ICTR October 2018 Newsletter                             
In This Issue

  • Lifespan Research Event: October 3rd
  • New Director of Career Development Program
  • Community Health Journal Announces New Chief-in-Editor
  • Clinicaltrials.gov Office Hours Available
  • Einstein-Montefiore Research in the Headlines
  • Spotlight on Success
Lifespan Research Event on October 3rd
The Lifespan Core of the ICTR, directed by Drs. Carmen Isasi and Rick Kaskel, in conjunction with the AOA Medical Student Honor Society present the Lifespan Research Event , which will take place on October 3rd in LeFrak Auditorium at the Price Center, beginning at 10am. The keynote speaker will be Manish Arora BDS, MPH, PhD, FICD , the Edith J. Baerwald Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His talk is entitled "Time and Health".

Dr. Arora’s research focuses on effects of prenatal and early childhood chemical exposures on life-long health trajectories. He is known for his work on biomarkers that utilize human deciduous and permanent teeth to reconstruct the timing of exposure to various harmful chemicals and essential nutrients, and biological response to those environmental factors. His methods are being applied to the study of outcomes that are national health priorities, including autism, schizophrenia, and ALS.

In addition to Dr. Arora's keynote address, we will hear from four Einstein-Montefiore faculty conducting lifespan research:

·       Ladan Golestaneh MD , Associate Professor (Medicine, Nephrology)
·       Kimberly Reidy MD , Assistant Professor (Pediatric Nephrology)
·       Marina Reznik MD , Associate Professor (Academic General Pediatrics)
·       Joseph Mahgerefteh MD , Assistant Professor (Pediatric Cardiology)


To view the flyer for this event, click here .
New Face for Career Development Mentoring Program
The Mentoring for Translational Team Science (MeTTS) Program will now be directed by Michal L. Melamed MD, MHS beginning in the fall 2018. MeTTS includes a group of approximately 50 junior faculty in the Einstein-Montefiore system who are receiving career development awards in clinical and translational research. This “networking” group was created to help these Scholars advance their careers through monthly presentations and discussions led by senior investigators working together through team science, and to foster Scholars' transition to independent research careers by providing a broad network to complement their existing individual and departmental career developmental support. Dr. Melamed joined the faculty at Einstein- Montefiore in 2006 after completing her Nephrology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, where she also obtained a Masters in Clinical Research. In 2007, she received a K23 from the NIH to study vitamin D as a risk factor for mortality and kidney disease. She has been continuously funded by the NIH since 2007, currently with an R01 evaluating vitamin D in kidney disease, a T32 which she co-directs with Dr. Rick Kaskel (Pediatric Nephrology) and an R18 which she co-leads with Dr. Ladan Golestaneh (Nephrology) and Dr. Kerri Cavanaugh from Vanderbilt University. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles and has mentored over 20 medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty members, many of whom have received foundation and NIH grants. She is looking forward to her new role working with K awardees to maximize their career success. To learn more about the MeTTS program, click here .
ICTR Director Named Editor In Chief for Community Health Journal
Hal Strelnick MD , Assistant Dean for Community Engagement, Director of the Community Engagement Core of the ICTR, and Chief of the Division of Community Health, Department of Family and Social Medicine has been elected to lead the journal, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action (PCHP). Dr. Strelnick was appointed Editor-in-Chief in April 2018. Managing editors Racheline Habousha and Nancy Glassman of the D. Samuel Gottesman Library at Einstein will lead Dr. Strelnick's editorial team for the quarterly publications. Dr. Strelnick says, " PCHP showcases work that can truly changes lives, and I look forward to serving as just the third Editor-in-Chief in the journal's history. I am grateful to the board and the Johns Hopkins University Press for choosing my team for this honor". To read the press release on the announcement, click here .
National Child Development Research Study Funded
Judy Aschner MD , Departments of Pediatrics (Neonatology) and Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health has received an NIH award for ECHO (Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes), now funded through 2023. This ~$17 million grant will expand studies in existing cohorts to determine the factors that influence health outcomes in children, from conception to early childhood. Dr. Aschner’s research focuses on how exposure to chemicals in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, such as phthalates which are used in plastic medical equipment, are associated with adverse health outcomes.The ECHO study includes researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York University, Columbia University, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, click here .
ClinicalTrials.gov Office Hours Available
Need help complying with ClinicalTrials.gov regulations? ClinicalTrials.gov office hours at Einstein are now available! The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is hosting office hours for any researcher, coordinator, or administrator who needs help. Call 718-430-2643 to guarantee a spot or just drop in; No question too small or too complicated. Office hours will be held in the Gottesman Library Training Room at Einstein:

Tues. Oct. 9 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues. Oct. 23 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues. Nov. 6 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues. Nov. 20 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues. Dec. 4 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tues. Dec. 18 1:00pm – 3:00pm

For information, email Clinicaltrials.gov@einstein.yu.edu or call 718-430-2643
ICTR Pilot Project Program Funding
The ICTR newsletter has featured brief vignettes of the outcomes of our Pilot Project Program. We’re very happy to see that the percentage of seed grant recipients publishing their results continues to climb over the years of follow-up, though this is likely an under-estimate of your success in getting papers published. To help us better “connect the dots” between your research and the CTSA funding support, please note the CiTE logo on our website ; if you click on it, you will see the updated NIH grants listed that you should reference in your publications.

To learn more and begin your application,  click here.
New Funding Opportunities to Repurpose Existing Drugs
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has recently released two funding opportunities for identifying new treatments for different diseases, using partially developed therapeutic candidates through its Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules program. To learn more about the funding and application details, click here .
Research in the Headlines
Funding Opportunities
Spotlight on Success
Einstein-Montefiore investigators continue to succeed in obtaining funding. Some of these investigators with new grant awards are:

John Greally PhD, MBBCh , Professor, Departments of Genetics,, Medicine (Hematology), and Pediatrics (Pediatric Genetic Medicine), Ladan Golestaneh MD , Associate Professor, Department of Medicine (Nephrology), Teresa DiLorenzo PhD , Professor, Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Medicine (Endocrinology), and Steven Almo PhD , Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology and Biophysics.
Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research