February CHRI Research Bulletin

Research Bulletin

News from the Child Health Research Institute

February 2023

Profile: The UNMC Bioimaging Core Facility

Yutong Liu, PhD, associate professor, Department of Radiology, graciously provided information regarding the equipment and services available to CHRI members through the UNMC Bioimaging Core.

What services are available to researchers through the Bioimaging Core Facility?

The Bioimaging Core Facility operates two small bore high field (7 Tesla) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and MR Spectroscopy (MRS) systems, including a Bruker Biospec MRI and MRS system (7T/21 cm, Bruker, Karlshure, Germany) and a Bruker Pharmascan (7T/16 cm) MRI/MRS system equipped with Resonance Research (Billerica, MA) gradients and shims. The MRI/MRS systems are housed in two adjacent 600 square foot laboratories. In addition, computing equipment is available for image storage, analysis, custom computer program development and database development. Facility scientists are involved in developing protocols for imaging and image processing, aiding in interpretation and support with writing manuscripts and grant applications.

What is the process for engaging the services of the Bioimaging Core Facility?

Investigators with scientific needs that can be met by their own laboratories, should provide a copy of the IACUC approval and defining acquisition parameters for the technologies to use for image acquisition. The core staff can help pick with up of animals and transfer of resulting images.

For the scientists who are less experienced in imaging sciences, several steps are recommended. First, planning and consultation with laboratory personnel are required to generate a sound experimental protocol using developed methods. It is recommended that this consultation precede the IACUC application process so that the imaging plan can be properly defined in that application. Laboratory scientists will assist in design and implementation on a collaborative basis to assure that protocols are streamlined to efficiently achieve the long-term scientific goals of the supported program. If collaboration is developed, the nature of that collaboration can be discussed and modified as investigators' needs change. Second, an active IACUC approval is needed for any animal-related imaging work. Once a protocol is designed, IACUC approved and tested, experimental protocols can then be scheduled through laboratory personnel.

Data analysis and interpretation are also available. Charges will depend upon the amount and nature of the work required by laboratory personnel.

Contact Melissa Mellon, lab manager, prior to the start of experiments so that the schedule can be made well in advance to ensure there is time available. Her contact numbers are (402) 559-3863 (office) and (402) 957-3811 (cell). For scientific questions, contact Dr. Yutong Liu, (402) 559-8340.

Is there anything that you would additionally want researchers to know about the Bioimaging Core Facility?

The MRI core is supported by Nebraska Research Initiative, Nebraska Center of Nanomedicine (NCN) COBRE, Cognitive Neuroscience of Development & Aging (CoNDA) Center and several National Institutes of Health research grants.

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Storytelling Support Offered at the March CHRI Pediatric Academic Workshop

Whether tasked with applying for a research grant, submitting a study write-up to a scientific journal, contributing a story to a medical publication or composing a work of non-fiction, most of us would welcome help with our writing. CHRI is planning a Winter Writers Retreat to meet this need and help attendees with all facets of their writing. The retreat will take place at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center on Friday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event is part of the semiannual Pediatric Academic Workshop series, which aims to provide early-career pediatric researchers with the skills necessary to advance their projects and career.

The retreat agenda will feature a mix of presentations by speakers and facilitated break-out groups. It will offer three tracks for attendees to choose from: academic, creative narrative and promotion and tenure. Experts from each area will be available to provide hands-on advice to attendees in each track. Attendees are encouraged to bring their current writing projects for review and focused writing time or they are welcome to start a new project during the retreat.

Planned event contributors include:

Bud Shaw, MD, author of Last Night in the OR: A Transplant Surgeon's Odyssey and former chair of the UNMC Department of Surgery

Wendy Hind, PhD, JD, author of the book, My Tattoos

Laura Ortmann, MD, associate professor, Division of Pediatric Critical Care, podcast contributor

Teri Mauch, MD, PhD, chief of Pediatric Nephrology, chair of the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee

Eric Peeples, MD, PhD, CHRI Scholar and associate professor, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Writing Group Leader

Click Here to Register

February marks Black History Month, and the Child Health Research Institute encourages everyone to participate in the activities planned by UNMC and Children's Hospital & Medical Center this month. For a full list of activities planned by UNMC and Children's Hospital & Medical Center, click here.

CHRI Priorities & Activities:

Update from Executive Director Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD

Executive Director’s Message February 2023

As the Executive Director of CHRI, I want to recognize the importance of recognizing February as Black History Month. I would like to acknowledge the brutal and horrific murder of Tyre Nichols and profess our sadness and profound anger at the racism that persists against Black and Brown people in our country. Our sincere condolences to Mr. Nichols Family. Our work this year will be in honor of his life and the lives of others impacted by racism in our country and our communities. In our continued Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey at CHRI we will be reviewing the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I hope you will join us for the upcoming discussion. We will continue to review all of our work with an eye to improving our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in all that we do. If you see opportunities for improvement or enhancement of this work, please let me know. It is critical to child health and our core mission.

January was another busy month at CHRI. We are excited to have received a very positive review from the CHRI National Scientific Advisory Board. They are excited about the growth in clinical research at Children’s and were very impressed with the quality of research presented at the CHRI Conference in November. Thanks to all of you who met with them while they were in Omaha and to the CHRI team for hosting them for this visit. Themes for improvement include evaluating additional funding streams, such as increased research philanthropic sources, and focusing on faculty recruiting, including recruitment of mid- and senior- career funded investigators. We are thankful for each of our board members and their investment of time and experience in thoughtfully crafting recommendations for CHRI.

Our team is working hard as usual to help your grant submissions to be as smooth as possible. We have implemented a team approach to help evaluate the new National Institutes of Health requirement for enhanced data sharing requirements. We will review your grant for compliance and implementation feasibility. As new requirements roll out, please be confident that we are here to support your work!

Although it was a cold and snowy January, it’s already time to start thinking about summer research opportunities for our students. Every summer, CHRI turns away multiple UNMC students who are looking for research experiences due to a lack of mentors. If you are interested in being a mentor and wonder if you have enough time, projects or resources to support a student, please reach out to CHRI, and we will talk through the opportunities. Almost every faculty member who has worked with these students has found it to be a great experience.

Importantly, we want to support you in mentoring these students. Please do not accept students into research positions without a formal program and onboarding through UNMC and Children’s. We have important processes in place to onboard students, including providing them the permissions to grant them access to the information and systems they will need and ensuring that they are campus-ready from an immunization and training standpoint. Our CHRI team works closely with the education team at Children’s to coordinate these experiences.

Taking students who are family friends or referred from other colleagues undermines Children’s, UNMC’s and CHRI’s comprehensive plans to ensure diversity, equity, inclusion and access for the student selection process. We have worked through many accommodations for trainees over the last several years and will ensure every trainee gets a positive and comprehensive experience.

Additionally, we are preparing for the Pediatric Research Forum, planned for May 11-12. This is a perfect platform to highlight all your trainees’ work over the last year. We are excited to receive abstract submissions for all work done by trainees, including research and case reports. There will be research awards and presentations as well as a great keynote talk by Sid Mahapatra, MD, PhD, associate professor, Pediatric Critical Care, Pediatric Cancer Research Group co-champion, the evening of May 11. Mark your calendars now for this important event!

We also are excited to have additional community engagement opportunities for CHRI members. including the upcoming tours of NorthStar on Feb. 16. Stay tuned for similar opportunities at Girls Inc. and our other community partners. Each are great organizations through which CHRI, via member involvement, endeavors to build a pipeline of kids interested in careers in science!

Ann

CHRI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journal Club

Join us Friday, Feb. 3, at Noon

for the First of Three Discussions of

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

You are invited to the CHRI DEI Journal Club discussion of part 1 of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot at noon on Friday, Feb. 3. We are dividing the book into three parts to be discussed in three meetings of the journal club. The first third of the book with be the subject of the meeting on Feb. 3. The next meetings for the journal club will be as follows -

Friday, Feb. 17 at noon – Part 2

Friday, Mar. 31 at noon – Part 3

A Zoom link will be emailed to you before the meeting. If you do not receive a link or have any questions about the meeting email Kelly Erickson.

Abstracts Accepted for

CHRI Pediatric Research Forum

Researchers are now invited to submit abstracts for the 21st annual CHRI Pediatric Research Forum on May 11-12. Abstracts must be submitted through this link by 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on March 27, 2023. All information regarding your abstract will be submitted by completing the fields within the link above. You are not able to submit attachments through the link. Complete submission guidelines, as well as poster instructions, are available here. In the coming weeks, CHRI will provide information about available support for those needing assistance or clarity around the abstract writing process.

Community Tier of CHRI Membership Introduced

CHRI has launched a new membership tier. Community Membership is for representatives from community organizations and foundations, as well as patients and their families. Eligibility is based on the applicant’s interest in research and in helping CHRI make an impact locally and globally This tier opens up CHRI to those with a passion for pediatric research who are outside of the scientific community. Membership is great way to stay engaged with and informed of the groundbreaking work being done by CHRI investigators. Access the membership application form here.

The other four tiers of CHRI membership as follows:

Full

University of Nebraska faculty members*, Children’s Specialty Physicians members and physicians with a pediatric-focused primary practice at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine who also have an academic affiliation to the University.

Access and priority to Institute resources and support, including the Pediatric Research Office, using the standardized application and intake processes**
Eligible for pilot project (up to $50,000) and mini-grant funding (up to $15,000) opportunities
Scholars Program eligibility
Does not include adjunct or courtesy

Associate

Interprofessional health care workers and research personnel from the University of Nebraska, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine who are involved in child health research.

Access to CHRI resources and support, including the Pediatric Research Office, based on availability and by using the standardized application and intake processes**
Eligible to apply for mini grants (up to $15,000)

Affiliate

Researchers, with terminal degrees (MD/PhD), who work at another institution in child health research with a collaboration or affiliation with an Institute member, University of Nebraska, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine.

Access to Institute resources and support on a fee-for-service basis and subject to resource availability**
Appropriate institutional IRB approval will be necessary prior to any project support
Access to Institute grants will not be available, unless the affiliate member is collaborating as a co-PI with a member with full or associate membership

Trainee

Graduate students at the University of Nebraska; residents, fellows, medical students at UNMC working or performing research in a child health area. Undergraduate students who are participating in or have participated in CHRI/UNMC programming (for example, SURP) are also eligible.

All trainees have the option to be paired with a mentor with full membership if this relationship is not already in existence
Access to Institute resources and funding opportunities through appropriate application and intake processes and subject to availability**
Eligible to apply for mini grants (up to $15,000)

** Please contact Ashley Servais , CHRI Research Manager, to request a fee schedule or to get an estimate for costs for services of the Pediatric Research Office (PRO). All resources subject to availability.

CHRI Representatives Available to Attend Divisional Meetings

Approximately half of the Department of Pediatrics faculty are CHRI members, and others are encouraged to join. If you are a Department of Pediatrics faculty member and have individuals in your division who might benefit from hearing about the opportunities available to members, email chri@unmc.edu to arrange for a CHRI representative to speak at your next divisional meeting.

NorthStar Community Partner Tour – Thursday, Feb. 16

Two time slots available: 3-4:30 p.m. or 4:30-6 p.m.

The CHRI/Department of Pediatrics Community Engagement Steering Committee has organized an opportunity for department and CHRI members to tour and attend an informational session at NorthStar. This is your opportunity learn more about the great work this organization does in the North Omaha community and in what ways we can support and partner with them. The link below will allow you to select the session that best fits your availability.