them through this journey. 
Michael Aboodi, MD
Low Tidal Volume Ventilation and Sedation in Acute Respiratory Failure Patients with and without Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Findings from the PETAL Network LOTUS-FRUIT Study
Department of Medicine (Critical Care)
Mentor: Michelle Gong, MD MS

Sandra Aleksic, MD
The Gonadal Axis as a Biomarker of Metabolic Health and Healthy Aging in Men
Department of Medicine (Endocrinology)
Mentor: Sofiya Milman, MD

Abby Basalely, MD
Association of Early Dysnatremia with Mortality and Acute Kidney Injury in Critically III Neonates: Results from the AWAKEN Study
Department of Pediatrics (Nephrology)
Mentors: Frederick Kaskel, MD PhD; Kimberly Reidy, MD

Elise Boos, MD
Parent’s of faith Support School-Based Sex Education: A Louisiana Study
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health
Mentor: Nerys Benfield, MD

Colleen Hochfelder
First-line surgery is Associated with Longer Overall Survival in Locoregionally
Advanced Hypopharyngeal Cancer in the National Cancer Database
Medical Student
Mentor: Thomas J. Ow, MD MSc

Andrea Jakubowski, MD
Same-day vs. delayed buprenorphine prescribing and patient retention in an office-based buprenorphine treatment program
Department of Medicine (GIM)
Mentor: Aaron Fox, MD MSc

Madelyn Klugman
Hispanics/Latinos in the Bronx Have improved Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Compared
with Non-Hispanic Whites
Medical Student
Mentor: Dean Hosgood, PhD

Nadia Laniado, DDS MPH
Social capital and periodontal disease in Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States:
results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
Department of Dentistry
Mentor: Carmen Isasi, MD PhD

Rebecca Levy, MD
Association of Environmental Tobacco Exposure with Blood Pressure in US Children
Department of Pediatrics (Nephrology)
Mentor: Michal Melamed, MD MPH

Carlos Plancarte, MD
Limited English Proficiency Associated with Delayed Analgesia After Surgery
Department of Pediatrics (General)
Mentors: William Southern, MD MSc; Patricia Hametz, MD; Hai Jung Helen Rhim MD MPH

Patricia Rivera, MD
The Association of Intraoperative Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Components and 30-Day Postoperative Complications after bariatric Surgery:
A Single Center Retrospective Study
Medical Student
Mentors: Jerry Chao, MD MSc; William Southern, MD MSc

Lisa Underland, DO
Insulin Sensitivity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)
Mentor: Yaron Tomer, MD

Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, MD
Exploring the Use Von Willebrand Factor as a Disease Biomarker in a Cohort of Patients with Juvenile Scleroderma: a Pilot Study
Department of Pediatrics (Rheumatology)
Mentor: Dawn Wahezi, MD


To learn more about our CRTP graduates and their plans for after graduation, click here .
The  Master of Science (MSc) in Clinical Research Methods  is attained through the Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP). This intensive two-year program is designed for those pursuing a career in investigator-initiated, hypothesis-driven clinical research. CRTP scholars are drawn from all of Einstein's medical specialties and subspecialties, including those interested in clinical investigation across the entire translational research spectrum, from mechanistic studies to population-based and health services research. The comprehensive program combines didactic learning and coursework with a mentored research experience.
CTSA-sponsored Covid-19 Pilot Projects
A large number of applications were submitted in response to our announcement in March. Four outstanding projects were approved to receive funding after approval by NIH, and congratulations to all faculty the investigators (not all depicted):
  • Biomarkers predicting severity of Covid19 (J Achkar);
  • Using D-Amino Acid Peptides to Block TMPRSS-2: A Novel Approach to Treat Covid-19 (Y Tomer, K Chandran);
  • Home-Based Covid-19 Rehabilitation Program: Pilot Clinical Trial (J Verghese, A Ambrose, M Bartels, C Wang);
  • Use of a Remote Patient Monitoring Platform for Covid-19 Patients (J Leff, D Adams, S Jariwala, S Nair)
Standard Agreement Services Through Trial Innovation Network
To improve the efficiency of the process for review and negotiation process for research agreements, CTSA hubs and the Trial Innovation Network have developed standardized agreements. These agreements include streamlined contracts for multi-center federally funded clinical trial sub-awards (FDP-CTSA Standard Agreement), Network Umbrella Confidential Disclosure Agreement and Accelerated Research Agreements. Contact Zoe Tsagaris, Clinical Trials Network Manager to learn more at zoe.tsagaris@einsteinmed.org .
IRB Updated Policies and Procedures
The IRB has many updated policies, procedures, and guidelines that should be noted.

Short Form Consent Procedure : The short form consent process may be used when a non-English speaking research subject is unexpectedly encountered and, as a result, the investigator must rely on oral translation. The OHRA has created a new SOP that walks through the steps and requirements for obtaining consent using a short form. 

Subject Compensation Guidelines : The OHRA has revised its subject compensation guidelines to offer greater guidance and flexibility on determining an appropriate amount of compensation while avoiding undue influence.


To review these and more, please view the IRB Policies and Procedures page on a regular basis.
Spotlight on Success
Einstein-Montefiore investigators continue to succeed in obtaining funding. Some of these investigators with new grant awards are (from left to right):

Philip Castle PhD , Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Nicholas Sibinga MD , Professor, Departments of Medicine (Cardiology) and Developmental & Molecular Biology, Viraj Patel MD , Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (General Internal Medicine).
Research in the Headlines
Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research